England wicket-keeper Jamie Smith given out in controversial manner, Starc demands sacking of snicko
Overview:
Smith was shocked, and captain Ben Stokes showed his frustration. They both were confused when the decision was sent upstairs by the on-field official.
England were stunned on day 2 of the third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval after wicket-keeper batter Jamie Smith was controversially declared out with the help of Snickometer, just a day after another wrong decision involving Alex Carey. The issues have put a question mark on the reliability of Snicko and added more drama to a tense contest.
Pat Cummins bowled a short ball, and Smith went for a pull shot. The ball was grabbed by wicket-keeper Carey, and the umpire Nitin Menon asked the third umpire to check whether the catch was taken cleanly. Replays showed a clear gap between the bat and the ball, but the Snickometer showed a spike as the ball passed near Smith’s bat, and the third umpire Chris Gaffaney gave the batter his marching orders.
Smith was shocked, and captain Ben Stokes showed his frustration. They both were confused when the decision was sent upstairs by the on-field official. Smith left the field shaking his head once the decision was confirmed on the big screen. Stokes didn’t react aggressively, but he was not pleased with the outcome.
Jamie Smith was clearly not out. We can clearly see spike appeared in Snicko after ball passed the bat. Poor Umpiring. Australia Cheating as always. Using third quality technology. Cheaters Remain Cheaters Forever. Ban Australia pic.twitter.com/zbPLEzhzlz
— Aryan Goel (@Aryan42832Goel) December 18, 2025
The commentators said that it was difficult to interpret the spike and questioned whether the picture and sound were matching. The ball carried to the keeper, but there was debate on whether there was any edge.
Earlier, Careey survived a caught-behind review despite a spike on the snicko. The ICC later confirmed that the spike had not matched the passing of the red cherry.
Australia pacer Mitchell Starc said that Snicko needs to be sacked, calling it the worst technology after there were two mistakes in the first two days of the match.
The controversies are going to put the ICC under pressure as a wrong decision can change the course of the match.
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