The International Cricket Council (ICC) has damaged its silence over a controversial ball change at The Oval that swung momentum in England’s favour within the remaining Test of the Ashes collection.
Umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Joel Wilson have come underneath hearth for his or her day 4 transfer to alter the ball that was off form after clattering into Usman Khawaja’s helmet.
Australia was on monitor to chase down a mammoth goal of 384 earlier than the change, with simply 9 balls left on day 4, turned the match on its head.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was a kind of fuming with rage all through day 5 as the house staff snared three early wickets with a ball that resembled a brand new one earlier than happening to dismiss the Australians for 334 and snare the victory.
Ponting went so far as demanding an investigation into the incident.
While the ICC wouldn’t be drawn on the particular incident within the fifth Test, they clarified protocols across the ball change course of.
“The ICC does not comment on the decisions taken by umpires in matches,” a spokesman stated.
“We can, however, confirm that all balls are preselected before the start of every match and when the situation calls for it, the match officials choose the ball that is closest to the condition of the ball that is being replaced.”
That remark is bound to lift the eyebrows of the Australian who made it clear that the substitute ball by no means resembled that chosen by the umpires.
Images proven by Sky Sports additionally confirmed the stark distinction between balls.
Australian opener Usman Khawaja, in the meantime, revealed he questioned umpires at The Oval twice concerning the ball change that determined the fifth Test and was informed there was “nothing else” within the field of substitute balls for them to decide on.
Khawaja stated he spoke to the umpires on each day 4 and once more on day 5 concerning the situation of the ball they picked out, elevating the topic as quickly as the brand new ball was bowled by Mark Wood.
“I walked straight up to Kumar and said straightaway, ‘That ball looks nothing like the one we were playing with. I can see writing on it’,” Khawaja informed cricket.com.au after the match completed.
“It felt harder than any ball I‘ve faced in this Ashes series – and I’ve opened the batting against the new ball every single time.
“I said, ‘I don’t know what’s going on – you’ve gone from an old, reverse (swinging) ball to a brand-new ball’.”
Khawaja questioned Dharmasena’s counterpart Joel Wilson on day 5 earlier than he was dismissed, because the ball seamed and was swinging and making life exhausting for the Australians, and was stunned by is response.
“I asked Joel again today, ‘How are we using this ball right now? It’s so new’. And he said, ‘There was nothing else in the box’,” Khawaja informed cricket.com.
The umpires picked from a field containing at the very least a dozen balls.
Even English seamer Chris Woakes, who dismissed Khawaja, stated the Australians “wouldn’t have been happy” with the ball change.
Khawaja stated the umpires had made a match-defining mistake and it must be checked out additional.
“Personally, I think if there’s nothing else in the box that can match the ball you have, you can’t really change it,” Khawaja stated.
“It‘s a bit frustrating as a batting unit because we worked our backsides off for 36 overs and then they changed the ball.
“As an opener you work so hard to get through to there and then you‘re facing a new ball again.
“That ball was 95 overs in and still hooping and bouncing.
“Unfortunately, that’s the hand you get dealt sometimes in cricket. It may not feel fair, but … hopefully the ICC can learn from it and try to look at that ball to change the process.”
– with foxsports.com.au
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
