In cricket, “umpire’s call” means the video review is too close to overturn the on-field umpire’s original decision , so that decision stands. It’s most commonly used in LBW reviews under DRS.

Quick meaning

If the third umpire’s technology shows the ball was only marginally hitting or missing the stumps, the result stays with the on-field umpire’s call. So if the umpire said out , it remains out; if they said not out , it remains not out.

When it applies

  • Mostly in LBW decisions.
  • It is used when ball-tracking is not conclusive enough to reverse the original call.
  • It reflects the idea that technology has a small margin of error, so the umpire gets the benefit of the doubt.

Simple example

A batter is given out LBW on the field. After review, ball-tracking shows the ball was just clipping the stumps, not clearly enough to overturn the call. The decision stays out as umpire’s call.

Why it matters

This rule keeps reviews fair when the evidence is very close, instead of pretending technology is perfect. It is one of the main reasons DRS can confirm or preserve very tight decisions rather than forcing an all-or-nothing outcome.

If you want, I can also explain umpire’s call in LBW step by step in very simple language.