LONDON // Andy Flower, the England coach, has accused the International Cricket Council (ICC) of lacking leadership over its failure to issue clear rules about the use of the Decision Review System.
Under existing rules, either side in a series can veto the use of the DRS to determine lbw decisions, something India have elected to do in its ongoing series against England, who defeated the tourists at Lord's on Monday.
However the lack of the DRS during the first Test has cast the spotlight on umpiring in the game, with Billy Bowden twice denying Stuart Broad lbw decisions which would have snared Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina.
Although the decisions did not prove costly for England, Flower believes the absence of the DRS in the remaining three Test matches could fan the flames of controversy.
Asked if he was concerned about the possibility of trouble in the remainder of the series Flower admitted: "Yes, I am actually. We almost saw it happen in this Test match.
"It would have been wrong if the outcome of the game had been seriously affected by a couple of those decisions and it was quite right that, luckily, we did continue to create chances. It's unsatisfactory the way it is, there is no doubt about that."
Flower pointed the finger at ICC chiefs for allowing the current situation to arise, where DRS is used in some Test series but not in others.
"I don't think there's anything we can do, but I think the ICC should be stronger in taking a lead on these issues," said Flower.
"They are the world governing body and they should lead. I don't think it's unfair to say they haven't led on this topic.
"We all know that it is not going to be 100 per cent accurate, but we also know you get more right decisions using it, so let's not quibble about millimetres here when we know you get more right than wrong. That's why most Test-playing nations want to use it.
"(Umpiring) is a very difficult job. We all know that, and I think they would be happier with it too."
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Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
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The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
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