Hot Spot inventor 'keeps lips sealed' on raging controversy under ICC agreement

The inventor of the controversial Decision Review System (DRS) technology Hot Spot has reportedly struck and agreement with the ICC not to talk about it ahead of the fourth Ashes Test.

According to The Age, Warren Brennan, the Australian who developed the technology, has met ICC operations manager Geoff Allardice to discuss how the technology, and its use, can be improved.

The report further said that Allardice is meeting the coaches of Australia and England in Durham before the fourth Test, which begins on Friday, to discuss the DRS, which has become a dominant character in the series.

Stating that he is unable to shed light on the controversy, Brennan, who has never claimed Hot Spot is infallible, said that he is in a situation where he cannot divulge anything related to the sensitive issue, under an agreement with the global cricket governing body.

Meanwhile, former England captain Mike Atherton called for Hot Spot to be dropped from the DRS because of a crisis of confidence in its ability to detect faint edges, saying that he believes that the ICC should give Hot Spot, the thermal imaging machine, a breather because it is creating controversy rather than solving it.

According to Atherton, it is questionable as to how much weight does the third umpire give to the various bits of evidence that are often conflicting like sound, deviation and infra-red technology given that the underlying principle to stay with the on-field umpire's decision as far as is possible.