Melbourne, Sept.30 : Cricket Australia will be asked to trial a new umpiring referral system this summer, which the International Cricket Council (ICC) feels will reduce tension between cricket-playing nations.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the ICC has earmarked four Test series, including the clash between Australia and South Africa, as test cases. The system allows each team three unsuccessful appeals per innings to be referred to the third umpire if they feel the on-field umpire is wrong.

India and Sri Lanka trialled the system in their mid-year series with some success.

The ICC wants all nations to be guinea pigs, so Australia's turn will come against the Proteas in the three-Test series if they agree to the request.

The new system was trialled in part in the 2002 Champions Trophy tournament and the 2005 Super Series, but ICC general manager Dave Richardson has greater confidence in the updated system to "eradicate obvious mistakes''.

Close calls not picked up on television replays will remain in the hands of on-field umpires. If he incorrectly gives a decision, he will place his hands across his chest and the call will be reversed.

The move comes as Australia and India await to learn who will be the umpires and match referee for the four-Test Border-Gavaskar series, starting in Bangalore on October 9.

It will be a great surprise if South African match referee Mike Procter and umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson are appointed after the infamous Sydney Test last summer.

Jamaican Bucknor, who missed a caught behind decision off Andrew Symonds when he was on 30, allowing him to eventually plunder an unbeaten 162, was axed at the request of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

The BCCI was also unhappy that Procter cited Harbhajan Singh for racially abusing Symonds, a charge that was later downgraded, angering Australian players.

ANI