‘Something Against West Indies?’ – Daren Sammy Raises Suspicion on Third Umpire After Flurry of Poor Decisions in WI vs AUS 1st Test Go Against Windies

Daren Sammy has raised questions around the umpiring standards in the ongoing WI vs AUS Test match, where the third umpire, Adrian Holdstock, has made several controversial decisions. He has been in the limelight for his inability to make correct decisions despite all the technology.

There have been at least four bizarre decisions going against the West Indies, including both their batting and bowling innings. The West Indies head coach met Javagal Srinath, the match referee, to seek clarification on the decision, stating he noticed inconsistent decisions with Holdstock since the England ODI series.

Adding to his point, Sammy asked whether the umpire is deliberately making wrong decisions against this team, since it has happened multiple times. He said the team doesn’t want to get in a Test match with doubts regarding the umpires in mind.

“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.”

All the wrong decisions made by the third umpire in the WI vs AUS 1st Test

The drama started right from Day 1 when Shamar Joseph induced an edge off Travis Head’s bat to the wicketkeeper. Despite the ball looking clearly in Hope’s gloves, Adrian Holdstock said he didn’t have conclusive evidence and gave not out.

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Then, Australia were on the receiving end when the ball’s first contact was with Roston Chase’s bat, but the third umpire felt it came off the willow first and deemed it not out. The third controversial decision came when Roston Chase got an inside edge, and a clear deflection was visible, but Holdstock didn’t feel it and gave him out.

Another decision went against the West Indies when Alex Carey didn’t catch the ball cleanly, and it had touched the ground, but was given out against Shai Hope. During the final moments of Day 2, Cameron Green survived when the ball first made contact with the batter’s pads; the third umpire ruled it not out, stating it hit the bat, making it five contentious decisions by Holdstock, four against the West Indies and one against the Aussies.

While mistakes are bound to happen, what transpired on the first two days was beyond acceptable, given that the third umpire has enough technology. Most of them went against the West Indies, which makes one wonder whether they were purely mistakes, which were way too many, or something else.

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