Amid the snicko controversy, Starc, during a discussion with the umpire alongside his teammates, was heard on the stump mic saying, “Snicko needs to be sacked. That’s the worst technology there is… They made a mistake the other day and made another today.”
Just a few balls later, England faced another setback, with the Snicko meter in the spotlight after Jamie Smith was controversially declared out. Skipper Ben Stokes was left fuming after the third umpire’s decision, despite replays showing a clear gap between bat and ball, raising questions about the reliability of Snicko technology.
Australian captain Pat Cummins banged in a short delivery to the England wicketkeeper, who attempted a pull but failed to make solid contact. The ball carried through to the catcher, prompting on-field umpire Nitin Menon to send the decision upstairs to check if the take was fair.
On-field official Nitin Menon sent the decision upstairs to third umpire Chris Gaffaney without making an initial call, and neither side chose to use a DRS challenge. After a detailed review, Gaffaney concluded that the ball had carried cleanly through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey and gave Smith out.
Although video replays showed a clear gap between bat and ball, Snicko registered a spike shortly after the ball passed the bat, which ultimately influenced the third umpire’s decision.
