By Malcolm Conn
Captain Pat Cummins wants a better way of adjudicating low catches after three went in favour of the batsmen during the drawn third Test against South Africa in Sydney.
“I don’t really know the answers, but there has to be a way to try and improve it somehow,” Cummins said on Sunday after South Africa hung on for a comfortable draw in the rain-ruined match, giving Australia a 2-0 series victory.
“I think as it currently stands, it’s really hard to give a batter out. If there’s any kind of benefit of the doubt it goes his way. I think with a couple of camera angles really slow down it’s pretty hard to not find doubt somewhere.”
On Sunday’s final day Australia celebrated a wicket only for the batsman to linger and the third umpire to be unsure whether the ball may have touched the grass after viewing countless blurry replays.
Heinrich Klaasen, making it into double figures for the first time in his fourth Test innings, edged a Nathan Lyon delivery low to Steve Smith at slip, who appeared to take a brilliant catch.
Steve Smith’s controversial catch.Credit:AP
On Saturday, South African captain Dean Elgar appeared to have been brilliantly caught by Smith diving low to his right at slip to gather an edge off Josh Hazlewood. Replays showed the catch was taken cleanly, but the ball may have touched the ground as Smith turned his hand to bring it up.
And on Wednesday, Marnus Labuschagne appeared to have been caught low at slip, but television umpire Richard Kettleborough ruled part of the ball had touched the ground when Simon Harmer took it.
“All of us thought it was out,” South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje said of that incident on Wednesday after play. “Simon was convinced it went straight in [his hands]. When you look at the front on and if you look at the angles, it looks to us like fingers underneath it.”
On Saturday after play Hazlewood made it clear he thought both Labuschagne and Elgar were out.
However, Labuschagne claimed on Wednesday that modern technology made it more advantageous for batsmen to hang around.
Australia wait on yet another review during Sunday’s final day of the drawn SCG Test.Credit:Getty
“With the old rules of catching, if you felt like your fingers were under it, absolutely [it’s out], but in the new footage those are so scrutinised because you see so many angles,” he said at the time.
Batsmen are entitled to stand their ground until they get a definitive decision, just as bowlers are entitled to run out batsmen who back up too far, something which has been frowned on as against the spirit of the game despite being in the rules.
There was a time when batsmen standing their ground was also considered against the spirit of the game, highlighting what a nebulous concept it is.
Lyon received the rough end of cricket’s fine margins on Sunday. Not only was Smith’s catch disallowed, but three wicket reviews went against him on umpire’s call. His 0-32 was not a fair indication of how he bowled.
Cummins became the first Australian captain to enforce the follow-on in three years and had 47 overs to work some magic during South Africa’s second innings after bad weather over the first four days ripped out almost two cumulative days of play from the match.
South Africa finished 2-106 in their second innings after being bowled out for 255 earlier in the day, their best score in nine Test innings. This was in response Australia’s 4-475 declared.
It was the third draw in a row at the SCG and the sixth in nine Tests, which have often been marred by the weather, which in turn contributed to lifeless pitches.
The decision to open the bowling with Ashton Agar highlighted the role spin was always going to play as this match wore on and may have had a significant impact if there were five days of sunshine instead of one and a bit.
It was the first time Australia had opened the bowling with a spinner in this country since Shane Warne against South Africa at the SCG 21 years ago.
Unfortunately Agar failed to make an impact, conceding 17 runs from his three-over opening spell to finish the match without taking a wicket in 22 overs.
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
