Jamie Smith was given out after a lengthy review process on the second day of the opening Ashes Test, in a controversial third umpire decision which drew criticism from England fans.
England were 106-5 in their second innings in Perth when Smith was given not out on the field after an appeal for a catch down the leg side. Australia referred the decision upstairs to TV Umpire Sharfuddoula. The first replay from the front on angle showed a small spike on Snicko as the ball moved past the bat. However, when the angle was shown from behind and side on, the spike could be seen to appear after the ball had passed the bat, with Sharfuddoula heard on the commentary mic saying; "as the ball passes there is nothing there".
1st Test, Australia vs England
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Sharfuddoula continued to look at the replays for five minutes, rocking and rolling the point where the ball passed the bat and the spike appeared and zooming in to check if the ball deviated. After looking frame by frame on the Snicko angle from behind Smith, Sharfuddoula changed his opinion; "I can see a spike as the ball has just gone past the bat, satisfied the ball has made contact with the bat". He then advised on-field umpire Nitin Menon to change his original decision to out.
There was clear surprise from both commentators and England fans in the crowd as Smith walked off. "They've gone around the absolute houses there to make a decision," said Ebony Rainford-Brent on TNT. "and it actually felt to me not out, because normally if it's bat you would expect a bigger spike. I didn't see any deviation as well of the ball. So for me I think England and the fans are going to be annoyed about that, not only how long it took but not conclusive for me."
Speaking on ABC radio commentary, Phil Tufnell was also unimpressed by the decision. "One rule for one, one for the other," he said. "Not happy, listen to the crowd."
"That's a murmur!" 🏏⚱️
— ABC SPORT (@abcsport) November 22, 2025
After more than five minutes of deliberation, Jamie Smith was given out in controversial circumstances. ☝️🚥
📻📱Catch every ball this summer. Live and ad-free on ABC listen: https://t.co/sCMYi9jDY7
💻📝 Live blog: https://t.co/4cUbFQ3cZc#Ashes pic.twitter.com/lqA7fyjgZi
A large contingent of England fans have filled out the crowd for the first Test, who began familiar chants with mention of cheating after the dismissal. On the official Barmy Army social media accounts, they posted a still image from the review process of the ball well past Smith's bat when Snicko showed the spike.
View this post on Instagram
Others also voiced uncertainty of whether the right decision had been made.
Hmm...not sure there's conclusive evidence to overturn that...
— Yas Rana (@Yas_Wisden) November 22, 2025
Ooh. That is controversial.
— Elizabeth Ammon (@legsidelizzy) November 22, 2025
However, the outcry wasn't unanimous, with others pointing to Smith walking off after initially seeing the replay as a sign of guilt. Equally, there was input from former ICC Umpire Simon Taufel on Channel 7 that given the spike on Snicko appeared only one frame after the ball had passed Smith's bat, the correct decision had been made.
Simon Taufel on the Jamie Smith wicket: "the correct decision was made" 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/kOJtlzYFKi
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 22, 2025
Smith correctly given out as per umpire directive for judging DRS via RTS (snicko). A snick one frame after the ball has passed the bat is to be considered conclusive (just took the 3rd umpire a long time to get there) #ashes #AusvEng
— Alison Mitchell (@AlisonMitchell) November 22, 2025
England were eventually bowled out for 164 to set Australia a target of 205 to go 1-0 up in the series. After 14 overs, they reached 86-1, with Travis Head having scored a half-century off 36 balls.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
