The Ashes cricket match in Adelaide saw more controversy on Thursday. The ‘Snicko’ review system was questioned again. England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was given out caught behind. This happened even though the ball did not seem to touch his bat.
Smith was batting on 22 runs. He tried to hit a ball from Australian captain Pat Cummins. The ball was caught by Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
The on-field umpire, Nitin Menon, was unsure. He asked the third umpire, Chris Gaffaney, to review the play. The video replay showed no clear contact between bat and ball. However, the ‘Snicko’ sound technology showed a small spike. This spike indicated a noise.
With that information, Gaffaney told Menon to rule Smith out. Smith walked off the field shaking his head. England was then 159 runs for six wickets.
Earlier, Smith had a lucky escape. He was on 16 runs when Australia appealed for a catch. The ball seemed to hit his glove and helmet before going to a fielder. After a review, the third umpire said the ball missed the glove. Australia was unhappy with that decision.
Australian bowler Mitchell Starc criticized the technology. He was heard on the microphone saying, “Snicko needs to be sacked. That’s the worst technology there is.”
This was the second day in a row with a ‘Snicko’ problem. On Wednesday, England lost a review because of a mistake. Australian batsman Alex Carey edged a ball. ‘Snicko’ did not show the sound at the right time. Carey was given not out and went on to score 106 runs.
The company that provides ‘Snicko’, BBG Sports, admitted fault. They said a human operator chose the wrong microphone. This caused the error.
Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg was angry. He said the technology is meant to remove big mistakes. He called the errors “not good enough.” He said they are asking the provider for answers.
Australia scored 371 runs in their first innings. They are leading the five-match series 2-0.
