Umpire Controversy Erupts: West Indies Coach Sammy Questions Holdstock's Consistency in Barbados Test

Sammy Voices Concerns Over Umpire Holdstock's Decisions 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.

Chase was given out LBW against Cummins, but West Indies believed the spike on UltraEdge was owing to an inside edge © AFP

Sammy, expressing his frustration, reportedly met with match referee Javagal Srinath to seek clarification on the decision-making process employed by the TV umpire and the consistency thereof.

"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 stated, directly addressing Holdstock's performance.

The controversy arose from two crucial incidents on the second day. First, Roston Chase was adjudged lbw to a delivery from Pat Cummins shortly after lunch. While the ball nipped back in and kept low, the West Indies team believed that a spike on UltraEdge indicated a possible inside edge.

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

A few overs later, Hope appeared to inside-edge a delivery from Beau Webster, with Alex Carey claiming a sharp, one-handed catch. The umpires referred the decision upstairs to determine if the catch was clean. Replays suggested the ball might have grazed the ground, but Holdstock ruled that Carey had his fingers underneath it.

"I'm just saying, judge what you see," Sammy emphasized. "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 the possibility of a formal complaint, Sammy remained non-committal, stating, "You'll have to wait and see for that."

Sammy clarified 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," Sammy explained.

"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 emphasized that he didn't want his players to focus on 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."

Even the Australian team acknowledged the inconsistent decisions. Mitchell Starc highlighted an earlier incident where they believed they had Chase out lbw, but Holdstock deemed the evidence insufficient to overturn the on-field decision.

"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."