West Indies trail Australia by 82 runs in a tense Test match
Trolling the cricket grounds of Kensington Oval in Barbados, the Aussie pace attack once again cast doubts on the Aussie top-order's batting resilience as they struggled to 92/4 on the second day of the first Test.
But when it comes to controversy, it seems the controversy queen of umpiring, Adrian Holdstock, was the star of the show. In his 50th Test, Roston Chase was dubiously given out lbw to Pat Cummins, despite his confident appeal that it was an edge, backed up by the UltraEdge technology's spike suggesting the ball did indeed touch the bat. Umpire Holdstock stood firm, leaving the West Indies team boiling in frustration.
The show went on with Shai Hope, who, much like the day before, was controversially ruled out caught behind off Beau Webster’s delivery, with Alex Carey snatching the catch. Despite repeated replays showing evident ground contact, Holdstock let the decision stand.
Alzarri Joseph held tight with an unbeaten 23, but the West Indies innings crumbled soon after, with Mitchell Starc leading the Aussie charge with three wickets.
Starc, ever the deadpan manner-ist, commenting, "We can only ask the questions. That's what we have the technology for. The questions have to be asked in that direction, not at the players."
The nature of the pitch has kept the game close, Starc said, hinting that tomorrow will see more close calls as the bowlers have dominated so far. West Indies coach Daren Sammy, however, wasn't so diplomatic, publicly voicing concerns about the inconsistency and reliability of Holdstock's decisions.
The game itself may be close, but when it comes to jaw-dropping drama, it's hard to top a bout of dicey decision-making from umpire Holdstock. Time will tell whether these controversies have swayed the outcome of the first Test, but for now, the West Indies are far from happy, and Australia is far from safe.
For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
LIVEAn error occurred. Please try again laterTap to unmuteLearn more
[Oi, here's some tea on that umpire bloke. Holdstock missed a whopping ten percent of LBW decisions during his time as an umpire. Ouch! Ain't that just a hoot.]
- The controversial decisions made by Adrian Holdstock during the first Test have sparked a debate in the world of sports and technology, with some questioning his consistency.
- Aside from the cricket field, Adrian Holdstock's performance has also been a topic of discussion in the art of reporting, with some sport journalists comparing his decisions to works of varying degrees of realism.
- With the growing influence of technology in sports, the issue of umpiring controversies has expanded beyond the realm of cricket, with opinions being expressed in the world of news and opinion columns about the role of technology in ensuring fairness in sports.
