Pat Cummins has claimed Snicko technology lacks consistency compared to other decision review systems deployed outside of Australia.
Snicko caused havoc during Australia’s 82-run victory against England at The Adelaide Oval, which saw the hosts claim a 3-0 lead in the series and retain the Ashes.
Players from both sides were left fuming after a series of contentious decisions overshadowed the third Test, one of which saw England make an official complaint to match referees.
The issue arose when Australia wicket keeper, Alex Carey, appeared to have been caught behind the stumps by fellow gloveman Jamie Smith.
Carey, who would go on to score a century, later admitted that he thought he had nicked a delivery from Josh Tongue behind. The Real-Time Snicko software failed to align the audio and visual components of the review, with a spike appearing well before the ball had reached Carey, who had been on 72 runs at the time.
‘Snicko obviously didn’t line up, did it? That’s just the way cricket goes sometimes, isn’t it? You have a bit of luck, and maybe it went my way today,’ Carey said.
Australia captain Pat Cummins (right) has broken his silence on the Snicko controversy that has rocked the third Ashes Test
Players from both England and Australia had been left fuming after Snicko appeared to be out of sync during the third Ashes Test (pictured, England’s Jamie Smith)
England issued a complaint to the match referees following the incident after the Aussie wicketkeeper was not given out. The tourists later had the review reinstated.
A day later, Jamie Smith was involved in two contentious reviews, the first of which left a fuming Mitchell Starc calling for Snicko to be ‘sacked’.
Smith was later given out following a review, after appearing to edge a delivery from Cummins behind to Carey. Umpires reviewed the decision, but on the Snickometer, a spike had appeared a frame before the ball had passed Smith’s bat. The England wicketkeeper, who had been confident he had not hit the ball, was subsequently given out, and fumed as he left the field.
After retaining the Ashes on Sunday, Cummins revealed that he too felt uneasy about the software’s accuracy.
‘The one here seems a little bit different to sometimes what you get overseas,’ he said following the Adelaide Test.
‘There’s always a few murmurs. You’re hoping that it matches up if you’re the bowling team.
‘Sometimes you’re kind of just making sure that it’s all OK if you’re batting, even if you feel like you haven’t hit it.
‘Yeah, it sometimes doesn’t feel super-consistent. But you just crack on.
England had even made a formal complaint to match officials after Alex Carey (pictured) was given not out. He later admitted that he felt he had edged the ball behind to Jamie Smith
Cummins (pictured) stated that Snicko ‘it sometimes doesn’t feel super-consistent’
‘Whatever the umpire says.’
The company that operates Snicko, BBG Sports, has since accepted responsibility for the ‘error’.
‘Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this, is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing,’ a BBG spokesperson said.
‘In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error.’
This outlet understands that the tools used from country to country often depend on which system broadcasters wish to pay for and use.
In the UK, Sky Sports uses Ultra Edge technology, which is built by Hawk-Eye, who are also employed by Wimbledon, the Premier League and the PGA Tour.
Snicko, which is still deployed in Australia and New Zealand, is considered outdated by many in the UK, with Hawk-Eye’s ball-tracking systems allowing sounds and visual elements to be aligned more precisely by a computer. Snicko, meanwhile, requires a person to align the footage to the sounds.
England, meanwhile, mounted an epic comeback on day four in Adelaide, with Jamie Smith and Will Jacks forming a partnership of 91, with some nerves beginning to emerge from the home supporters.
Australia would go on to seal an 82-run victory on Sunday, and would retain the Ashes having taken a 3-0 lead in the series
However, Mitchell Starc, who has been the player of the series so far, emerged to take three wickets late on to help Australia seal the victory and a 3-0 lead in the series.
Reflecting on the series so far, Cummins noted that the Bazballers had tried to play a little more conservatively in the third Test compared to their brash and aggressive brand of cricket. For the Aussie skipper, that was a huge testament to his team.
‘They seem to have changed their style quite a bit game to game,’ Cummins said. ‘That can happen in overseas conditions, where you’re always trying to find a method that works.
‘Day two, I thought was surprising. It was 40-odd degrees, it was hot, it was a very flat wicket and they shut up shop for half the day, which I was pretty happy with.
‘I’m sure they’ll talk about it and come at us with different plans for Melbourne and Sydney.
‘I’m just glad we’ve been able to stick to our guns and play what we play best, which has worked.’
