England tour of South Africa 09/10

[MUFC1987]

It's just so annoying because Smith was on 15 at the time? de Villiers 20 or so? If those two had been given, we could well have absolutely gone through them for not much of a lead, maybe 50-70 behind or so. No decision has gone our way though, even that one that de Villiers edged about 2 yards down the leg side wasn't given.

 

[TumTum]

WTF was with that review?

When they were playing the video, it was CLEAR that AB hit the ball with his gloves, yet they played the tape on in fast motion and ignored the whole thing.

Absolute ████ tbh

 

[barmyarmy]

As Vaughan has said the onfield umpires are also to blame here. They've missed two edges that everyone else in the ground heard.

 

[MUFC1987]

3rd time lucky! Finally he's actually out.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

de villiers has been rubbish and really let me down this series.

not that it was essential he scored more than 50 here, just over the course of the series he's been very average.

 

[Highlander999]

I reckon the ICC told the umpire's to let South Africa win this. They were worried England might actually win the series so have had to give South Africa as much help as they could with the bat.

Bit like ref's never giving penalities against United at Old Trafford

 

[CaptainOZ]

check out that lightning in the background.... and the players come off

 

[Maxie179]

BBC Sport - Cricket - England protest over Graeme Smith not out decision England lodge complaint against third umpire Daryl Harper

 

[aus_maestro]

Smithy boy declaring in good time, conditions look good for Steyn/Morkel. Good luck england lol.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

BBC Sport - Cricket - England protest over Graeme Smith not out decision England lodge complaint against third umpire Daryl Harper

Now, I understand that it's impossible for the ICC to give us Smith's wicket. It's also impossible to give us back the 95 or so extra runs that he made. But why couldn't they give us back the referral? 'Harper's volume was set at the optimum level'. That's why they said before the series had even started that the volume would be turned up full for referrals! So, thanks to them not giving us back a referral, we couldn't appeal a blatant inside edge (off Boucher I think) that was taken by Prior. Add to that the wicket that Swann should've had (if Harper had taken the option, as he should've done, to slow down the replay, and look at it from many angles, he would've seen that the ball flicked the glove, and then grazed the back of the bat before being caught!

Granted, England got themselves into this mess, but the situation wasn't completely out of control - a draw was still a reasonable thing to hope for. But thanks to Harper's incompetence (Beefy's words, as well as mine - Gower also referred to the Smith farce as a 'cock up'), we're well out of the game and will need to bat probably the rest of today and all day tomorrow to even have a chance. As I type this, we've just lost our first wicket.

Am I the only one wondering why Harper's still in the 3rd Umpire's chair after yesterday's nonsense? Surely the powers that be should've seen that he was doing a terrible job and replace him immediately, before he did any more damage (which he inevitably ended up doing).

Smithy boy declaring in good time, conditions look good for Steyn/Morkel. Good luck england lol.

Also: Harper needs to stop screwing England, as well as us having 'good luck'.

Still, he's an Aussie, isn't he? What do you expect? I bet SA don't get any 3rd umpire stinkers in this innings...

MasterBlaster76 added 1 Minutes and 59 Seconds later...

I reckon the ICC told the umpire's to let South Africa win this. They were worried England might actually win the series so have had to give South Africa as much help as they could with the bat.

Bit like ref's never giving penalities against United at Old Trafford

Oh, that old chestnut again - which has been disproved numerous times this season, not least with the one we should've been given in the Champions League.

As to ICC telling the Umpires to let SA win, I wonder if it was someone else, of a shadier nature who might have had a 'little' bet on a 1-1 series result. As I said before, let's see if SA get any 3rd umpire howlers this innings.

MasterBlaster76 added 1 Minutes and 57 Seconds later...

It's just so annoying because Smith was on 15 at the time? de Villiers 20 or so? If those two had been given, we could well have absolutely gone through them for not much of a lead, maybe 50-70 behind or so. No decision has gone our way though, even that one that de Villiers edged about 2 yards down the leg side wasn't given.

Precisely. It's not just about the extra wicket we should've had, or even the 90 or so runs Smith scored, but also the fact that we could've and should've been facing a much smaller lead. At least 100 less, I'd say. Also, remember that Cook was in great touch - how many more might he have made?

As everyone on TV has been saying today, it's a nonsensical situation that some broadcasters around the world have things like snicko, or hotspot (or both) and some don't. Without those two tools, how can you even have a referral system in place?

The Gods are also against us right now - that huge storm was heading straight for the ground, then at the last minute, it splits and goes down the sides!!

MasterBlaster76 added 3 Minutes and 16 Seconds later...

As Vaughan has said the onfield umpires are also to blame here. They've missed two edges that everyone else in the ground heard.

True. The onfield umpiring has been less than brilliant this match. Funny how each and every decision has hurt England though, eh?

WTF was with that review?

When they were playing the video, it was CLEAR that AB hit the ball with his gloves, yet they played the tape on in fast motion and ignored the whole thing.

Absolute ████ tbh

Harper's incompetent and lazy if you ask me. He was useless out in the middle as well.

MasterBlaster76 added 1 Minutes and 12 Seconds later...

The world does not revolve around England

Well, of course you're going to say that being an SA supporter. It's not your team that's being right royally screwed here, is it?

MasterBlaster76 added 1 Minutes and 32 Seconds later...

Though the matches have been pretty exciting with close finishes,it doesn't make sense when the better team doesn't win.
I'm pretty sure this 4th test will be a draw too as there is a 50 % (at least) chance of rain in the next 3 days.
The series should have been won by SA 3-1 but instead England will win it 1-0.
Good God!!!
Test cricket can be so meaningless at times.

Why? Test cricket is about bowling out a team twice. Neither us nor SA could do that, hence: two draws. :sarcasm

MasterBlaster76 added 3 Minutes and 39 Seconds later...

by the same token I doubt england would be throwing a little hissy fit over an umpiring call if they were ahead in this match. don't recall england complaining in the windies when the review system was used in ridiculously contradictory ways to get a few west indian batsmen out.

losers are usually the whiners.

Was the referral system even in place there - in it's current form at least? I don't remember it.

Back to the match: two down and we're screwed.

Still, a 1-1 draw is a very creditable result to come away with and the fairest result for the series. I don't understand why England have folded like this. Maybe it's because they're happy with the 1-1? Despite what they've been saying about wanting to win 2-0, deep down in their hearts they're probably delighted with a 1-1, because only one team has turned up here and it ain't England.

 

[treva]

The umpires should just end this game. This is like a boxing match in which one boxer has knocked his opponents head off and yet the Ref hasn't stopped it. We are -221/2

 

[aus_maestro]

Well, of course you're going to say that being an SA supporter. It's not your team that's being right royally screwed here, is it?

Likewise I doubt you'd be throwing much of a fit if SA were on the receiving end of those decisions. There have been many matches affected by bad umpiring, accept it and move on GEEZ!

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Likewise I doubt you'd be throwing much of a fit if SA were on the receiving end of those decisions. There have been many matches affected by bad umpiring, accept it and move on GEEZ!

What: to this level? Where replays are allowed to be used to change decisions, and those replays show clearly, beyond any doubt that the decision was wrong? No. No way in hell: this is plumbing new depths. Other matches have been affected by poor umpiring, sure - but not where the umpires have been able to look at the decision several times.

I'd like to see you 'accept it and move on' if Australia were being screwed like this! We'd never hear the end of it. Like the time in 2005 with the Ponting run out by our substitute fielder. I rest my case.

MasterBlaster76 added 12 Minutes and 41 Seconds later...

Come on, KP. Time to stand up and be counted mate, because you have been crap to be honest for quite a while.

 

[aus_maestro]

What: to this level? Where replays are allowed to be used to change decisions, and those replays show clearly, beyond any doubt that the decision was wrong? No. No way in hell: this is plumbing new depths. Other matches have been affected by poor umpiring, sure - but not where the umpires have been able to look at the decision several times.

Either way, a decision was made and you've gotta live with it. I can understand that in this case it probably sucked more because of the review system in place.

I'd like to see you 'accept it and move on' if Australia were being screwed like this! We'd never hear the end of it. Like the time in 2005 with the Ponting run out by our substitute fielder. I rest my case.

I'd probably die a little inside, but wouldnt go off on epic rants on the internet

 

[treva]

Maybe you wouldn't but plenty of others did.