England are poised to make an official complaint to match officials regarding the accuracy of the Decision Review System (DRS) after a significant technological error on the opening day of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.
The Controversial Moment
The incident occurred when Australian batsman Alex Carey was on 72 runs. Facing a delivery from England fast bowler Josh Tongue, Carey attempted a cut shot. The England slip cordon immediately appealed, convinced they had heard a clear edge as the ball travelled through to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Umpire Ahsan Raza, however, remained unmoved.
England opted to review the decision. While the Snickometer technology displayed a prominent spike indicating contact, the visual evidence was out of sync. The spike appeared on screen two frames before the ball passed the bat, creating an inconsistency that prevented the third umpire from overturning the on-field 'not out' call. Carey survived and continued his innings.
Century and Admission
Capitalising on the reprieve, the Adelaide native proceeded to notch his first Ashes century on his home ground. He was eventually dismissed by spinner Will Jacks for 106, having helped steer Australia to a total of 326-8 at stumps on Wednesday 17 December 2025.
Speaking after play, Carey openly admitted he had hit the ball. "I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat," he said. "It looked a bit funny on the replay, didn't it, with the noise coming a bit early... Snicko obviously didn't line up, did it." When asked if he was a 'walker' – a batsman who walks off without waiting for the umpire's decision – Carey smiled and replied, "Clearly not."
Technology Firm Takes Responsibility
The Snicko technology used by the Australian host broadcasters, FoxTel and Channel Seven, is supplied by BBG Sports, a New Zealand-based company. This system is distinct from the UltraEdge technology used in England for Sky Sports broadcasts.
Following Carey's admission, BBG Sports founder Warren Brennan acknowledged a critical mistake. "Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing," Brennan told The Age. "In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error."
England's Mounting Frustration
The error has deepened England's existing scepticism towards the DRS technology used in Australia. The tourists had already seen a similar incident in the first Test at Perth, where wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was dismissed amid concerns over audio and visual synchronisation.
England's bowling coach, David Saker, hinted strongly that the matter would be escalated. "I don't think we've done anything about it so far but after today, maybe that might go a bit further," Saker stated. "The boys were pretty confident he hit it. I think the calibration of the snicko is out by quite a bit and that has probably been the case for the series."
He added, with clear frustration, "There have been concerns about it for the whole series. We shouldn't be talking about this after a day's play, it should just be better than that. In this day and age you'd think the technology is good enough to pick things up like that."
