Another highly controversial third umpire’s call has struck the Australia vs India Test series – and this time even the local fans are divided over whether their team has been unfairly treated by the match officials.
Paceman Scott Boland initially appeared to have snared Virat Kohli for a golden duck, but the DRS review disallowed the wicket when the third umpire ruled that Steve Smith didn’t have his hand entirely under the ball before he deflected it to his fellow slips fielder Marnus Labuschagne.
Slow-motion replays of the crucial moment were run several times during the agonising wait for a decision, with third official Joel Wilson ruling Smith did not prevent the ball from touching the ground.
‘He’s got his fingers here but, like, it rolled onto the ground. Yeah, that ball just touching the ground,’ Wilson ruled.
Unlike other contentious DRS decisions by Wilson this summer, this one left Aussie experts and fans split almost 50/50.
Channel Seven commentator and former Aussie star Justin Langer was firmly in the ‘out’ camp.
Steve Smith (left) and teammates Marnus Labuschagne (centre) and Sam Konstas launched into wild celebrations when they thought they had Virat Kohli out for a duck
However, third umpire Joel Wilson ruled Smith had failed to keep the ball from touching the ground after examining a slow-motion replay (pictured)
Had the dismissal stood, Scott Boland (pictured left appealing for the wicket with Pat Cummins) would have taken two scalps in two balls
‘Steve Smith had his fingers, you could see he was flicking the ball up, brilliant what he did,’ Langer said on the broadcast.
‘To have his fingers under the ball, flicked it up deliberately, in my opinion, that’s out.’
Ricky Ponting drew the same conclusion.
‘You can see his fingers clearly underneath the ball,’ the former Aussie skipper said on Seven.
‘As far as I was concerned, if it had come out of his [Smith’s] hand, he wouldn’t have been able to scoop it up.’
Former international umpire Simon Taufel – who has been hired to explain close decisions on Seven’s coverage – was noncomittal.
‘You could probably build a case for either decision to be given,’ he said.
‘I can certainly understand what the third umpire’s done there. He believes he’s seen the ball on the ground and called it way he’s seen it. Normally the ICC protocol on fair catches is if you see the fingers underneath the ball, that’s good to maintain a fair catch.
Wilson has been a lightning rod for Aussie anger this series courtesy of some contentious decisions – but this time many local fans backed him
But just as many green and gold supporters were crying foul at what they saw as their team getting ripped off once again
‘The problem is the on-field umpire’s no longer have the soft signal and make the decision. It’s purely in the hands of the television umpire now.’
‘I think that’s given out nearly every day of the week, to be honest,’ said former Test player Mark Waugh in commentary for Fox Sports.
Ex-India coach Ravi Shastri was less convinced.
‘I think the right decision in the end because there was an element of doubt,’ he said.
‘When you see it that many times on the replay and you’re not convinced, it invariably goes in favour of the batsman.
‘If there is a split of the fingers, the chances of the ball touching the grass is much more.’
Australian fans were split down the middle as they commented on the drama online, with many supporting Wilson despite the huge controversy over him not giving Yashasvi Jaiswal out in the Boxing Day Test.
‘I’m no Joel Wilson fan, but whilst I won’t say he made the right call, I’ll absolutely say he didn’t make a bad call,’ one commented.
‘Not out and I’m an Aussie, correct call,’ another added.
However, just as many Aussie supporters were scathing of the decision.
‘Joel Wilson making the call? Expect another howler! Why’s he still got a job after the last test?’ one asked.
‘If this is any other team than India batting it’s out,’ another chimed in.
Had the dismissal been given, it would have left India in a deep hole at 3-17 and put Boland on a hat-trick.
Kohli would have breathed a sigh of relief after the decision, having averaged only 12.4 across five innings since an unbeaten century in the series opener.
Kohli had been the subject of scrutiny during the MCG Test for making shoulder contact with debutant Sam Konstas between overs during the opener’s first stay at the crease.
He also raised eyebrows for confronting a journalist earlier in the series to warn against filming his family members.
