West Indies Coach Sammy Questions Umpire's Consistency After Contentious Calls in Barbados Test

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has publicly questioned the consistency of TV umpire Adrian Holdstock following a series of contentious decisions during the second day of the Barbados Test against Australia. Sammy's frustration stemmed from two pivotal moments that he believes went against his team.

Roston Chase's LBW dismissal sparks debate over UltraEdge technology. © AFP

Sammy reportedly met with match referee Javagal Srinath after the day's play to seek clarification on the TV umpire's decision-making process and the apparent lack of consistency.

"I have noticed, especially with this particular umpire, it's something that for me started in England," Sammy stated. "It's frustrating. I just ask for consistency in the decision-making."

Key Decisions Under Scrutiny

The first controversial decision occurred shortly after lunch when Roston Chase was adjudged lbw to Pat Cummins. The ball nipped back in and kept low, hitting Chase on the pads. However, the West Indies team felt that the spike on UltraEdge indicated an inside edge.

"In our opinion, we saw the ball deviated onto the pad," Sammy commented, referring to the dismissal that broke a promising 67-run partnership between Chase and Shai Hope.

Clean Catch Controversy

A few overs later, Shai Hope edged a delivery from Beau Webster, and Alex Carey completed a one-handed catch diving to his left. The umpires referred the decision to the TV umpire to ascertain whether the catch was clean. Replays suggested the ball may have grazed the ground, but Holdstock ruled that Carey's fingers were underneath the ball.

Sammy emphasized the need for impartial judgment, stating, "I'm just saying, judge what you see. If you see the same thing and one is not out, there is even more doubt on the other than you give it out. Again, I don't know what he's seen but from the images that we've seen, the decisions are not fair enough for both teams. We're all humans. Mistakes will be made. I just want fairness."

When questioned about a potential formal complaint, Sammy remained non-committal, saying, "You'll have to wait and see for that."

History of Concerns

Sammy confirmed that his concerns extended beyond the events of Day 2, citing previous instances involving the same umpire.

"Yeah, look, you don't want to get yourself in a situation where you're wondering about certain umpires. Is there something against this team? But when you see decision after decision, then it raises the question. I know he's here for the series. You don't want to go in a Test match having that doubt. So I want to have that conversation as to the process... so we could be all clear. Because, at the end of the day, you don't want to be going into a Test match not trusting the umpires. And that's not what our team is about. So we're just looking for some clarity as to the decisions."

Sammy also stressed that he did not want his players to be distracted by the umpiring controversies.

"We know the rules. We know fines going all across the board," he said. "I don't want them to focus on that. Yes, we're kind of shooting ourselves in the foot by dropping so many catches, but look at the Test match, against our own selves, some of these decisions and we're still in a position to win."

Australian Perspective

Australia also experienced frustration with umpiring decisions. Mitchell Starc mentioned an earlier incident when they believed they had Chase lbw, but Holdstock deemed the evidence insufficient to overturn the on-field decision.

"There's been some interesting ones," Starc acknowledged. "Obviously a couple more have gone against the West Indies than us. One for us [against Chase] looked like there was a gap between the bat and the ball, it cost us 40-odd runs, but then a contentious one to then get the wicket. As players, you can only ask a question. We don't use the technology to make that decision. It sort of felt like, or looked like, that the Snicko and the images were out of sync to some capacity."