Snickometer owners blame operator error for controversial Alex Carey reprieve

The company that owns the ‘Snickometer’ technology has blamed operator error for Alex Carey’s reprieve during the third Ashes Test.

Carey admitted he got lucky on his way to a crucial century in Adelaide, with Josh Tongue convinced he had the wicketkeeper caught behind for 72 on day one in Adelaide.

He called for DRS after the decision was turned down, and the stump microphones picked up a clear sound, with the soundwave spiking, but the replay showed the noise before the ball passed Carey’s bat and TV umpire Chris Gaffaney upheld the on-field call.

Carey went to make a vital hundred and another 76 runs were added to Australia’s total of 326 for eight before he was finally dismissed.

He later suggested there was “a bit of a feather” and accepted he had cashed in “a bit of luck”.

It is not the first time the ‘Snickometer’ technology has been called into question during the series and owner BBG Sports has accepted culpability for what it branded a mistake.

BBG told BBC Sport: “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.

“In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error.”

Whether that explanation will be enough to placate the visitors remains to be seen.

England had Jamie Smith dismissed in a similar situation in the first Test at Perth, where the picture once again appeared out of sync with the audio reading. England use a different technology called ‘UltraEdge’ for matches hosted on home soil.

Their Australian bowling coach, David Saker, summed up the mood of frustration in the visiting dressing room as he floated the idea of raising the matter with the match referee.

“I don’t think we’ve done anything about it so far but after today, maybe that might go a bit further,” he said.

“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. There’s been some things that don’t really measure up. At that stage, it was a pretty important decision.

“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. These things hurt, but you get through it. In this day and age you’d think the technology is good enough to pick things up like that.”

Carey, whose innings rescued Australia from a poor position at 94 for four on a good batting surface, offered an honest assessment.

“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 early? If I was given out, I think I would have reviewed it – probably not confidently though. It was a nice sound as it passed the bat, yeah.

“Snicko obviously didn’t line up, did it? That’s just the way cricket goes sometimes, you have a bit of luck and maybe it went my way today.”

Former England player Stuart Broad was famously hounded by Australian fans for failing to walk when a thick edge carried to slip after a deflection off the wicketkeeper in 2013, and the idea of taking the decision himself never crossed Carey’s mind.

Asked if he was a ‘walker’, he smiled and said: “Clearly not”.

Carey was also a target for English frustration in 2023 when his throw controversially stumped Jonny Bairstow after he left his crease at the end of an over.

The drama that followed that dismissal, which was within the laws of the game, means he is no stranger to being in the thick of things.

He added: “It’s sport, there’s always going to be heroes and villains. It all depends which side of the fence you sit on.”