England fans were baffled by the decision to give Jamie Smith out on review, despite a gap between bat and ball on the replays, but a quirk in the technology used explains why he was sent on his way.
The incident came at a key point in the first Ashes Test at Perth, Smith the last recognised batter and England 104-6. He attempted to pull a short ball from Brendan Doggett and Alex Carey appealed after catching the ball, with Travis Head, at short leg, also adamant he had heard a sound. Smith was given not out and Australia reviewed, with Smith seemingly beginning to walk after the decision was sent upstairs, before staying put to see what the technology decided.
The review process was protracted, taking well over four minutes, with a spike showing on Real-Time Snicko only after the ball had passed the bat on one side of the splitscreen, when viewed from both side-on and behind the batter. But TV umpire Sharfuddoula eventually found enough evidence to overturn the decision, and Smith was given out.
1st Test, Australia vs England
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Snicko vs Ultraedge
There was some suggestion that Smith’s aborted walk-off had played a part in his demise, but the real answer to why the decision was made can be found in the brand of technology being used for the series. Cricket in Australia uses Real-Time Snicko, rather than Ultraedge, and according to former umpire Simon Taufel, match officials are instructed to consider the frame both before and after the spike when deciding if a spike matches the pictures. Sharfuddoula said as much, saying “I can see a spike as the ball has just gone past the bat. Satisfied the ball has made contact with the bat.”
In fact, according to Taufel, Sharfuddoula’s only error was taking too long to arrive at his decision. “The conclusive evidence protocols with RTS - if you get a spike up to one frame past the bat, that is conclusive. And in this particular case, that is exactly what was there,” he said on 7cricket. “Unfortunately, he didn't want to pull the trigger quite as quickly as perhaps he could have or should have. And the guys in the truck were doing their utmost to show him and to slow it down and to try rocking and rolling that frame. For me, the correct decision was made. A spike RTS after one frame past the bat, the batter has got to go.”
The playing conditions call for the on-field decision to stand if evidence is ‘inconclusive’, but in this instance, Sharfuddoula was convinced. Had the same pictures been displayed using Ultraedge technology, it’s conceivable that a different decision would have been reached.
RTS has come underfire before, for several contentious decisions during the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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