VIDEO | Players and Umpires burst out in laughter as DRS malfunction keeps everyone on the edge
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Usually, technology brings about controversy or sparks debate, depending on the situation of the match and the importance of the decision. However, in a first of its kind, a DRS malfunction midway through a referral took centrestage today as it ensured everyone on the field burst out in laughter.
From Joe Root asking the groundsmen to go back to Steve Smith's incredibly animated "leaves", the Ashes 2019 has already provided us moments to savor for ages to come. DRS has been a hot topic of discussion in this series due to poor umpiring standards on display, and once again, it took centrestage today, but under extremely bizarre circumstances.
On the fifth ball of the 58th over, just after sending Jos Buttler back to the hut, Nathan Lyon rapped Ben Stokes on the pads, which prompted a loud appeal from the players. On-field umpire Aleem Dar ruled it not out, and the Aussies, who so far have been extremely indecisive and unclear in their usage of DRS in this series, decided to go for the review.
After the mandatory no-ball and ultra-edge check, everyone was eagerly awaiting for ball-tracking to pop up on the screen to know the fate of the batsman. However, in an extremely bizarre yet funny moment, the ball-tracking technology malfunctioned midway, becoming unresponsive, leaving everyone hanging.
The wait went on and on and on, and this prompted a hilarious reaction from everyone involved - including the umpires, who burst out in laughter. David Warner and Matthew Wade were making funny gestures in an attempt to kill time while they waited, while the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Stokes and Justin Langer were seen letting out a big grin. Finally, after a long wait, the technology finally showed that the ball went on to miss the stumps, and third umpire Joel Wilson too, giggled on-air as he instructed umpire Dar to stick with his decision.
Trust the Ashes to give us an incredibly heated Day 4 by an extremely contrasting light-hearted Day 5.
