Umpiring Storm: West Indies Coach Sammy Seeks Clarity After Contentious Decisions in Australia Test, Sparking Social Media Outrage

Daren Sammy, the West Indies cricket coach, has voiced his concerns regarding the decisions made by TV umpire Adrian Holdstock during the first Test against Australia in Barbados. The controversy arose after several contentious reviews on the second day of the match.

West Indies complained of DRS mistakes by third umpire Adrian Holdstock during their first Test against Australia. (AP)

Sammy met with match referee Javagal Srinath on Thursday to discuss his worries, which he says originate from Holdstock's previous officiating during the ODI series in England.

Key Contentious Decisions

Two decisions, in particular, have caused frustration within the West Indies camp:

• Roston Chase's LBW: The team believes there was evidence of an inside edge before the ball struck the pad off Pat Cummins' bowling, yet Chase was given out LBW.
• Shai Hope's Caught-Behind: Alex Carey's catch off Beau Webster was deemed clean after review, a decision the West Indies dispute.

"We are just trying to find some sort of understanding as to what the process is," Sammy stated. "We only hope for consistency. That's all we could ask for. When there is doubt in something, just be consistent across the board."

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

Sammy directly addressed his unease regarding Holdstock's role: "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."

He emphasized the importance of trust in the umpires. "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."

When asked about the possibility of filing a formal complaint, Sammy remained tight-lipped, saying, "You'll have to wait and see for that."

An X user on the officiating in the West Indies vs Australia first Test.

Chase's Dismissal and Comparisons

Regarding Chase's dismissal, which occurred during a vital 67-run partnership, Sammy commented, "In our opinion, we saw the ball deviated onto the pad."

Sammy also drew parallels between Hope's dismissal and an earlier reprieve given to Travis Head. "I'm just saying, judge what you see," Sammy said. "If you see the same thing and one is not out, there is even more doubt on the other one 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."

Australian Perspective

Australia also faced a controversial decision when their lbw appeal against Chase early in the day was turned down. Mitchell Starc questioned the synchronization between images and audio during the replays.

"There's been some interesting ones," Starc said. "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."

An X user on the officiating in the West Indies vs Australia first Test.

An X user on the officiating in the West Indies vs Australia first Test.

Starc revealed that the Australian team also felt Head's edge to Hope should have resulted in a dismissal the previous day.

Sammy emphasized the potential repercussions of commenting on match officials and has advised his players against discussing the decisions publicly. "We know the rules. We know fines going all across the board," he stated. "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, [us] against our own selves, some of these decisions, and we're still in a position to win."