‘Those things hurt’: England fume about DRS after Carey admits he was out before he reached century

“I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat,” Carey said. “It looked a bit funny on the replay, didn’t it, with the noise coming early? You have a bit of luck and maybe it went my way today.”

England assistant coach David Saker was less than impressed.

“I think the calibration of Snicko [has been] out quite a bit and that’s been probably the case for the series,” Saker said. “There’s been some things that don’t really measure up. It was a pretty important decision. Those things hurt, but we’ll get through it. You’d think in this day and age … the technology’s good enough to pick things up like that.

Alex Carey raises his bat to the heavens.Credit: AP

“There’s been concerns about it for the whole series. We shouldn’t be talking about that after a day of playing. It should just be better than that.”

Former Test umpire Simon Taufel said he believed there was an issue with the technology, which robbed England of a chance to roll through Australia.

“My gut tells me from all of my experience on field and also as a TV umpire, I think Alex Carey has actually hit that ball and the technology calibration hasn’t been quite right … ,” Taufel said on Channel Seven.

Within 21 hours – from midday on Tuesday to 9am on match morning – Khawaja’s Test career swung from appearing all but finished to being dramatically reignited.

Usman Khawaja brings up his half century. Credit: Getty Images

An early morning bat in the Adelaide Oval nets piqued curiosity, particularly after captain Pat Cummins said a day earlier the Travis Head-Jake Weatherald opening partnership was too strong to break up with the chance to retain the urn on the line.

Smith reported symptoms of nausea and dizziness – he is being treated for a potential vestibular issue – and was ruled out of the match after initial concerns reported by this masthead on Tuesday.

A hug from Weatherald and an exasperated look from Smith following a lengthy conversation with coach Andrew McDonald were the final clues before an unusual team sheet was submitted, listing Khawaja at No.4 and Smith missing a home Test for the first time since his ban for his involvement in Sandpapergate.

Khawaja has been sensitive to criticism of his recent form, adamant he deserved to remain in the side despite managing just one Test century since the 2023 Ashes.

This was the chance for the self-proclaimed “people’s champ” to answer the doubters and silence former Test stars who had declared his international career over. He did it in style as Australia slumped to 2-33 inside 10 overs.

Weatherald was first to go after gloving Jofra Archer (3-29 off 16) in the air to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith before Zak Crawley scooped up a magnificent catch to send Head packing for 10 off 28 balls – his lowest score in an Adelaide Test since the seven he made against India in 2020.

Khawaja’s third stint at the No.4 position in Test cricket – after Galle in 2016 and the first Test in Perth earlier this series when back spasms prevented him from opening – should have ended on five but he was dropped by Harry Brook.

Khawaja’s career has been defined by sliding-doors moments. Had Head not contracted COVID-19 in 2021, Khawaja would not have made twin hundreds in Sydney against England. Had Smith not been ruled out, Khawaja may well have retired before Sydney.

And had Brook held on to a catch at an awkward but manageable height, Khawaja would not have been afforded the platform he enjoyed on Wednesday.

That reprieve sharpened his focus as the Adelaide heat intensified. Khawaja upped the tempo, prioritised strike rotation, and looked noticeably more at ease than he has as an opener – something he has long maintained – raising his bat for a half-century.

A fairytale century, after being effectively axed a day earlier, loomed as one of the great Ashes redemption stories.

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It was not to be. With fielders stacked on the leg side, Khawaja swatted a sweep shot straight to Tongue off Will Jacks, 18 runs shy of triple figures.

Cam Green’s $4.2 million IPL payday on Tuesday night proved unfortunate timing, with the all-rounder recording his fifth duck in 54 Test innings by chipping Archer to Brydon Carse just in front of square. In the IPL, Green might have flicked the same ball into the stands, but the tentative shot only intensified scrutiny on his form at home.

Despite being labelled by Greg Chappell as Australia’s best batting talent since Ricky Ponting, the 26-year-old remains without a Test hundred in Australia and has a career average of 33.3 that does not reflect his undoubted potential.