CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS
Chase was given out LBW against Cummins, but West Indies believed the spike on UltraEdge was owing to an inside edge © AFP
Adrian Holdstock’s umpiring came under fire from Daren Sammy on the second day of the Barbados Test as the West Indies head coach raised concerns over two key decisions that went against his side. Sammy, visibly frustrated after play, is reported to have met with match referee Javagal Srinath to gain clarity on the TV umpire’s process and consistency.
“I have noticed, especially with this particular umpire, it’s something that for me started in England. It’s frustrating. I just ask for consistency in the decision-making,” Sammy said, referring to Holdstock.
The latest controversy stemmed from two moments that proved pivotal on the second day of the Barbados Test. The first came shortly after lunch, when Roston Chase was given out lbw to Pat Cummins. The delivery cut in from outside off and stayed low, catching Chase in the crease but West Indies believed the spike on UltraEdge was owing to an inside edge.
“In our opinion, we saw the ball deviated onto the pad,” Sammy said, referring to the dismissal that ended a 67-run partnership between Chase and Shai Hope.
Just a few overs later, Hope inside-edged a seaming delivery from Beau Webster and Alex Carey took a sharp one-handed catch to his left. The umpires sent it upstairs to check if the catch was clean and the replays showed the ball might have grazed the ground, but Holdstock determined that Carey had his fingers underneath it.
“I’m just saying, judge what you see,” Sammy said. “If you see the same thing and one is not out, there is even more doubt on the other than you give it out. Again, I don’t know what he’s seen but from the images that we’ve seen, the decisions are not fair enough for both teams. We’re all humans. Mistakes will be made. I just want fairness.”
When asked if the team might lodge a formal complaint, the head coach kept things open-ended. “You’ll have to wait and see for that,” Sammy said.
Sammy confirmed that his frustration wasn’t only about the events on Day 2 but also based on prior instances involving the same umpire.
“Yeah, look, you don’t want to get yourself in a situation where you’re wondering about certain umpires. Is there something against this team? But when you see decision after decision, then it raises the question. I know he’s here for the series. You don’t want to go in a Test match having that doubt.
“So I want to have that conversation as to the process… so we could be all clear. Because, at the end of the day, you don’t want to be going into a Test match not trusting the umpires. And that’s not what our team is about. So we’re just looking for some clarity as to the decisions.”
Sammy made it clear he didn’t want his players getting caught up in commenting on the umpiring.
“We know the rules. We know fines going all across the board,” he said. “I don’t want them to focus on that. Yes, we’re kind of shooting ourselves in the foot by dropping so many catches, but look at the Test match, against our own selves, some of these decisions and we’re still in a position to win.”
Australia, too, had their share of frustration. Mitchell Starc mentioned a moment earlier in the day when they believed they had Chase out lbw, only for Holdstock to rule there was insufficient evidence to overturn the on-field call.
“There’s been some interesting ones,” Starc said. “Obviously a couple more have gone against the West Indies than us. One for us [against Chase] looked like there was a gap between the bat and the ball, it cost us 40-odd runs, but then a contentious one to then get the wicket.
“As players, you can only ask a question. We don’t use the technology to make that decision. It sort of felt like, or looked like, that the Snicko and the images were out of sync to some capacity.”
© Cricbuzz
