Alex Carey has admitted he hit the ball after a Snicko technology failure allowed him to stay at the crease, going on to score a century for Australia against England in the third Ashes Test
Alex Carey saw a decision overturned on review in the third Ashes test(Image: Getty)
BBG Sports, the firm behind “Snicko” technology, have confessed that a technical blunder prevented Alex Carey from being dismissed on review as he went on to score a ton for Australia in the third Ashes Test.
The drama unfolded when he nicked a delivery to England keeper Jamie Smith, but the on-field umpire wasn’t having it. The tourists were adamant, with Josh Tongue spearheading the protests, before it went upstairs for scrutiny.
Although a sound did register on Snicko, there was an obvious disconnect between what was shown on screen and when the noise appeared, so the original call stood.
Alex Carey reached a century for Australia(Image: Getty)
Following that incident, BBG Sports have owned up that a technical glitch meant the verdict should have been out, reports the Express.
They told the Australian press: “Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this, is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing.
“In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error.” Carey was on 72 when it happened, before charging on to notch his hundred as his team finished the day in fine fettle.
The 34-year-old cheekily acknowledged after play that he might have caught a break when chatting to reporters.
He said: “I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat. It looked a bit funny on the replay, didn’t it? With the noise coming early.
“If I was given out, I think I would have reviewed it. Probably not confidently though. It was a nice sound as it when past the bat, yeah.”
The incident marks yet another maddening setback for Ben Stokes and his England squad, as they battle to claw their way back into the series.
England bowling coach David Saker disclosed just how exasperated the touring side were with the decision, which had left them baffled.
Speaking after the day’s action concluded: “The boys were pretty confident he hit it. I think the Snicko’s (been) out quite a bit, and it’s probably been the case for the series. I can’t remember the exact score, but it was a pretty important decision.
“Those things hurt … you’d think in this day-and-age, you’d hope the technology’s good enough to pick things up like that.”
