Adelaide, Dec 18 Controversial umpiring at the Ashes persisted even on Day 2 of the ongoing third Test here at the Adelaide Oval as Australian pacer Mitchell Starc expressed his frustration and opined that the snicko technology ‘needs to be sacked’.
Pat Cummins bowled a sharply directed short ball that climbed awkwardly on Smith, forcing him to hop and fend it defensively. The ball popped up towards first slip, where Usman Khawaja dived forward, prompting a loud Australian appeal for a catch.
The on-field umpire referred the decision upstairs amid doubts over bat or glove contact and whether the catch carried. Replays showed the ball had struck Smith’s helmet, not his gloves, despite a Snicko spike. It also bounced before reaching Khawaja’s hands, leading to an eventual not-out verdict.
Amid the snicko controversy, Starc, during a discussion with the umpire alongside his teammates, was heard on the stump mic saying, "Snicko needs to be sacked. That's the worst technology there is… They made a mistake the other day and made another today."
Just a few balls later, England faced another setback, with the Snicko meter in the spotlight after Jamie Smith was controversially declared out. Skipper Ben Stokes was left fuming after the third umpire’s decision, despite replays showing a clear gap between bat and ball, raising questions about the reliability of Snicko technology.
Australian captain Pat Cummins banged in a short delivery to the England wicketkeeper, who attempted a pull but failed to make solid contact. The ball carried through to the catcher, prompting on-field umpire Nitin Menon to send the decision upstairs to check if the take was fair.
On-field official Nitin Menon sent the decision upstairs to third umpire Chris Gaffaney without making an initial call, and neither side chose to use a DRS challenge. After a detailed review, Gaffaney concluded that the ball had carried cleanly through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey and gave Smith out.
Although video replays showed a clear gap between bat and ball, Snicko registered a spike shortly after the ball passed the bat, which ultimately influenced the third umpire’s decision.
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