David Shepherd, the doyen of British umpires, has called for more technological help for officials after the flare up in the Sydney Test between India and Australia.
The 67-year-old Shepherd, who officiated in 92 Tests, said it is unfair that viewers at home have better information than the men making the decisions.
He has personal experience of what he called "trial by television" - a media storm after an England collapse at Old Trafford in 2001 in which four wickets fell to unnoticed no-balls came close to driving him into retirement, a report in the Daily Telegraph said.
"Technology has got to be used more. We are judged by technology and people have started thinking that the technology is better than the umpires.
That's not true: on an lbw appeal, an umpire is better placed to judge whether the ball will hit the stumps. But perhaps the TV could help check whether there was an inside edge.
"Cricket will lose something of its spirit as more decisions are referred. But ultimately it is a game for players, not for umpires, and something has to be done," Shepherd said.
Shepherd's feelings are shared by the incoming ICC president David Morgan, who said the world governing body would discuss the issue at its next meeting.
"Increasingly there's a view that we have to embrace technology more than we are. The executive board will be looking at this at our next meeting in March."
Shepherd's main concern is that the use of replays and other aids should not add too many interruptions to the flow of the game.
"Perhaps the system where each team can call for a certain number of referrals could be the way forward," he said.
"It has been trialled, but with limited success, because the TV umpires were reluctant to overrule their colleagues in the middle. They might have to get over that if we are to find a solution," Shepherd opined.
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