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'Intimidation' or bad umpiring? Chris Gayle given out three times in five balls

On day of umpiring shockers, Chris Gayle bore the brunt of Chris Gaffaney’s blunders – given out three times in the space of five balls against Mitchell Starc for one wicket.

The West Indies successfully overturned four separate ‘out’ decisions in their doomed chase of 289, while Gaffaney also missed a no-ball call the delivery before Gayle was dismissed.

That would have made Starc's lbw of the opener off a free hit, while even that dismissal was only upheld by the ‘umpire's call’ rule when Gayle reviewed it.

Gayle had previously sent two decisions upstairs, both in one Starc over.

The first came after he was caught behind, with replays showing the ball had missed his bat and instead nicked the stump.

He was then given out lbw to one that hit him outside leg stump as it continued sliding down.

West Indies star Carlos Brathwaite said none of the decisions cost his team the game but still doubled down on his criticism, declaring umpires should call it fairly.

"I'd like that for West Indies, we don't have to use all our reviews and that some of the other teams get a chance to use theirs because every time we get hit on our pad the finger goes up," Brathwaite said.

Chris Gayle was given out three times, successfully reviewing two of the dismissals. Pic: ICC
Chris Gayle was given out three times, successfully reviewing two of the dismissals. Pic: ICC

"When we hit the opposition on their pad, the finger stays down.

"So we have to use our reviews and it's always missing and then we have to use our reviews when we're batting as well and it's always clipping.

"I'm not a technology person, I don't know why that happens, I can just say what I have seen happen over the past few years."

West Indies legend Michael Holding labelled the umpiring as "atrocious", claiming they were being "intimidated" by over-appealing from the Australians.

“For one, even when I was playing and they were not as strict as they are now, you were allowed one appeal,” he said.

“You don’t appeal two, three, four times to the umpire. That is the first thing.

“They are being intimidated (by Australia), that means they are weak. This has been an atrocious bit of umpiring by both.”

Brathwaite said the “dodgy” umpiring sent ripples through the dressing room.

"I don't know if I'll be fined for saying it but I just think that the umpiring was a bit frustrating," Brathwaite said.

"Obviously three decisions in one over as far as I can remember being dodgy, it was frustrating and sent ripples through the dressing room.

"To lose Chris in a chase of 280, who can probably get 180 of them himself, broke the start that we wanted to have.

"But the umpires do their job, they try to do it to the best of their ability, we as players go out their to do our job as well, so there was no confrontation between the players and the umpires."

Brathwaite also claimed the officials had been too harsh on his side on the height of bouncers, after they gave away 24 wides.

with AAP