The match finished in a tie, with Bell playing a crucial role.
Bell escaped because of a little-known caveat that leaves the decision to the on-field umpire if a player has advanced more than 2.5 meters down the wicket, further angering the Board of Control for Cricket in India - which has long been opposed to a system it says is imperfect and open to abuse.
Other critics contend that the system is deficient because it is not being combined at the World Cup with the hotspot technology that shows whether a ball has made contact with a player and where.
“My understanding is that it is a work in progress,” Lorgat said Saturday. “We continually work with the technology provided and with the broadcasters to try to improve it.
“I do believe that, in spite of the absence of hotspot, we've got something like a five percent improvement on correct decision-making. One cannot ignore that.” Lorgat acknowledged that the system could be abused by players seeking to hold up play or create doubt over marginal decisions, but said fans were sufficiently knowledgeable to know when that was occurring.
“It might actually make a mockery of the players, because we musn't forget the fundamental purpose of DRS is to avoid a clear mistake,” Lorgat said. “In so far as that is concerned, I think nobody disagrees that it works.
“It does become an opportunity for some when there are reviews left. But it is never intended for a marginal decision. We would want to respect the umpire's decision for that.” While he supports the policy of big-screen replays of reviews for fans at stadiums, Lorgat added that players should be mature and respectful enough to abide by umpires' decisions without complaint.
“Whether the umpire gives you out with or without DRS, it's a judgment call of the umpire there,” Lorgat said.
“All players that I know accept the decision of the umpire. I was a player once upon a time and I can tell you many decisions I thought I was not out.
“Umpires are professionals. They are experts. There are many examples where they have changed their decision but on this particular occasion it was the decision of the standing umpire and he believed that the benefit went to the batsman.” Outside of the World Cup, UDRS is only used in bilateral series with the agreement of both participating sides and the technological support of broadcasters.
India is unlikely to agree to such an arrangement in the foreseeable future but Lorgat said the BCCI and ICC still enjoyed a cordial relationship.
“We have to accept that there will be differences of opinion from time to time,” Lorgat said. “We are mature enough to work through those.” Lorgat also rubbished recent reports in the Indian media of investigations by the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit for spot fixing in a World Cup match.
“You're well aware of the policy of the ICC not to comment on any matches related to ACSU,” Lorgat said. “I would however say that I find the media sometimes stretching a point and perhaps sensationalizing something, which is unfortunate.”
