England’s wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith was at the center of a major DRS controversy on the second day of the first Ashes Test in Perth after being given out caught behind on review. Batting on 15, Smith was cramped for room while attempting to pull a back-of-a-length delivery from Brendan Doggett and was initially given not out by on-field umpire Nitin Menon. However, Australia captain Steven Smith opted for a review following loud appeals from Travis Head at short leg and wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

The decision went to TV umpire Sharfuddoula, who took almost four minutes and several replays before overturning the on-field call. The moment became even more dramatic when Jamie Smith started walking away after witnessing a subtle spike on the Real Time Snickometer (RTS) that was being displayed on the big screen. But he hesitated as a slowed-down clip showed the spike occurring a frame after the ball had passed the bat, leading to uncertainty about the timing of the contact.

Despite the ambiguity, Sharfuddoula ruled Smith out, saying the evidence indicated contact with the bat. Former international umpire Simon Taufel later backed the TV umpire’s decision, stressing the importance of using all available technology consistently throughout a series. Thousands of England fans disagreed, booing loudly and chanting, “Same old Aussies, always cheating.”

Taufel Backs Decision; Waugh Says Smith’s Reaction Played a Role

During the broadcast, Sharfuddoula explained his reasoning: “[There is a] spike as the ball has just gone past the bat. [I am] satisfied the ball has made contact with the bat. My decision… Nitin, you need to change your decision from not out to out. There's a clear spike as the ball had just passed [the bat].” Taufel supported this, pointing out the challenges of different technologies: “This is the difficulty when we have two types of edge-detection technologies around the world… if you get a spike up to one frame past the bat, that is conclusive. And in this particular case, that is exactly what was there.” He added that the TV umpire “didn't want to pull the trigger quite as quickly as perhaps he could have or should have,” but still reached the correct outcome.

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Jamie Smith started to walk before coming back after this hotly discussed moment. So what's your call here?#Ashes | #DRSChallenge | @Westpac pic.twitter.com/FpiqM6U6uM

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 22, 2025

See Also: Travis Head stuns with 69-ball century in AUS vs ENG 1st Ashes Test

Former Australian batter Mark Waugh noted that Jamie Smith’s initial reaction may have influenced the final call. “I think Smith gave it away there… I don't think the umpire would have been convinced that he'd hit that if he'd stayed there,” Waugh said, adding that the lengthy decision time suggested doubt. “I think that's the longest DRS decision I think I've seen,” he remarked, comparing it to past controversies such as those seen in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

During the India Women vs Pakistan Women match at Colombo in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, while the Indian openers provided a solid start, the Pakistan bowlers also asked questions. While in the eighth over, Pakistan had an appeal against Smriti Mandhana, which was denied by the bowling end umpire, Pakistan took a review after a long discussion, but was it too late?

While Pakistan Women are eyeing their first historic victory against India Women in the Women's ODI, India Women are out to maintain their Women's ODI dominance against Pakistan Women to make it 12-0 in their favour. In their league stage battle in the World Cup on Sunday (October 5), Pakistan Women chose to bowl first. 

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, IND-W vs PAK-W: Indian openers had positive start

Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal provided a good start, as they had a 48-run partnership for the first wicket. After securing some quick runs through the fours, the Indian openers were facing challenges with tight bowling performances by the Pakistan bowlers. In the eighth over, after Mandhana hit a beautiful four to Diana Baig, the Pakistan bowler trapped her for an lbw appeal on the very next ball. As it seemed pitched outside the leg, the bowling end umpire confidently denied that appeal.

ICC Women's World Cup 2025, IND-W vs PAK-W: No handshake between captains at toss

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, IND-W vs PAK-W: Pakistan wasted review after taking DRS at end of timer

Pakistan players were not confident enough about the review, but they had a long talk, as it was a matter of a dangerous Smriti Mandhana's wicket. Just two seconds left in the DRS timer, Pakistan captain Fatima Sana first raised her hands to take the review, but she still hesitated and had a thought that took away the timer. It showed DRS timer 0 when the Pakistan skipper finally took the review. The umpire accepted that review and went to the TV umpire. As expected, the ball pitched outside the leg as Pakistan lost that review. While Mandhana hit another four on the next ball, she was dismissed by the Pakistan skipper in the next over with another lbw appeal, which the bowling end umpire accepted, and India lost a review. 

In a pulsating IPL 2025 encounter between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the focus shifted from the heart-stopping action to a strange incident regarding Dewald Brevis and the Decision Review System (DRS) in the 17th over of CSK's chase, not long after the dismissal of the stunning Ayush Mhatre, who amassed 94 runs. 

Brevis, who was playing his first delivery from compatriot Lungi Ngidi, was struck on the pads; the umpire raised his finger quickly, and while the batters continued running, CSK's wicketkeeper pulled off a direct hit at the non-striker's end. What followed was panic, confusion, and miscommunication that may have cost CSK the game.

Brevis was seen among the mayhem consulting with Ravindra Jadeja as he deliberated about the possibility of using the DRS, but the 15-second timer that needs to be shown every time for a review was never shown anywhere on the screen. Eventually, when Brevis eventually did signal for the review, the umpire informed him that the timer had run out. This was unfortunate for CSK, as replays afterwards showed that the ball was going to completely miss the stumps.

Umpire Anil Chaudhary Clarifies the DRS Confusion

In a post-game interview with Star Sports, on-field umpire Anil Chaudhary clarified the controversial incident: “When five seconds are left on the timer, the on-field umpire informs the players — it is part of the protocol. But it is for the first time that I have seen the batters running after the decision has already been made,. He went on to explain that when a batter is out, the ball is then dead, and running just does not make sense. 

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One of the most talked-about calls of the match 🔍

Experienced umpire #AnilChaudhary weighs in on the #DewaldBrevis decision#IPLRace2Playoffs 👉 #KKRvRR | SUN 6th MAY, 2:30 PM on Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 Hindi & JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/IlFRFxXLAr

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 3, 2025

Also Read: IPL 2025, Match 52: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings Full Match Highlights

Jadeja was clearly agitated and voiced his frustration with the officials about the clarification and communication outdoors when it mattered most. His frustrations are reasonable; in hindsight, if the review was taken in a timely manner, Brevis would not have been given out, and maybe the entire game would have changed. 

With Brevis walking back for a golden duck and CSK losing their early momentum, RCB took full advantage of the opportunity and closed out the game. All in all, the game made for a brilliant commercial for T20 cricket, but with the DRS controversy, it has kicked off discussions once again about process clarity and on-field communication.