Steve Smith could not believe the outcome of a DRS review that saw him dismissed lbw in Australia’s 2023 World Cup match against South Africa, shaking his head repeatedly as he walked from the field.
Smith had a lot of work to do after coming into the midfield, chasing Australia’s 312 points, which quickly went 27-1 to 27-2.
He and Marnus Labuschagne tried to form a recovery partnership, and when Lungi Ngidi missed a shot to the leg, he slammed Smith into his pads to make the score 50. Initially it looked as if the decision would go to the leg side and the on-field umpire agreed, but South Africa opted to reconsider. Tracking the ball assumed that the one he threw hit the stumps and was headed for Smith.
Commentator Matthew Hayden joked, “You can shake your head all you want, but you’ll crash into the stumps.”
There was also disbelief on social media, with Sean Pollock explaining in commentary that an error in the initial display of ball-tracking technology may have contributed to Smith’s confusion. Instead of showing an animation tracking the ball’s trajectory like normal, only the final image from behind was shown.
Not sure who’s more shocked by that DRS verdict. Steve Smith as he dragged himself off the ground or umpire Joel Wilson as he raised his finger. Amazing call #CWC23 #AusvSA
– Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) 1 October 2023
“Normally you would have seen it,” Pollock said. “You could have seen the ball hit the pads and then make good contact with the stumps. I think the South African players were looking at it with hope, rather than with 100 per cent certainty, and at the crease. The two Australian batsmen are confused. To be honest, I didn’t watch the part I just watched, the re-broadcast, so I think it actually happened. I saw it.”
Smith’s confusion over LBW decisions was a theme of the English summer, expressed three times in the County Championship before the 2023 Ashes.
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