I have to stress that the multiple viewings haven’t been by me. I was repeating the consensus of those that have.
It has proved hard to track down a frame-by-frame online and I only seen it once in real time and a couple of subsequent slow replays. My impression was that it clipped the front pad but I’m perfectly open to the fact that it didn’t and it was an umpiring shocker.
Anyway, it is a done deal now. It is only natural (but a shame) that people focus on one incident at the sharp end of the game but the whole match was a string of nonsense that I’m still trying to get my head around. e.g. I had entirely forgotten that Stokes was with Root for a long anonymous period on Saturday evening as well, he had a massive 2 from 50 balls at that point
Oh, I agree entirely and I have tried unsuccessfully to get a You Tube video which shows the ball rather than Stokes talking of it. It is well and good for us to talk about Hawkeye and what trajectory it follows- to the pad, after the initial hit (if there was one) and so on. I just don’t know- I know they have seven cameras. As for Stokes saying it hit the front pad in the words of Mandy Rice-Davies - if anyone can remember her- “Well he would (giggle), wouldn’t he?)”
I don’t think Wilson made a superb decision- if he did it was by luck going on previous form in this series. I think it is time to revisit allowing Australian and English umpires to stand in Ashes series.
However, I also don’t wish to detract from one of the best innings of all time and the efforts of the whole English team. Australia played poorly in the last hour and hardly deserved to win and Pattison could have done much more. So could have a lot of Australian bowlers.
To England, enjoy the success (hopefully your last of an enthralling series) but I believe in the interim there is a match against Derbyshire and the big interest will be if Smith- and Starc- play. Cheers
I agree. I doubt that many on either side would be too bothered about the best umpires standing regardless of country of origin. I’d live with the slight risk of bias if it means we have those most technically able.
Jumping in, though Cicero had it about right.
Paine is not a long term option, but he might be the best available for the next two years. The Australian cricket model is not inclined to keepers as captains. They are much more commonly providing the sage alternative viewpoint. Whether his form will hold that long is unknown. His batting is struggling though his predecessors set rare standards, I have been uneasy at his glove work.
The current First Class captains are:
Kurtis Patterson NSW
Travis Head SA
Peter Handscomb VIC
Usman Khawaja QLD
George Bailley TAS
Mitchell Marsh WA
Of these only Travis could be considered a replacement option and he’s not of unquestioned Test standard yet.
The others have generally had their run while Kurtis is yet to establish his credentials.
Usman hasn’t shown any particular aptitude while captain of the Bulls. He is a pretty laid back character and would be a an unconventional choice.
Best explanation I have heard is that AUS had given the game away.
So that a shot in the dark review was a better chance than a certain loss.
That’s how much Stokes had rattled them.
For a system that is designed to fix howlers it is now primarily a tactical tool for the top order. Odds on there’ll be a move to increase the number of available reviews. The poor standard of umpiring this series might give that impetus. An example of hard cases making bad law to my thinking. There is insufficient penalty for burning a review.
I agree with this. On this subject, and the related one of neutral umpiring, the best answer for my money is to develop better umpires. I don’t particularly want to go back to non-neutral umpiring (it was a horrendous cheat’s charter back in the day and, even if the umpires are all ICC employed and get chucked out on their ear for impropriety, it looks bad if a home umpire gives a beneficial decision). We weren’t that bothered about neutral umpiring for The Ashes when the likes of Venkat and Rudi Koertzen were knocking about - on which subject, how come there are no Indian umpires on the ICC panel? A nation of over a billion, all cricket obsessed and they can’t put up an international standard umpire? You what? There are 12 elite umpires - 7 are from England or Australia. What are India and Bangladesh doing to develop umpires?
I think it was Daniel Vettori who argued that the number of reviews available should be: one (1).
The point being that if the aim of the system is to correct utter howlers rather than marginal calls, then only having one available massively incentivises people to only use them if they’re utterly, utterly sure. That would go quite a long way in changing the culture/strategy around them, but I don’t know if even that could overcome the Bowlers’ Reality Distortion Field (aka the Broad Vortex) that kicks in on these occasions. In this instance where Australia did only have one review remaining (and, be fair, only a limited prospect of having to use another) it wouldn’t by itself have made a difference. But the hope would be that over time the importance of not making speculative reviews would become ingrained.
But better umpires would work too. No idea how you go about improving umpire school though.
I’ve been watching the cricket on Willow TV, through my Sling TV subscriiption.
I finally managed, on my computer, to work out how to record the video stream and convert it to a file. I’ve managed to create and upload a video of the appeal and the subsequent ball tracking. It’s video only, with no audio, but it gives a pretty good sense of how it looked at full speed and in slow-motion replay, and how the video system saw the delivery.
I didn’t want to upload it to YouTube, in case their automatic copyright system flagged it, so I’ve put it on my photo site. You should be able to view it here. Let me know if you have any trouble seeing the video. There’s also a download link on the left hand side of the screen.
It definitely seems to clip the front pad first, before going on to the back leg. The way that Stokes’ front leg was moving towards the leg side with the force of his stroke, it looks in fast motion like the ball might be going down leg side. I definitely don’t blame Wilson for give it “not out” on the appeal.
Having looked at that video (thanks mhendo!), I think it looked out, but in fast motion, it doesn’t look like the howler it’s been made out in some places.
With Australia having series against Pakistan and NZ before Smith’s captaincy ban is up, I guess a lot will depend on how Paine goes in the remainder of The Ashes and those two series. Good results and I imagine he hangs on. I think Smith’s rehabilitation is going alright though - abetted by the English crowd’s booing of him and so on, as well as the runs he is making. I wouldn’t be surprised if Smith is captain of Australia again sometime in late 2020-early 2021.
Re International umpires.
Firstky, hell no. We have had a 110 years of non neutral umpires and 25 of neutral ones. We know how often even good ones gave in to bias.
(English and Aussies ones are biased by programming, but I digress)
Here is the elite panel. Lots of English and Aussies right now, but look at the retired list, lots of good ones from everywhere except BD.
Anderson out of the remaining series. Didn’t make it through his second innings spell in the 2nd XI match.
Obviously a shame from a partisan point of view, also from the perspective of wanting a great contest. But the real shame is the risk that this is Anderson’s exit from England cricket, which would be a sad way to go.
There’s been quite a bit of discussion about umpires in this thread, but I don’t think anyone has yet noted that Joel Wilson and Chris Gaffaney have been removed for the last two tests of the Ashes series.
Marais Erasmus (South Africa) and Ruchira Palliyaguruge (Sri Lanka) will take their places. For Palliyaguruge , the fourth test will also be HIS fourth test match as an umpire. Erasmus has 55 under his belt.