DRS under fire after howler in the 3rd Test costs New Zealand dearly

The decision review system (DRS) is once again under fire after Australia’s Nathan Lyon was given not out in controversial circumstances in the 3rd Test against New Zealand in Adelaide on Saturday. Lyon appeared to have top-edged a ball from an attempted sweep shot off spinner Mitchell Santner. It was a full delivery, straightening off the surface it passed over the bat and then ricocheted off Lyon’s upper arm.

A faint mark on Hot Spot suggested the ball kissed the top edge, however, Real Time Snicko (RTS) did not flicker. The camera angles were pretty inconclusive and after long deliberations from the third umpire Nigel Llong, he decided that there is no conclusive evidence of the edge. They also checked the LBW for when the ball hit the arm, but bizarrely the replay showed Lyon playing a different shot. In the meanwhile, Lyon had already walked to the boundary’s edge in resignation.

Australia had slumped to 8 for 116 from 5 for 109 when Lyon joined Peter Nevill at the crease. After Llong’s decision, in the second over after tea on day 2, Australia added 106 runs which proved extremely crucial as the home side went on to score 224/10 in their first innings and in the end won the match by 3 wickets.

New Zealand’s senior batsman Ross Taylor had almost got through the entirety of his post-play press conference when one final reference to the day’s pivotal DRS episode arose. Taylor had already quipped, “I’ve still got my match fee at the moment, so thank you.”

But this question, from the AAP reporter Rob Forsaith, was pointed. “What did Brendon say after it happened,” he asked. “Was it hard for him to hide his frustration? Taylor’s eyes widened. He looked at the reporters, cameras, then over to the team media manager, then back to Forsaith. “He didn’t really say much afterwards,” Taylor replied, to widespread laughter.

He continued, “That was a good thing about it, once the decision was there, he was the first one to say come on boys, let’s get on with it. But yeah my Facebook’s going off the hook at the moment back home in New Zealand.”

When quizzed on how frustrating it was for a system designed to prevent ‘howlers’ to still somehow throw up one, Taylor said, “You’ve got to ask Nigel that.”