Snicko admits error after Carey not-out decision upheld on review

The owners of the Real-Time Snickometer have admitted to an error that allowed Alex Carey to survive a crucial Decision Review System (DRS) call on the opening day of the Adelaide Test.

Carey was on 72 when England appealed for a caught-behind off Josh Tongue. The on-field umpire ruled him not out and England, convinced there was a noise, opted for a review. The Snicko spike appeared before the ball passed the bat, and with no conclusive evidence of contact, TV umpire Chris Gaffeney upheld the original decision.

Carey eventually made 106 at his home ground, helping Australia reach 326 for 8 at the close of play on Day 1 of the third Ashes Test.

Speaking after play, Carey said he thought the ball might have brushed his bat.

"I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat," Carey said. "It looked a bit funny on the replay, didn't it, with the noise coming early. If I was given out, I think I would have reviewed it, probably not confidently though.

"It was a nice sound as it passed the bat. Snicko obviously didn't line up, did it? That's just the way cricket goes sometimes. You have a bit of luck, and maybe it went my way today."

BBG Sports, the company that operates the technology, said the mistake occurred because the wrong stump microphone, understood to be from the non-striker's end, had been selected during audio processing.

"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," BBG said in a statement to BBC Sport. "In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error."

DRS is compulsory for all World Test Championship (WTC) matches and is supplied by the host broadcaster, which in this case is Fox.

England's fast bowling coach David Saker said the visiting side were convinced Carey had edged the ball and expressed his frustration at the technology in use.

"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. There's been some things that don't really measure up.

"At that stage it was a pretty important decision. Those things hurt, but you get through it. In this day and age you'd think the technology is good enough to pick things up like that."

England are considering raising the issue with match officials.