He scored 106 off 143 balls in first innings of third Ashes 2025 Test.
Alex Carey cheekily called himself “clearly, not a walker” after surviving a controversial DRS decision on the opening day of the third Ashes 2025 Test at the Adelaide Oval. The southpaw went on to hit his maiden Ashes hundred.
The drama unfolded on the first delivery of the 63rd over when Australia were at 245/6. The wicketkeeper-batter was given not out on 72 by the on-field umpire after edging a wide delivery bowled by England pacer Josh Tongue. The bowler and the stumper, Jamie Smith, were visibly confident, and England immediately reviewed. The Snicko displayed a spike well before the ball passed the bat, and a flat line when the ball crossed the bat, confusing everyone involved, including Carey.
The Aussie batter continued to bat and took Australia past the 300-run mark. Notably, Tongue had dismissed Josh Inglis in his previous over, and Carey’s wicket could have shifted the momentum in England’s favour.
Speaking at the post-day press conference, Carey acknowledged that he heard a “nice sound” as the ball passed, thinking the ball just kissed the edge of the bat.
“I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat,” he told reporters. “It looked a bit funny on the replay, with the noise coming early. If I was given out, I think I would have reviewed it. Probably not confidently, though. But there was a nice sound when it passed the bat, yeah.”
When one of the reporters asked, “Are you a walker?” Carey replied, “Clearly not!”
Though the 34-year-old’s comment about not walking drew laughs, it cost England heavily as the batter went on to score a hundred under pressure, his second in Tests. Carey later fell on 106 off 143 balls, laced with eight fours and a six.
The decision did not sit well with England bowling coach David Saker, and he raised concerns over Snicko’s reliability.
“The boys were pretty confident he hit it,” Saker said. “I think the Snicko’s been off quite a bit. Those things hurt. You’d hope the technology is good enough.”
England will be disappointed with the decision, especially at the end of the day’s play. If the decision had come their way, the visitors could have possibly wrapped up Australia’s innings early. The hosts, who need one more win to retain the Ashes 2025 series, finished strong with 326/8 on Day 1. Mitchell Starc (33) and Nathan Lyon (0) are unbeaten on the crease.
ALSO READ:
A few hours after the end of play, BBG Sports, the company that owns the Snicko technology, admitted that Alex Carey’s reprieve was due to operator error.
“The Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing. In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error,” the statement read.
The controversial incident occurred at a critical moment in the series, particularly from England’s perspective. The visitors arrived at the Adelaide Test after losing two straight games in Perth and Brisbane, and now the series is at stake. While their bowlers are already struggling to take wickets consistently, these incidents are raising more concerns for the England team management.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
