West Indies Coach Meets Match Referee Javagal Srinath As Umpiring Controversy Heats Up

NDTV

27-06-2025

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has voiced his concerns over the performance of TV umpire Adrian Holdstock during the first Test against Australia in Barbados, following a series of contentious review decisions on Day 2, as per ESPNcricinfo. Sammy reportedly met with match referee Javagal Srinath after the day's play to seek clarification regarding multiple decisions that didn't go in the West Indies' favour. He also expressed his concerns about Holdstock's officiating during the recent ODI series in England, where the South African umpire served as TV umpire in two games and stood on the field in another.
Two key moments on the second day left the West Indies camp frustrated. The first was the dismissal of captain Roston Chase, adjudged lbw to Pat Cummins, despite what West Indies believed was clear evidence of an inside edge. The second was the wicket of Shai Hope, who was caught behind by Alex Carey off Beau Webster. The catch was deemed clean after a review by the third umpire.
"We are just trying to find some sort of understanding as to what the process is," Sammy said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"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 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," he noted.
"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 said.
"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," he noted.
"You'll have to wait and see for that," when Sammy was asked whether West Indies would be lodging a formal complaint, he said.
Speaking on Chase's dismissal, which came just after lunch, breaking a 67-run partnership with Hope, Sammy said, "In our opinion, we saw the ball deviated onto the pad."
While Sammy didn't explicitly dispute the decision on Hope's dismissal, he referenced a similar incident from the previous day, when a catch taken by Hope to dismiss Travis Head was ruled not to have carried.
"I'm just saying, judge what you see," Sammy said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"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," he added.
Australia also had their share of discontent. In the first over of Day 2, they reviewed an lbw call against Chase, convinced the ball had struck the pad first. While initial replays seemed to support their claim, Holdstock judged there was insufficient evidence to overturn the on-field decision. Fast bowler Mitchell Starc later questioned whether the visuals and audio in the replays were correctly synced.
"There's been some interesting ones," Starc said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"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," he added.
"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," he noted.
Starc also maintained that Head's edge to Hope on the opening day looked out to them.
Sammy, mindful of the protocols surrounding criticism of officials, revealed that he had instructed his players not to comment publicly on the decisions after the game.
"We know the rules. We know fines going all across the board," he said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"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," he noted.