Alastair Cook and Steven Finn have weighed in on the contentious dismissal of Jamie Smith during the opening Test of the Ashes series against Australia. The England batsman was sent packing after a lengthy DRS review lasting five minutes. Umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat ruled that Smith had edged the ball through to the wicketkeeper off Australian newcomer Brendan Doggett.
The TV umpire said: “I can see a spike as the ball has just passed the bat. My decision will be: change your decision from not out to out.” The verdict sparked debate amongst spectators, across social media platforms, and from commentators analysing the Ashes Test.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Cook said: “The only thing for me is I thought it had to be a big spike when it hit the wood [to be overturned].
“Actually, both of them with Jamie Smith and [Marnus] Labuschagne, it’s just a murmur. When I was captain, I didn’t understand it, and that’s when I played the game.
“Five years out of it, I still don’t understand it. Cricket just throws up these inconclusive things, and we are never sure which way it’s going to go.”
Meanwhile, Finn suggested that Smith will swiftly take a lesson from this incident. The former England bowler added: “With the way he walked off and just accepted his fate after the decision had been made, he nodded and walked off, and that suggested to me that he knew he hit it.
“I think he will learn in the future that he won’t work off when it’s sent upstairs by the captain. He will wait for that decision to be made.”
Rob Hatch, speaking on TNT Sports, expressed his astonishment: “Wow. That is incredible. I mean, it’s out or it’s not out, isn’t it? And that took a long, long time. Was there enough deviation there?
“The situation is Jamie Smith has been given out – caught behind – and that took over five minutes for umpire Sharfuddoula to decide. The fans are baffled. Looking around the commentary box, as are we.”
The Barmy Army were far from happy with the decision, belting out chants of ‘same old Aussies, always cheating’. However, Michael Vaughan supported the decision, pointing out Smith’s body language.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, the former England captain explained: “The England fans are in disgust Smith got a feather on that. That went on too long.
“I think if you are a third umpire you need to look at body language. Jamie Smith just walked off, that was not the body language of a man who is innocent.”