Australia were bundled out for 190 in the first innings of the first Test.
Umpiring, an underrated skill that isn’t valued enough. But on some occasions, umpiring errors can take the front seat, which may cause setbacks for the teams participating in the contest. In the ongoing WI vs AUS Test match in Bridgetown, a similar incident has taken place. The Australians appealed for an LBW, which was turned down by the umpire. Upon reviewing it, the snicko meter clearly showed that the ball touched the pad first. But the TV umpire, Adrian Holdstock, still ruled it as ‘not out’, which sent the Aussies into shock.
Josh Hazlewood bowled a delivery which nipped back in to trouble West Indies skipper Roston Chase. The ball went towards fine-leg, but the Australians sensed that it brushed the pad before hitting the inside edge. As a result, they went for a review. And they were right. Except, Holdstock didn’t think so. Though multiple images showed that the ball hit the pad before the bat, he stayed with the on-field decision, keeping Chase on the field. This left the Australians fuming.
When the incident took place, the West Indies were reeling at 58/4. Brandon King was the set batter at a score of 23, and Chase had just come on to bat. Had this decision been adjudged correctly, the Australians would have been able to generate more pressure on the hosts, further strengthening their chances of a first-innings lead. However, the decision didn’t go their way when it should have. The South African TV umpire got his judgment completely wrong.
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This isn’t the first time that such an occurrence has taken place on the field of play. Multiple umpiring lapses in the game’s recent history have triggered false outcomes, affecting the result of the game. The worst thing about such incidents is that it is far more difficult to reach an outcome to understand the repercussions of the decision. Australia has managed a total of 190 after Shamar Joseph’s brilliance ran through their top order on Day 1. Travis Head was their highest scorer with a gritty 59, and opener Usman Khawaja contributed with 37. It would be interesting to see how the game shapes up from here on in the subsequent days.
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