The owners of the Real-Time Snickometer have admitted to a technical error that played a decisive role in Alex Carey surviving a crucial DRS call on Day 1 of the third Ashes Test at Adelaide — an incident that has since sparked debate around the reliability of ball-tracking technology.
The moment occurred when Carey was batting on 72, facing England pacer Josh Tongue. England appealed loudly for a caught-behind, convinced there was a clear edge. The on-field umpire ruled not out, prompting England to take a review. However, the Snickometer spike appeared before the ball passed the bat, and with no clear alignment between bat and sound, TV umpire Chris Gaffaney upheld the original decision.
Carey went on to make the most of the reprieve, scoring a composed 106 at his home ground, helping Australia reach 326 for 8 at stumps.
What went wrong with Snickometer?
BBG Sports, the company responsible for operating the Snickometer, later confirmed that the error occurred due to incorrect microphone selection during audio processing.
According to BBG, the non-striker’s end stump microphone was mistakenly used instead of the striker’s end, resulting in the sound spike appearing out of sync with the ball passing the bat.
“Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the Snicko operator selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing,” BBG Sports said in a statement.
“In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error.”
Carey’s reaction
Carey himself acknowledged that he felt contact when the ball went past the bat.
“I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise,” Carey said after play.
“It looked a bit funny on the replay with the noise coming early. If I was given out, I probably would’ve reviewed it, though not confidently.”
He added that luck is part of the game and admitted it may have gone his way on this occasion.
England’s frustration grows
England’s fast bowling coach David Saker did not hide his frustration, suggesting concerns over Snickometer calibration throughout the series.
“The boys were pretty confident he hit it,” Saker said.
“I think the calibration of the Snicko is out quite a bit and that has probably been the case for the series. At that stage, it was a pretty important decision.”
England are now considering raising the issue with match officials, especially given the magnitude of the decision in a high-stakes Ashes contest.
Bigger questions around DRS
The Decision Review System is mandatory for World Test Championship matches and is supplied by the host broadcaster — in this case, Fox Sports. While DRS is designed to reduce umpiring errors, the Carey incident has reignited questions about human intervention in technology-driven decisions and the margins for error at the elite level.
With Carey’s hundred proving pivotal and the Ashes finely poised, the Snickometer malfunction is likely to remain one of the most talked-about moments of the Adelaide Test.
