WATCH : Ian Gould changes his decision FOUR times for a simple DRS call

WATCH : Ian Gould changes his decision FOUR times for a simple DRS call

no photo

|

Getty

Although umpiring might be the most challenging job in cricket, the technology on offer seems to have made things easier for the officials or has it? The Day 3 of the NZ-Windies Test saw the third umpire forgetting to use ball-tracking for an LBW review that ensued in confusing drama at Seddon Park.

The ongoing Test series between the Kiwis and the Windies has been a one-sided affair with the hosts inflicting a whitewash in the two-match Test series quite convincingly. If the level of cricket on offer took away the sheer pleasure of watching a Test match, a dramatic confusion by Ian Gould - the TV umpire for the match - on the third day gave fans the hilarious moment of the day, or shall I say, the series.

When New Zealand resumed their second innings after tea, Shannon Gabriel started the proceedings for the Windies and on the fourth ball in his second over, he bowled a length delivery to Colin de Grandhomme that brushed the front pad before hitting the back leg. Windies appealed for an LBW and once the on-field umpire, Rod Tucker, ruled it not out, the bowler convinced the skipper to go upstairs for review.

What followed was pure non-cricketing entertainment, to say the least. Third umpire Gould checked the front foot first and once he concluded that it was fine, the Englishman checked hot spot for an inside edge. With hotspot showing no marks on the bat, Gould went on to check for a noise on Ultra edge. The 60-year-old, then, asked to check for Super-slow mo to be sure that the ball had not touched the bat and on correctly ascertaining the same, Gould advised his on-field colleague to stay with his decision since he did not have any conclusive evidence for the ball hitting the bat.

For a moment it looked like Gould had realized his mistake as he told Tucker to "hold on" but a split second later told him to continue with the decision. His call didn’t go down well with the Windies players, who had their arms up in protest and Gabriel even reserved some choice words for the final decision. However, once ball tracking came on the screen, Gould realized what had happened and on seeing three reds, asked Tucker to reverse his decision. 

Get updates! Follow us on

Open all