Dilruwan Perera, the Sri Lanka allrounder, survived an lbw decision after an unusual route to taking the assistance of the Decision Review System (DRS). At the time of the incident, Dilruwan was batting on 0 off 7 balls. He went on to play out a further 27 balls, and add 43 for the eighth wicket with Rangana Herath.
What the DRS protocol says
The captain may consult with the bowler and other fielders, and the two batsmen may consult with each other prior to deciding whether to request a Player Review. Under no circumstances is any player permitted to query an umpire about any aspect of a decision before deciding on whether or not to request a Player Review. If the on-field umpires believe that the captain or either batsman has received direct or indirect input emanating other than from the players on the field, then they may at their discretion decline the request for a Player Review. In particular, signals from the dressing room must not be given.
In the 57th over of Sri Lanka's innings, Nigel Llong upheld an lbw appeal from Mohammed Shami when an indipper beat Dilruwan's forward defensive and hit him on the back pad. Dilruwan turned around and began walking back towards the dressing room, only to turn around and ask for a review.
With replays suggesting the ball had struck Dilruwan's pad outside the line of off stump, Llong had to change his decision to not out.
It is not clear what prompted Dilruwan to change his mind about reviewing the decision, but the incident recalled a similar one from Sri Lanka's recent Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. In Sri Lanka's second innings there, Kusal Mendis was walking back towards the dressing room after Richard Kettleborough gave him out lbw to Mohammad Abbas, when he turned around and asked for a review. In that instance, the review was unsuccessful, returning an umpire's call verdict. Llong, incidentally, was the other on-field umpire.
In the Bengaluru Test earlier this year, umpires stopped Steven Smith from reviewing an lbw decision against him after he was seen seeking advice from the Australian dressing room. Llong, again, was the umpire who had given him out off Umesh Yadav.
In that instance, Smith admitted he had sought help from the dressing room, calling it a brain fade. Virat Kohli, India's captain, alleged that Australia had done this on at least three occasions during the match, and the BCCI backed him, filing a complaint with the ICC asking for a further investigation. The BCCI, however, withdrew its complaint hours later, after the ICC, having reviewed video footage from the Test match, spoke to the CEOs of both boards, impressing upon them that the charge was near-impossible to prove.


