Cricket’s electronic eye has made a masterful decision that has changed the course of the Melbourne Test between Australia and Pakistan.
Cricket’s electronic eye has made a masterful decision that has changed the course of the Melbourne Test between Australia and Pakistan.
Match referee Ranjan Madugalle last night hailed the "super slow-mo" technology used to dismiss Pakistan skipper Mohammad Yousuf for 22 on the second-to-last ball of the day.
More importantly, Pakistan happily admitted the correct decision had been made through technology.
Umpire Billy Doctrove initially declared Yousuf not out Yousuf to a leg-side catch off Peter Siddle, but after Australian skipper Ricky Ponting demanded a review, third umpire Asoka de Silva used super-slow motion and hot-spot technology to reveal the ball had brushed Yousuf's glove.
It turned the Test around Pakistan plunged to 109 for four at the close of the second day’s play on Sunday in reply to Australia's imposing first innings of 454 for five declared.
"It was very unfortunate, actually, but he was out - there's no doubt about that," Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam conceded last night.
"The ball just kissed his gloves. You could see very clearly on slow motion replay that he was out. It was very sad to lose him in the last over. He's a very important batsman," the Courier Mail quoted Alam, as saying.
The dismissal may convince many doubting Australian players of the merits of the controversial video review system.
"It was only the finest of noises," claimed spinner Nathan Hauritz, who is struggling with both a sore groin and sore heel.
Apart from the dramatic late moment, the main talking point was the lifeless MCG pitch, which turned Test cricket into a bore war for most of the day.
Ponting hates drop-in pitches and the dour MCG surface gave him further reason for fury.
"I don't think I've seen a wicket like this at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ... it's still a very good batting track," former Test leg-spinner Intikhab claimed.
There were only rare bits of excitement for the 39,622 fans and one was when a ground invader made it almost all the way across the hallowed turf before being tackled by security.
Another moment of genuine interest was when spin king Shane Warne gave 20-year-old leg-spinner Steve Smith a bowling clinic in the MCG nets.
But apart from that it was a day where Test cricket was a turn-off.
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