TV umpire Adrian Holdstock has been at the centre of controversy in the first West Indies v Australia Test, after several contentious decisions during the match.
The first Test of the series is being played in Bridgetown, and after two days of play Australia lead by 82 runs in their second innings. The match has been fast-paced, with Australia bowled out for 180 on day one, Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph sharing nine wickets between them. However, West Indies managed a lead of only 10 runs before they were also bowled out, and Australia are 92-4 overnight.
However, after the second day of play, all focus was on several decisions made by Holdstock.
What were the controversial TV umpire decisions?
ALSO READ: Every TV umpire decision in the Barbados Test and who each went against
While several decisions made by Holdstock passed without controversy, the first one which caused questions happened in the afternoon session of day one. Travis Head was the subject of a caught-behind appeal off Joseph's bowling, having attempted a cut shot with the ball passing under his bat and through to Shai Hope. The West Indies fielders went up in appeal and on-field umpires Nitin Menon and Richard Kettleborough sent the decision upstairs to Holdstock to check that the catch had been taken cleanly.
While there was little question on whether Head had nicked the ball, there was debate over whether the ball had bounced on the finger of Hope's gloves before settling in his hands or had touched the ground. Holdstock deemed it had touched the ground first. On commentary, Ian Bishop said of the decision: “That won't go down well.”
On day two, Australia were left frustrated when Holdstock deemed Roston Chase had got an inside edge on an lbw decision they had sent upstairs for review before the ball hit his pad. Bat and pad were very close together and the on-field not out decision stood. There was a brief exchange between the players and on-field umpires following the decision, which meant Australia lost a review.
However, another lbw shout against Chase went against him 19 overs later. This decision was the one which caused Holdstock to receive the most criticism. The decision off Pat Cummins's bowling was given out on-field but Chase referred it upstairs, believing he had got an inside edge on the ball. There was some confusion over whether the audio and video on the replay were completely in sync, and UltraEdge showed inconsistent spikes throughout.
After much 'rocking and rolling', Holdstock deemed there was a clear gap between bat and ball before ball tracking showed it smashing into the top of middle stump. Speaking on commentary again, Bishop said there was a "clear deviation" as the ball passed the bat. “I disagree with the decision, I disagree with the technology, I thought he hit that but somehow, it's worked against Roston Chase,” he continued.
Another controversial decision followed just eight overs later, when Alex Carey appeared to have taken a one-handed screamer. However, there was some debate again over whether the ball had touched the ground before settling in Carey's gloves. Holdstock deemed it had been taken cleanly and Hope had already left the field by the time he gave his decision.
What has been said about the TV umpire decisions?
Speaking after day two, West Indies coach Daren Sammy said in the post-play press conference: “I have noticed, especially with this particular umpire, it's something that for me started in England. It's frustrating. I just ask for consistency in the decision-making.
“You don't want to get yourself in a situation where you're wondering about certain umpires. Is there something against this team? But when you see decision after decision, then it raises the question. I know he's here for the series. You don't want to go in a Test match having that doubt. So I want to have that conversation as to the process… so we could be all clear.
“Because, at the end of the day, you don't want to be going into a Test match not trusting the umpires. And that's not what our team is about. So we're just looking for some clarity as to the decisions.”
ALSO READ: West Indies question third umpire after Barbados drama
Mitchell Starc said: "There's been some interesting ones. Obviously a couple more have gone against the West Indies than us. One for us [against Chase] looked like there was a gap between the bat and the ball, it cost us 40-odd runs, but then a contentious one to then get the wicket.
“As players, you can only ask a question. We don't use the technology to make that decision. It sort of felt like, or looked like, that the Snicko and the images were out of sync to some capacity.”
Several commentators in addition to Bishop also voiced disagreement with the decisions on broadcast coverage of the game. Former Australia player Greg Blewett said after the Carey catch controversy: “I agree with the sentiments of the West Indies dressing room that they feel like they’ve been on the wrong end of some of the calls today.”
The third day of play will get underway at 10am local time.
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.
