West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has voiced serious concerns regarding TV umpire Adrian Holdstock’s decisions during the first Test against Australia in Barbados. Sammy met match referee Javagal Srinath after the second day’s play to gain clarity on multiple review calls that did not go in the West Indies’ favour.
Sammy also mentioned previous doubts about Holdstock’s officiating in the ODI series against England. Two major moments upset the West Indies team — Roston Chase’s lbw dismissal to Pat Cummins, despite claims of an inside edge, and Shai Hope’s caught-behind dismissal, which the third umpire ruled as a clean catch.
“We are just trying to find some sort of understanding as to what the process is,” Sammy stated. “We only hope for consistency. That’s all we could ask for. When there is doubt in something, just be consistent across the board,” he added.”I have noticed, especially with this particular umpire, it’s something that for me started in England. It’s frustrating. I just ask for consistency in the decision-making,” he noted.
“Yeah, look, you don’t want to get yourself in a situation where you’re wondering about certain umpires. Is there something against this team? But when you see decision after decision, then it raises the question. I know he’s here for the series. You don’t want to go in a Test match having that doubt,” Sammy said.
Disputed Moments and Sammy’s Request for Clarity
Daren Sammy underlined the importance of trust in umpiring and emphasized the need for fairness in decisions. He explained how the decision on Chase’s dismissal was frustrating as it broke a strong partnership with Hope. “In our opinion, we saw the ball deviated onto the pad.” On Hope’s dismissal, Sammy avoided directly challenging the verdict but pointed to a similar incident involving Travis Head that went the other way.
“I’m just saying, judge what you see,” Sammy said. “If you see the same thing and one is not out, there is even more doubt on the other one than you give it out. Again, I don’t know what he’s seen but from the images that we’ve seen, the decisions are not fair enough for both teams. We’re all humans. Mistakes will be made. I just want fairness,” he added. He said discussions were underway and added, “You’ll have to wait and see for that,” when asked about a formal complaint.
Australia Also Question Decisions
Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc also raised questions about the technology and decisions made. On Day 2, they unsuccessfully reviewed an lbw against Chase. Though replays suggested the ball hit the pad first, Holdstock ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to change the on-field call.
“There’s been some interesting ones,” Starc said. “Obviously, a couple more have gone against the West Indies than us. One for us (against Chase) looked like there was a gap between the bat and the ball, it cost us 40-odd runs, but then a contentious one to then get the wicket,” he added. “As players, you can only ask a question. We don’t use the technology to make that decision. It sort of felt like, or looked like, that the Snicko and the images were out of sync to some capacity,” he noted.
Sammy, aware of the rules around criticizing officials, told players not to speak publicly. “We know the rules. We know fines going all across the board,” he said. “I don’t want them to focus on that. Yes, we’re kind of shooting ourselves in the foot by dropping so many catches, but look at the Test match (us) against our own selves, some of these decisions, and we’re still in a position to win,” he noted.
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