A staggering umpiring blunder has been revealed with Harry Brook’s second innings dismissal coming from an undetected illegal delivery from Aussie star Beau Webster.
With England sitting at 3/219 on day four of the SCG Test, Webster struck Brook’s pad to dismiss him LBW for 42, with the tourists holding a slender 36-run lead at the time.
As first reported by Code Sports, third umpire Kumar Dharmasena missed a blatant back foot no-ball in the delivery that dismissed Brook, with his foot landing outside the return crease.
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The third umpire is responsible for reviewing each wicket-taking delivery for no-balls, and in this case Brook should have been recalled to the crease.
After the talented batsmen departed, England could only manage to put on 124 more runs, leaving Australia with 160 to chase in the fourth innings to secure a 4-1 Ashes series victory.
Meanwhile, opener Jake Weatherald was given a reprieve on day five when he looked to have been dismissed by seamer Brydon Carse.
Dharmasena, however, deemed there not to have been a defined enough spike on the ‘Snicko’ which left Carse incensed, with skipper Ben Stokes questioning the decision to the on-field umpire.
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For former England Test skipper Michael Vaughan, blunders like the pair that took place at the SCG have no place in the modern game.
“I don’t think England will use these kind of decisions as an excuse for why they haven’t won the Ashes but fundamentally, we’re in 2026. With all the technology, that shouldn’t happen,” he said to News Corp.
“To think there’s been some back foot no balls bowled on wickets and nothing has been done, it’s not acceptable in this era. That shouldn’t happen.
“That is a big moment. Are the third umpires looking for a back foot no ball or not? They’re the officiators of the game, they should know every rule. It’s a no ball, it should have been called.”
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During this Ashes series, Alex Carey also avoided being given his marching orders after the ‘Snicko’ operator pressed the wrong button, meaning the incorrect sound was used.
His gaffe meant that Carey’s edge was missed by the microphone used in the technology, with the wicketkeeper later admitting he believed he hit the ball on his way to a maiden Ashes ton.
“I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat,” Carey told reporters after the day’s play at the Adelaide Oval.
“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 when past the bat, yeah.”
The ICC has previously been urged to introduce specialist TV umpires, hoping to minimise the mistakes made by the third official with specialist training.
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