The main controversy surrounding Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal in the MCG Test stems from the fact that the ball appeared to change direction after making contact with the gloves, but the Snicko technology showed no indication of any contact with the ball. In this case, most analysts and former cricketers believe that the third umpire, Sharifuddin Ibne Shahid from Bangladesh, made the right call.
However, some, like Sunil Gavaskar and Rajeev Shukla, the Vice-President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), have expressed differing views. Their question is: if technology is used to make decisions more accurate, then why wasn’t the technological evidence accepted in Jaiswal’s case? After various opinions were expressed for and against, the creator of Snicko technology weighed in on the matter.
In cricket’s Decision Review System (DRS), several technologies are used to determine whether the ball made contact with the bat or pad, including real-time Snicko (RTS) or UltraEdge, and HotSpot. Snicko is primarily based on sound; the more forcefully the ball hits the bat or pad, the clearer the sound waves will appear. HotSpot indicates exactly where and how much the ball touched the bat or pad.
In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India, HotSpot is not being used. After questions arose during the 2013 Ashes, Australia stopped using HotSpot in all series. Both Snicko and HotSpot were developed by BBG Sports, founded by Warren Brennan, who is also the head of technology at his company. In an interview with Code Sports, Brennan addressed the controversy over Jaiswal’s dismissal.
Brennan explained that Snicko can’t always detect light touches or slight impacts. “This shot by Jaiswal was one of those, where no sound occurred. Snicko didn’t show any sound (wave). I spoke with the audio director, and he confirmed that there was no sound. HotSpot could have been the solution in this case,” he said.
During the final session of the third day in the Melbourne Test, Australia appealed for a catch against Jaiswal. After the on-field umpire, Joel Wilson, dismissed the appeal, Pat Cummins requested a review. The third umpire, Sharifuddin, reviewed the video replay and gave the out decision based on the visible change in the ball’s trajectory.
Jaiswal, who was dismissed for 84, saw India’s second innings collapse shortly after. India lost the match by 184 runs and fell behind 2-1 in the series. The final match of the five-Test series will start in Sydney on Friday.
