The Decision Review System (DRS) was first introduced in cricket in 2008 to try and eliminate clear and obvious howlers from the game. On Thursday, two decisions on Day 2 of the third Australia-England Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval prompted everyone watching the game to question the use of technology in making decisions.
Both decisions involved England wicket-keeper Jamie Smith. The first of those came in the 44th over, when a rising delivery from Australian captain Pat Cummins struck Smith on his helmet, but since Smith had his hands raised, it did seem like the ball had taken the glove along the way. It was caught by Usman Khawaja at slip, and the hosts went up in appeal.
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Umpire Nitin Menon was unsure if Khawaja had taken the catch cleanly and decided to take the third umpire’s help, despite the Australians not opting to review the on-field call. Replays showed no spike on Snicko as the ball passed Smith’s gloves and massive spikes as it hit his helmet, and third umpire Chris Gaffaney ruled it not out.
The Australians were not amused by the decision, with pacer Mitchell Starc heard as saying on the stump mic that the Snicko needed to be sacked.
“Snicko needs to be sacked. It’s the worst technology ever,” Starc said.
Jamie Smith was given not out after this decision, but what’s your take on this call?#Ashes | #DRSChallenge | @Westpac pic.twitter.com/4Yf3o7FgBj
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2025
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There was more to come in Cummins’ following over, and it involved Smith again. Off the first ball of the 46th over, the Australian captain delivered yet another short ball, and Smith tried to swing it across the line. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey held on to the catch.
Menon once again went upstairs to check if Carey had taken the catch without Australia having taken the review. The Snicko detected a huge spike, despite seeming like there was a huge gap between bat and ball. Gaffaney ruled it out, and Smith had to walk back to the pavilion on 22.
How is that out? Is the third umpire high? Can’t he see there’s no bat involved when Snicko shows some disturbance? What’s your take? #Ashes2025 #cricket pic.twitter.com/JoQqhkm6wD
— Dev (@devpatill) December 18, 2025
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The wicketkeeper was clearly unhappy about the decision, and it also left his captain, Ben Stokes, at the other end, fuming.
This was the second time in two days that Snicko had come under the scanner. On Day 1, the Snicko technology was again under the spotlight when wicketkeeper batter Alex Carey was given not out by Gaffaney for a caught behind DRS appeal, despite technology showing a big spike.
Carey was on 72 at the time and went on to make 106. At the end of the day’s play, he admitted that he had nicked the ball.
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BBG Sports, the owner of Snicko, later admitted to its mistake, stating that Snicko may have taken the wrong stump mic for audio processing.
“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. In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error,” the company said in a statement.
Former England batter David Lloyd termed DRS a “failure” on Thursday.