On the second day of the inaugural Ashes Test in Perth, veteran international umpire Simon Taufel defended the decision to dismiss England’s Jamie Smith after he was caught behind on review.
Smith, 15, was declared not out by standing umpire Nitin Menon after he was crowded and attempted to grab a back-of-a-length ball from Brendan Doggett. when a protracted delay, TV umpire Sharfuddoula overturned the judgement when Australia captain Steven Smith reviewed it at the request of Travis Head (fielding at short leg) and Alex Carey (wicketkeeper).
When Smith, the wicketkeeper for England, noticed a murmur on the Real Time Snickometer (RTS) graphic on the Perth Stadium big screen, he began to leave the pitch. However, he halted when the tape was slowed down, and the little spike appeared one frame after the ball had passed the bat.
However, Sharfuddoula reversed the ruling after deliberating for four minutes. “[There is a] spike as the ball has just gone past the bat,” remarked the official. “I’m satisfied that the ball and bat have made contact. My choice… Nitin, you must reverse your decision to not go out. A noticeable spike is seen since the ball has just passed [the bat].
The judgement was jeered by the thousands of England fans in attendance, who also sang, “Same old Aussies, always cheating.” Speaking during Channel 7’s program, Taufel asserted that the correct choice had been made, pointing out the distinction between “edge-detection technologies” employed in Australia and other countries.
“This is the difficulty when we have two types of edge-detection technologies around the world,” Taufel explained. “We employ Hawkeye Ultra-Edge first and foremost. One of the few nations using Real-Time Snicko worldwide is Australia.
“Unfortunately, Sharfuddoula was reluctant to pull the trigger as soon as he could have or ought to have. The men in the truck were doing their hardest to slow it down, rock and roll that frame, and show him. The right choice, in my opinion, was made: a spike [on] RTS after one frame past the bat, the hitter must leave.
The choice was reminiscent of a number of such disputes that occurred during Australia and India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year.
On Kayo Sports’ coverage, former Australian batter Mark Waugh speculated that the decision to give Smith out may have been influenced by his initial stroll towards the dressing room.
“I think Smith gave it away there,” he responded. “If he had remained there, I doubt the umpire would have been persuaded that he would have struck it. You have to consider whether there is some doubt involved if it takes so long to make a conclusion. But I believe that’s what persuaded the umpire when Smith left. I believe it to be the longest DRS decision I have ever seen.
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