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The Snicko technology registered the sound of an impact but Alex Carey was not given out because the wrong microphone stump was being used - TNT Sports
England were furious after an error by the operator of the “Snicko” technology denied them the crucial wicket of Alex Carey on the opening day of the third Ashes in Adelaide.
Carey, no stranger to Ashes controversy after stumping Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s in 2023, made a magnificent hundred on his home ground, but admitted he had edged Josh Tongue behind on 72 and was “lucky” to be given a reprieve by the decision review system (DRS).
Soon after, BBG Sports, which owns the Snicko technology, took “full responsibility” for what turned out to be human error, with the camera operator simply using the wrong stump microphone. Reports in Australia suggested the operator had raised the sound from the bowler’s end instead of the batsman’s end.
A BBG Sports statement read: “Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing. In light of this, BBG takes full responsibility for the error.”
In a situation that is acutely embarrassing for BBG and the authorities that run the game, Carey should have been given out at a crucial juncture of the third Test.
Tongue had recently dismissed Josh Inglis and, with Australia 245 for six, the game had reached a pivotal moment. Carey had a waft outside off stump and, despite umpire Ahsan Raza turning their appeal down, England’s fielders were utterly convinced Carey was out.
Snicko showed a huge spike – suggesting an edge – but the timing did not tally with the vision. The evidence was not there for the TV umpire Chris Gaffaney to overturn Raza’s decision, meaning England even lost their review.
In his post-match press conference having made 106 with Australia reaching stumps on 326 for eight, Carey duly confessed to edging the ball.
“I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat,” said Carey. “It looked a bit funny on the replay, didn’t it, with the noise coming early?
“If I was given out, I think I would have reviewed it – probably not confidently though. It was a nice sound as it passed the bat, yeah.
“Snicko obviously didn’t line up, did it? That’s just the way cricket goes sometimes, isn’t it? You have a bit of luck, and maybe it went my way today.”
Asked if he was a walker, Carey smiled: “Clearly not.”
England’s bowling consultant David Saker took a dim view of the situation, arguing that the calibration of Snicko has been wrong all series.
“The boys were pretty confident he hit it,” he said. “I think the calibration of the snicko is out quite a bit and that has probably been the case for the series. There’s been some things that don’t really measure up. At that stage, it was a pretty important decision. Those things hurt, but you get through it. In this day and age you’d think the technology is good enough to pick things up like that.”
Asked if England would be making representations to the match referee, Saker said: “I don’t think we’ve done anything about it so far but after today, maybe that might go a bit further. There have been concerns about it for the whole series. We shouldn’t be talking about this after a day’s play, it should just be better than that. It is what it is.”
It is understood that England did seek out match referee Jeff Crowe at stumps, but there appears little that can be done about the situation, which could prove pivotal in the course of the match.
In the first Test in Perth, England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was given out despite the frames of Snicko not quite matching up.
On the opening day in Adelaide, England were possibly the beneficiaries soon after Carey’s edge, when Australia captain Pat Cummins appeared a little surprised to be given out caught at short leg off the inside edge.
The host broadcaster decides which brand of technology to use. Fox Sports have chosen Snicko, but in England, Sky use UltraEdge.
UltraEdge is widely considered by insiders to be a superior product because it uses higher frame-rate cameras and automatically synchronises the audio and graphics to the ball position in every frame. In addition, Snicko relies on broadcast cameras, whereas UltraEdge uses specialist cameras.
Disgrace that Ashes rely on technology susceptible to human error
The real disgrace caused by the non-dismissal of Alex Carey is not the failure of an Australian to walk when he has nicked it but the fact a series of such magnitude as the Ashes is relying on technology that is so susceptible to human error.
The company that owns the technology has taken responsibility but this is a moment of amateurism that is embarrassing for Cricket Australia, the Australian broadcasters who pay for the system and those who run it. English cricketers are right to be whingeing Poms on this occasion - it could be an error that changes the Test.
Also modern players have total faith in the technology. They understand umpires make mistakes and expect the hi-tech systems in place to provide clarity. Since the introduction of the Decision Review System we have seen countless examples of batsmen not realising they have edged the ball. The old adage that a batsman always knows when he has hit it, has been proven wrong.
No, Carey was right to take his chance. What is wrong is that cricket does not have a uniform system of technology. In England, Sky uses Ultra Edge provided by Hawkeye, in Australia the broadcasters use Snicko, provided by the BGG technology company.
Ultra Edge uses dedicated high-rate frame cameras that automatically synchronises audio and video and have a higher frame rate. Snicko uses broadcast cameras and relies on a trained technician to synchronise the audio and visual. It appears the technician at the Adelaide Oval turned up the sound from the bowler’s end by mistake, not the batsman’s, hence it looked as though the spike appeared before the ball reached Carey and the third umpire upheld the not-out decision on the field. Privately, English insiders are stunned they use this form of technology in Australia when others are available.
Carey was given not out, added another 50 with Mitchell Starc and went on to make his third Test hundred. Had Carey been given out, Australia would have been 245 for seven and wobbling badly batting first on a flat pitch.
Carey thought he had nicked it but was streetwise enough in a high-pressure moment to stand his ground. It was the kind of hard-nosed approach that Jamie Smith should have shown in Perth at the start of the series when he was in a similar position and Australia reviewed an edge behind. As soon as he saw the spike on the big screen he walked, despite it looking as though it appeared after the ball had passed the bat. It took a further five minutes before he was given out. It can help make up the mind of a dithering third umpire if the batsman out in the middle appears to confirm he has nicked it by walking off at the first sign of evidence of an edge.
To accuse Carey of bad sportsmanship is a nice way to wind up an important player but does not stand up to real scrutiny. England appeared to accept the decision on the field, it was the backroom staff in the dressing room with access to television who were angry and bowling coach David Saker raised it in the post-play press conference. We have seen examples of Stokes querying technology decisions in the past but this time he accepted it, England moved on pretty quickly on the field.
Carey was rightly pilloried for his role in stump-gate. It was not against the laws but it was an underhand way to take a wicket, no better than a Mankad. In some ways it was worse, because batsmen involved in Mankads are often trying to steal some ground. Jonny Bairstow was not trying to gain an advantage that day. No, this was a technology issue and caused by cricket failing to have a uniform DRS policy and instead relying on host broadcasters to provide the kit.
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