England expressed frustration over a critical human error that allowed Alex Carey to continue batting at the Adelaide Oval. Despite edging a delivery behind to Jamie Smith at 72 runs, Carey went on to score 106 as Australia reached 326-8 by the end of day one in the third Ashes Test.
The incident occurred when Carey appeared to edge a ball from Josh Tongue, leading to an appeal from England. Umpire Ahsan Raza ruled it not out, prompting Ben Stokes to request a review. The technology, known as ‘Snicko,’ indicated a spike at a point before the ball made contact with the bat, leading the TV umpire, Chris Gaffaney, to uphold the on-field decision.
England was puzzled and upset by the ruling, especially given a similar incident involving Jamie Smith in the previous Test. It was later revealed that the error stemmed from the technology operator using the wrong stump mic audio, causing a mismatch between sound and visuals.
Acknowledging his contact with the ball, Alex Carey’s post-match comments further fueled the controversy. He mentioned hearing a noise as the ball passed the bat, but acknowledged the situation’s ambiguity. Despite the contentious decision, Carey humorously admitted he would not have walked off if given out.
Amid the uproar, England’s bowling coach, David Saker, hinted at a possible complaint to match referee Jeff Crowe regarding the use of ‘Snicko’ technology. The series has seen ongoing debates about the alignment of ‘Snicko’ with the TV footage, prompting concerns among players and officials.
The replay of the incident left fans and commentators bewildered, with former England captain Michael Vaughan remarking on the anomaly. The uncertainty surrounding the technology’s accuracy raised questions about its reliability throughout the series.