Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc took a strong jab at the Snicko technology during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, as a string of questionable calls had both players and fans doubting its trustworthiness.
You could hear his frustration on the stump mic after England’s Jamie Smith dodged a tight call in the 44th over.
“Snicko needs to be sacked. It’s the worst technology ever,” Starc reacted right away to the call that went against Australia. This comment followed third umpire Chris Gaffaney’s decision to rule Smith not out, even though there was clear glove movement, as Snicko didn’t show a spike and instead indicated the ball had bounced off Smith’s helmet.
Alex Carey Admits He Believed He Made Contact With the Ball
The focus on Snicko started on the very first day of the Test when Alex Carey, the Australian wicketkeeper, was not ruled out on 72 despite England’s strong calls for a caught behind. The replay indicated a clear spike, but it occurred before the ball got to Carey’s bat.
Third umpire Chris Gaffaney concluded there was “a clear gap” and no contact, allowing Carey to carry on with his innings. He later achieved his first Ashes century.
Carey himself said after the game that he thought he had made contact.
“I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat. It looked a bit funny on the replay, didn’t it, with the noise coming early?” Carey said.
Snicko is coming under heavy criticism in Adelaide 👀 pic.twitter.com/iMB2f7u3Zk
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 18, 2025
He added, “If I were given out, I think I would have reviewed it – probably not confidently though. It was a nice sound as it passed the bat, yeah.”
Carey also made clear he had no intention of walking, “Snicko obviously didn’t line up, did it? That’s just the way cricket goes sometimes, isn’t it? You have a bit of luck, and maybe it went my way today.”
Jamie Smith Survives 44th Over After Snicko Shows No Spike
On Day 2, Jamie Smith found himself at the center of two close calls in back-to-back overs. In the 44th over, Pat Cummins seemed to have caught Smith’s glove, with Usman Khawaja snagging the catch at slip. On-field umpire Nitin Menon decided to send the call upstairs.
Even though the glove was clearly moving, Snicko didn’t show any spike, leading Gaffaney to conclude that the ball had hit Smith’s helmet instead, so he was not ruled out.
Just two overs later, Smith was once again part of a DRS review. While trying to pull a shot off Cummins, he was caught behind by Carey. This time, Snicko indicated a spike just after the ball went past the bat, which was considered enough evidence for Smith to be given out.
BBG Sports Accepts Responsibility
After the whole Carey situation, BBG Sports, the folks behind Snicko tech for Tests in Australia, took the blame for the mistake.
Warren Brennan, the founder, told The Age that they probably used the wrong audio source.
“Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, 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,” Brennan said.
He added, “In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error.”
With a bunch of decisions made over two days relying on tight margins and inconsistent audio-visual alignment, the Adelaide Test sparked fresh talks about how reliable the Decision Review System really is.
Starc’s opinion ensured that Snicko, instead of the cricket, was the center of attention.
