'Huge blunder': 'Disgraceful' Ashes decision torched

9 months ago 65

The determination to alteration balls successful the 37th implicit of Australia's 2nd innings successful the 5th Ashes Test has travel nether the microscope, with 1 adept calling it "disgraceful".

Opening batter Usman Khawaja was deed successful the helmet disconnected the bowling of Mark Wood connected time four, with the shot judged to beryllium retired of signifier aft the incident.

Umpires Joel Wilson and Kumar Dharmasena past opted to alteration the ball, which was notably shinier than the aged ball.

Throughout the last overs of time 4 and the commencement of time five, the shot noticeably swung much with Australia losing 3 speedy wickets done David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne.

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting unleashed astatine luncheon connected time five.

"The biggest interest I person is conscionable the large discrepancy successful the information of the shot that was chosen to regenerate (the erstwhile one). There's nary mode successful the satellite you tin adjacent look astatine those 2 balls determination and accidental successful immoderate mode they are comparable," Ponting said connected the Sky Sports coverage.

"And astatine the extremity of the day, if you're going to alteration the shot you privation to marque definite you get it ... arsenic adjacent arsenic you perchance tin to the 1 you're changing it from.

"Now if you person a look successful that box, determination weren't excessively galore older-condition balls successful there. But if you person a look astatine that play out, determination were immoderate older ones that were picked up, the umpires looked astatine them and threw them back.

"I conscionable cannot fathom however 2 planetary umpires that person done that a batch of times earlier tin really get that truthful wrong."

Ponting described it arsenic "a immense infinitesimal successful this game" and called for the contention to beryllium "investigated".

"Whether determination was the close information balls successful the box, oregon the umpires person conscionable blaze picked 1 retired of determination that they thought would beryllium OK to use..." Ponting added.

"Perfect tempest with it, arsenic good — let's accidental that. The conditions were cleanable for bowling this morning. No uncertainty astir it, the conditions were amended for bowling this morning.

"But ... I'll enactment my manus up and accidental that I've got perfectly nary uncertainty astatine each that shot would not person done anyplace adjacent arsenic overmuch arsenic what that 1 did this morning. Double the magnitude of question this greeting from yesterday afternoon, seam question and swing.

"I deliberation it's a immense blunder that, arsenic I think, needs to beryllium investigated."

Former Australian cricketer Callum Ferguson was beardown successful his disapproval of the decision.

Umpires analyse balls aft Usman Khawaja was deed successful the helmet. (Nine)

"This shot is considerably newer, I deliberation it's really disgraceful that they've allowed a shot this caller to beryllium brought into the crippled astatine the signifier that they did, it's made it truly difficult," helium said connected Nine's coverage.

Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy besides noticed a large difference.

"Very difficult, it's swinging and seaming and right-handers are struggling with it and truthful excessively left-handers," helium said.

After the archetypal drinks interruption connected time five, Ferguson produced a damning statistic portion doubling down connected the umpires' call.

"There's a batch of question connected manus for them to extract with this caller shot - 3/49 disconnected 15 overs since they've taken that caller ball, earlier that 0/126 disconnected 36 overs," helium said.

"Barely a shot going past the bat, I find it perfectly staggering that 2 nonrecreational umpires tin marque a determination similar this."

Every shot of the Ashes volition beryllium live, escaped and exclusive on 9Now, and if you miss immoderate of the enactment you tin find afloat highlights and exclusive replays aft each day's play here

Former Australian Test captain Mark Taylor agreed the shot alteration had an interaction but said determination were different factors astatine play.

"I deliberation the different happening that happened yesterday isolated from that shot change, which has been spoken astatine magnitude rather a bit, was that the rainfall came past night," helium said.

Marnus survives review

"We didn't get to spot however this shot would've reacted yesterday erstwhile determination was a spot of question from the England bowlers. Australia scored reasonably comfortably successful the 38 overs they faced yesterday but lone the past 2 were with this ball, truthful we don't cognize if it's atmospheric conditions oregon whether it's this ball.

"It whitethorn good beryllium a operation of both. Today, arsenic Mike Atherton said (before the commencement of play), is simply a bully time to bowl."

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