Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has urged the International Cricket Council to step in and pay for a standard suite of umpiring technologies following a collapse of confidence in the Ashes’ decision review system during the Adelaide Test.
The England team were left frustrated when a miscalibrated “Snicko” system cost them the crucial wicket of Alex Carey on the first day of the Test, and coach Brendon McCullum lodged a complaint in the wake of the decision.
Day two only amplified calls for the system to be replaced after two more contentious decisions were made when Jamie Smith was at the crease, the first giving him a reprieve despite the batter appearing to glove the ball. Amid the Australians’ exasperation, Starc could be heard on the stump mic declaring Snicko should be “sacked”.
Speaking after the Test, the fast bowler said he understands how fans, officials and broadcasters have become frustrated.
“The officials use it, right, so why doesn’t the ICC pay for it?,” he said. “And why is there not just one across the board? Why don’t we use the same technology in all different series? That’s going to perhaps create less confusion or less frustration.”
The decision review system used by umpires, or DRS, is driven by the cost and availability of technology providers, and the preference of host broadcasters to pay for their services.
There are two major competing audio-based edge-detection providers – BBG and UltraEdge. BBG provides the technology for the Ashes, and apologised for user error in the wake of the Carey decision.
The “Hot Spot” system, which uses infrared cameras to detect the slight increase in heat caused by the friction between the ball and the batter, is not available to umpires during the Ashes because broadcasters decided against paying its reported $10,000 per day cost. Channel Seven and Fox Sports both have rights to the series as part of a seven-year, $1.5bn deal.
Australian captain Pat Cummins confirmed after the Adelaide Test the players don’t have full confidence in the local system, which he said “sometimes doesn’t feel super-consistent”.
“There’s always a few murmurs, you’re hoping that it matches up if you’re the bowling team. Sometimes you’re kind of just making sure that it’s all OK if you’re batting, even if you feel like you haven’t hit it.”