England have had a review reinstated by ICC match referee Jeff Crowe after a technology error cost them the wicket of Australia’s Alex Carey on the first day of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.
BBG Sports, the company who operate the Real-Time Snicko in Tests in Australia, had taken ‘full responsibility’ for the error, after one of the operators of the technology ‘selected the wrong stump mic for audio processing’.
That meant the audio and visual aspects of the technology failed to align, with the spike on Snicko registering before the ball touched the underside of Carey’s bat en route to England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Carey, who had 72 at the time and went on to make 106, later all but admitted he had edged it.
Before play began on the second day, with Australia 326 for eight, it emerged that Crowe had reinstated England’s review. With each team allowed three incorrect challenges per innings, the tourists’ tally is now back to two.
The controversy led to England head coach Brendon McCullum and team manager Wayne Bentley having discussions at the close of play with Crowe, and the ECB will hold discussions with the ICC, the global game’s governing body, to ensure the protocol of Decision Review System is reviewed, with the aim of improving decision-making processes.
Australian broadcasters use the less accurate RTS, while Sky Sports in the UK use Ultra Edge after the ECB decided to dip into their own pockets to fund the technology.
England have had a review reinstated after a Snicko error sparked controversy in the Ashes
Alex Carey was not dismissed despite edging behind on 72 – and went on to make a century
Asked for his thoughts on the controversial incident ahead of a crucial second day in Adelaide, former England bowler Steve Finn told TNT Sports: ‘The technology has failed England yesterday.
‘Someone nicking the ball and not walking is not new to Ashes cricket, me and Swanny (Graeme Swann) are well aware of that.’
As he reviewed the replays, he added: ‘Here, the little thin under edge, or supposed under edge, and England are convinced that he’s definitely edged it, the wicket keeper, the slips, Ben Stokes immediately sends it upstairs. And that nod suggests to me that Alex Carey is feeling rather guilty.
‘At this stage, it seems like a foregone conclusion that it’s going to be given out. But if you look at the snick on Snicko there, it’s at least two frames out before the ball passes underneath the bat.
‘In that situation, because the decision has been given not out on the field, there has to be absolutely conclusive evidence for the umpire upstairs to be able to overturn the on-field decision, because that has to be respected.
‘The problem here is not with Alex Carey not walking, not with the umpire not giving it out on the field, the problem is with the technology.
‘Snicko is a technology that hasn’t been used in the UK since 2016 because it was deemed substandard, whereas they’ve kept using it here for the host broadcaster and that is what is sent to the TV umpire. The problem with Snicko is that it’s manually inputted as to which stump mic the sound comes from.
‘In the system used in the UK, it’s inputted automatically and is synced up with the pitch map data in order to determine exactly when the ball passes the bat so that it marries up with the spike. With Snicko, there’s some fella in a caravan somewhere pressing a button and that’s why there’s a bit of discrepancy when it comes.
After the day’s play, Carey admitted that he had edged it – proving the technology had failed
‘We saw earlier in the series when Jamie Smith was given out and it was a frame out, but this was so far out that it was impossible for the TV umpire to give it out on the field.
‘It’s the technology’s fault, the technology’s problem, it’s substandard and it’s just not good enough,’ he concluded.
