England have formally complained to the ICC match referee Jeff Crowe after a Snicko malfunction gave Australia's Alex Carey a controversial reprieve on the opening day of the third Ashes Test at Headingley. The error occurred when Carey, who went on to score 106, was on 72 and appeared to edge Josh Tongue behind. The on-field umpire gave him not out, and third umpire Chris Gaffaney saw a spike on Snicko but determined it came before any contact, ruling insufficient evidence to overturn.
Snicko operator BBG Sports later admitted a mistake, stating that the operator likely selected the incorrect stump microphone for audio processing. In a statement to BBC Sport, BBG said: '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.' The technology is believed to have used the feed from the non-striker's end microphone in error.
Following the incident, England head coach Brendon McCullum and team manager Wayne Bentley met with match referee Jeff Crowe after the close of play. Crowe has since reinstated one of England's reviews as a result of the error. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is also set to investigate the matter further.
England bowling consultant David Saker expressed frustration, saying: 'The boys were pretty confident he hit it. I think the calibration of the Snicko is out quite a bit... There have been concerns all series. We shouldn't be talking about this after a day's play, it should be better than that.' Carey, for his part, acknowledged the unusual nature of the incident, admitting he would likely have reviewed had he been given out, but not confidently.
The incident has reignited debate over the use of Snicko technology in the Ashes, with the Real Time Snicko system used by Australian host broadcaster Fox Sports considered inferior to the Ultra-Edge system employed by Sky Sports in England. The error proved costly as Australia reached 326 for eight at stumps, with Carey's century providing a significant advantage.
