Yet Smith’s decision to start to walk off when Snicko was shown on the big screen suggested that he, too, thought that he had edged the ball. Umpires are told that the framing of any spikes does not need to completely align with the footage on screen. On balance, then, Saikat probably reached the right decision.
What was the reaction?
Opinions on Saikat’s decision were divided. Darren Lehmann, the former Australia coach, criticised the decision while broadcasting. “I’m giving that not out,” Lehmann said. “It was only a murmur and it was after.”
But Simon Taufel, the five-time former ICC umpire of the year, disagreed.
“For me, the correct decision was made,” Taufel said. “A spike…after one frame past the bat, the batter has got to go.”
Taufel explained the difficulties that umpires face, with the technology used in Australia different to in much of the world.
“Primarily we use Hawkeye Ultra Edge. In Australia, it’s one of the few countries in the world to use real-time Snicko (RTS). It’s very difficult to come into a series with limited experience around how to judge RTS, but 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. 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.”
