Australia v South Africa: Marnus Labuschagne lucky to survive third umpire catch review

Marnus Labuschagne insists he wasn’t out when South Africa appealed for a slips catch that was controversially overturned by the third umpire. Watch and have your say.

Marnus Labuschange is adamant his controversial escape from a disputed catch was the right call, but the entire South African side has a different view.

Secret footage suggested Labuschagne should have been given out in a stunning moment of controversy at the SCG when he edged a low catch to Simon Harmer at slip off Marco Jansen.

Camera angles not able to be accessed by TV umpire Richard Kettleborough showed that Harmer appeared to have his fingers under the ball.

But asked after stumps whether he was out, Labuschagne replied: “No, clearly not. I was still batting. It was just one of those ones. If there’s no TV, I’m walking. That’s how the game works.

“With the amount of slow motion footage you see, you see his fingers push and split open. According to the technicality, some of the ball is touching the grass regardless of whether his fingers are under it or not.

“It’s just hard because back in the day, or even before we had this technology and camera work, they’d send you packing.’’

However, Nortje was adamant the TV umpire should have upheld the soft call of out from on-field umpire Paul Rieffel.

“All of us thought it was out,’’ Nortje said.

“Simon was convinced it went straight in. I think when you look at the front on (vision), when you look at the angles, to us it looks like the fingers are underneath it. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that one. I think it would have been a big one at that stage. We were convinced it’s out.”

Kettleborough only had camera angles available to him on the world feed when he made the bold call to overturn Rieffel’s signal.

Even based on the footage that was available to Kettleborough, Fox Cricket commentators and Test greats Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh were doubtful there was sufficient evidence to be reversing the umpire’s decision from the grandstand.

That feeling of injustice was only exacerbated when Channel 7 later tweeted ultra-zoom footage which appeared to confirm Kettleborough had made a blunder which could have had massive ramifications on the Test had Labuschagne (79) not been out nine runs later anyway.

Marnus Labuschagne talks with South African players after he was given not out. Picture: David Gray / AFP

Ultra zoom on the contentious catch 🔍 #AUSvSApic.twitter.com/CRSmMCe0MU

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 4, 2023

Channel 7 has a couple of extra cameras at the ground that aren’t part of the world feed, but the real question is why did Kettleborough overturn a call without any damning evidence to say the on-field umpire’s decision was wrong?

“Given the soft signal was out, I’m not convinced I’ve seen anything with certainty that can turn that decision around,” Gilchrist said on Fox.

“Simon Harmer, he thought he pouched it. There’s the shake of the head. Frustration continues for South Africa.

“He’s still convinced he’s taken it.”

When the appeal was lodged on-field by South Africa, umpire Reiffel immediately walked over to his square-leg umpire Chris Gaffaney to confer, before asking for the third umpire with a soft signal of out.

The crowd erupted in a chorus of boos when the first replay went up on screen from a side-on angle, which always makes these types of catches look more contentious.

When the front on angle was then flashed up on the big screen the South Africans erupted in unison in their team huddle convinced the catch had been taken.

Harmer was miffed when the decision was overturned against him.

Commentators were shocked given the majority of similar decisions in Test cricket generally end up going with the on-field umpires and the fielding team.