The ICC has reinstated England’s DRS after admitting that there was a technical glitch on the first day of the third Ashes Test in Australia. Following discussions between the England team management and match referee Jeff Crowe, the technology provider admitted that England could not get a wicket due to operator error.
The controversy began over Alex Carey’s not-out decision, where Snicko failed to act correctly during review. Carey, who was batting on 72, survived a catch-back appeal from Josh Tongue after it was turned down by the on-field umpire. The visiting team reviewed the decision and referred it to the third umpire.
While the audio produced a noticeable sound, replays showed that it came before the ball reached the bat. The TV umpire decided to stick to the original not-out call. Carey took full advantage of the opportunity and ultimately scored a century.
England review reinstated after technology failure
The visitors’ lost review was restored after officials acknowledged a technical issue during a controversial appeal involving Alex Carey, according to ESPN Cricinfo. Following the incident, Brendon McCullum and team manager Wayne Bentley met match referee Jeff Crowe to express their concerns.
The report read, “ESPNcricinfo understands that Brendon McCullum and Wayne Bentley, the England head coach and team manager respectively, have spoken to match referee Jeff Crowe to address their complaints. The ECB will also encourage the ICC to review its systems to improve its decision-making processes in the future.”
ICC rules allow review resumption after technology failure
The ICC’s playing conditions allow a team to withdraw a review if a decision could not be completed properly due to a technology failure. This rule has been used before, with a similar mistake being made during England’s tour of India in 2021.
Match referee Jeff Crowe decided that the English team’s lost review should be reinstated. As a result, England had two reviews available when play resumed on the second day in Adelaide, with Australia continuing their innings at 326 for 8.
The incident also drew attention to two different sound-based edge-detection systems approved by the ICC. Australia uses the RTS system, while UltraEdge is used in other parts of the world.
Umpires cannot trust technology – Ricky Ponting
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting questioned the reliability of the RTS system. He said that match officials do not trust the technology, which makes it difficult for the third umpires to take decisions. Ponting said that umpires should not rely on intuition when reviewing incidents.
Ponting, commenting on Channel 7, said, “The technology we are using here is not as good as the technology used in other countries. You talk to the umpires, they will tell you the same thing. They can’t trust it.”
“They have a third umpire sitting there who has to make a decision based on what the technology is seeing, and sometimes they feel it’s not right. It can’t be. You have to be able to trust the technology that’s there.”
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