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ICC tries to pacify fuming England after snicko operator admits serious error in major DRS controversy for Alex Carey
BBG Sport acknowledged the error with the Snicko that impacted audio processing, leading to the failure in detecting a faint edge from Australia’s Alex Carey.
The ICC has reinstated England’s Decision Review System (DRS) after acknowledging a technology error that overshadowed Day 1 of the third Ashes Test, following a controversial review involving Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
England lost a review earlier after Snicko failed to detect what appeared to be a faint edge from Carey, despite strong on-field indications that the ball had brushed the bat. Carey was batting on 72 at that time and he went on to get a century. The decision proved costly in a tight passage of play and prompted immediate protests from the England camp.
In a statement issued late on the first evening, the ICC confirmed England’s review had been restored after consultation with broadcast partner BBG Sport, the company responsible for the Snickometer feed. BBG later conceded that a calibration issue had affected the audio spike used to determine contact.
"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," BBG told BBC Sport.
"In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error."
Carey himself appeared to allude to the nick while at the crease, offering subtle hints to the umpires before the review was completed. Speaking after stumps, the Australian wicketkeeper stopped short of criticising the technology but acknowledged the confusion.
“I felt something when it went past,” Carey said. “In the moment you just trust the process, but it did feel like one of those where the players knew more than the screen was showing.”
England bowling consultant David Saker was more forthright, saying the incident reflected a broader concern with the reliability of the system during the series.
“I think the calibration of Snicko has been out quite a bit and that’s probably been the case for the series,” Saker said. “There’s been some things that don’t really measure up. At that stage, I can’t remember the exact score, but it was a pretty important decision. Those things hurt, but you’d think in this day and age the technology is good enough to pick things up like that.”
England officials had mulled taking the matter up formally with the ICC, calling for improvements and clearer safeguards around DRS technology in high-stakes matches. The governing body said it would review procedures with technology providers to prevent a repeat.
While the reinstated review does little to erase the frustration of the moment, England hope the episode will lead to tighter oversight of DRS systems for the remainder of the Ashes — and beyond.
