Alex Carey capitalised on a faulty Snicko call to score a superb hundred as Australia closed day one of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide on 326-8.
England bowling coach David Saker praised his side’s efforts in hot conditions, while former captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain suggested the hosts had missed an opportunity for a big score on a pitch made for batting.
Snicko error benefits Carey
Having been drafted in for Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue thought he had dismissed Carey after a clear noise past the bat, but the umpire ruled not out.
England’s review was then rejected despite a large Snicko spike, with operator BBG Sports later blaming a syncing error caused by audio sourced from the wrong stump mic.
“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 Sports said in a statement.
“In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error.”
England’s bowling efforts praised
Speaking to the BBC after the close of play, Saker had the following to say about England’s bowlers: “Pretty tough day as far as the heat, the way the wicket was pretty flat. I was really impressed with the way we went about it.
“Jof [Jofra Archer] was good with the new ball. I thought Jacksy [Will Jacks] did a great job holding up one end and the quicks did a good job from the other.
“It was really impressive the way we responded after two losses. It is only day one and there is still a lot of cricket left.”
On the Carey Snicko incident, Saker told TNT Sports: “Our boys are really confident he [Carey] hit. Jamie Smith behind the stumps is not the sort of guy who would be like that unless he thought that, but you’ve got the technology.
“We’re pretty confident he hit, but he’d be the person to be asking. He did look guilty. That’s the technology and I think they need to make sure it’s working better than it did.”
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Australian batting falls short
Sky Sports pundits Atherton and Hussain, meanwhile, judged Australia’s innings to have been a missed opportunity given the circumstances.
“All the numbers suggest that Australia, when they bat first in day matches here since 2000, they’ve only once been bowled out below 400. So, if you take eight wickets, you’re pretty satisfied with the outcome,” explained Atherton.
“They will think that this was an opportunity – on a flat pitch, 35 degrees, a baking hot day – where they could have almost put things beyond England. But they haven’t done that, and now everything will rest on England’s first innings.”
Hussain added: “They [Australia] fought back with a brilliant hundred from Alex Carey, but there were some soft dismissals in there. Australia could have put this series to bed and been 330-4 at the end of day one.
“England kept going on a very flat Adelaide pitch, on a hot day, so I think they will take that score walking off today. It could have been better, but it was a crucial toss lost and so they’ve done pretty well.”
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