How ‘Snicko’ is Supposed to Work Amid Huge Controversy

The third Ashes Test in Adelaide has been overshadowed by a number of complaints from players from both Australia and England about the Snickometer technology used during the match.

As in many other sports, cricket has embraced technology in recent years to try and eliminate umpiring errors. However, there are major differences between the systems used in individual countries.

Per the Daily Mail, broadcasters around the world are responsible for funding the technology used to make DRS [Decision Review System] calls. This results in an inconsistent use of DRS around the world.

How Does ‘Snicko’ Work and Why is it Being Used in The Ashes?

‘Snicko’ is used to detect faint edges when the ball passes the bat, utilising high-speed cameras and the stump microphone to determine if contact was made. Well, at least it is in Australia and New Zealand.

Intriguingly, Sky Sports in the UK binned the technology nine years ago, opting to go with rival product, Ultra Edge. Several incidents during the third Test demonstrated why.

Two questionable calls involving England batsman Jamie Smith were dished out by Snicko during day two, following an error on day one where the technology provided an unjust reprieve to Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Carey appeared to have clearly edged the ball behind while on 72, only to be ruled not out because the wrong microphone was selected by the Snickometer operator. He went on to make 106 runs before being dismissed.

BBG Sports, the company responsible for Snicko, accepted that the technology was at fault in the case of Carey, but now has more questions to answer following the bizarre dismissal of Smith on day two.

Calls For ‘Snicko’ to be Sacked After Jamie Smith’s Ashes Dismissal

Australia were convinced that the Surrey player had been caught off the glove while on 16 but the Snickometer review favoured Smith, deeming that the ball only grazed his helmet. There were also questions about the slip catch, which appeared to come very close to the ground, though that was not the reason for the not out decision.

Soon after, Snicko was again called into action after Smith’s attempted pull shot off the ball of Cummins was caught behind. This time, the Englishman was ruled out, despite another syncing error that showed a spike one frame early, suggesting contact was inconclusive.

Smith threw his arms up in frustration and players and pundits mirrored his sentiment, as England captain Ben Stokes looked on in disgust.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain delivered his verdict on Sky Sports after England closed day two on 213-8.

He said: “It was farcical today. Everyone has lost faith in Snicko. The crowd leaving here and people watching at home have completely lost faith with the system, and that gets you into dangerous territory, because everyone starts guessing.

“In general, cricket has set the tone for how to use technology in sport. Cricket and the DRS system has worked, but it’s not working in this series. And that’s not me being a whinging Pom by the way. England aren’t 2-0 down and had another bad day because of Snicko.”

Australian pace bowler Mitchell Starc was captured by the stump microphone delivering a scathing remark.

He said: “Snicko needs to be sacked. That’s the worst technology there is. They make a mistake the other day, and they make another mistake today.”

No official comment has yet been made on whether the technology will continue to be used for the final two matches in the series. However, players both past and present have made their feelings clear on the controversial system.