Ump's embarrassing hat-trick of DRS blunders
The Decision Review System (DRS) continues to haunt Nathan Lyon and Australia at Adelaide Oval, where Nigel Llong has made another umpiring blunder in the first Test against India.
Lyon was foiled again when Llong gave Ajinkya Rahane out caught at bat-pad for 17 early on day four, only for the decision to be overturned on review.
Replays showed the ball struck Rahane’s front pad outside the line of off stump and missed both bat and gloves by a long way.
The reversal was a dagger in the heart for Australia as Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara pushed India’s lead beyond 200 runs.
OUT! Nathan Lyon with the much needed breakthrough.
Pujara goes for 71, India 4/234 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/izMyMZrKJt
— 7 Cricket (@7Cricket) December 9, 2018
Lyon eventually dismissed Pujara half an hour before lunch when a ball was caught after bouncing off his leg then glove – and no review was necessary.
The earlier review was the third time in the match India correctly referred a Lyon wicket, with Englishman Llong responsible for each of the initial misjudgements.
First-innings centurion Pujara, who passed 50 again early on day four, was twice given out to Lyon on Saturday but had both dismissals overturned.
Pujara was given out caught behind on eight but the Hot Spot technology showed no contact with bat or gloves.
He then had another reprieve on 17 when given out lbw after failing to offer a shot to a ball which turned into the right-hander.
The DRS confirmed the delivery was tracking over the bails.
“I’m not sold on ball-tracking I must say,” Glenn McGrath said in commentary for Channel 7, suggesting DRS had erred.
Damien Fleming then added a quick jab at the technology: “I think the ball was on a trampoline.”
Llong also gave Usman Khawaja not out on Friday only for the decision to be overturned, while India later used the DRS to confirm Pat Cummins’ dismissal.
India refused to play under the DRS for almost a decade after its 2008 introduction to Test cricket – after a series against Sri Lanka, they deemed DRS to be unreliable.
The Indians, particularly ex-captain MS Dhoni, mistrusted the technology behind the system which had been adopted by all other Test-playing nations.
But with Dhoni’s departure as leader, his replacement as skipper Virat Kohli softened India’s hardline stance and accepted the DRS from 2016.
with AAP