Ten decisions overturned in first Ashes Test

More poor decisions on the final day at Edgbaston has ramped up calls for the ICC to introduce change to officiating appointments for Test cricket.

The umpires had a shocker in Birmingham. Picture: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

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The shambolic standard of umpiring in Australia’s Ashes opener in Edgbaston has intensified calls for the ICC to scrap its use of neutral umpires in Test cricket – and could yet yield an unprecedented mid-series shake-up.

The standard of officiating in the opening Test was almost historically bad, with a staggering 10 decisions overturned – one shy of the overall record.

Incredibly, Joel Wilson was responsible for eight of those decisions alone as the member of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires had a regrettable week as his confidence took a battering.

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The umpires had a shocker in Birmingham. Picture: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Wilson’s involvement in the Ashes is not yet over – he is due be the third umpire at Lord’s and will then stand in the third Test at Headlingley, alongside New Zealand’s Chris Gaffaney.

The umpires for each Test series are locked before the contests get underway, but given the nature of Wilson’s haphazard decision making it’s not inconceivable that a change could be called for.

Wilson’s Test got off to a bad start when he had three calls overturned on day one, with Usman Khawaja (caught behind) and Matthew Wade (LBW) both dismissed on review after initially being given not out while Peter Siddle went the other way, successfully appealing an LBW after a large inside edge.

Day two brought more drama for Wilson, with Joe Root given out caught behind before replays showed the ball had in fact clipped the off stump without removing the bail – while later David Warner was found to have given a faint edge behind, which Wilson missed, while Wade survived after initially being given out.

Root was again in the firing line on day five, twice given out LBW by Wilson only to have reviews confirm that one was missing leg stump by a long way – and he’d hit the other.

But Root had sympathy for the umpires when quizzed after play.

“Players make bad decisions from time to time, lose their wicket or get smacked out of the attack,” Root said.

“Umpires are going to make mistakes as well. It’s very easy to over-criticise and point the finger.

“Sometimes there has to be respect and understand they’re under as much pressure as some of the players.

“They might have got a fair few decisions wrong in this game but that’s all part and parcel of cricket and that’s why DRS is there to overturn the wrong ones, thankfully it was there this game.”

In total there were 20 reviews during the Test – 10 of which were upheld – which, too, is a record for the most in a Test outside of Asia.

“Originally I was a big fan of DRS. I’m not now. And I’d get rid of neutral umpires – use the best umpires (for the biggest Tests),” said Australian great Glenn McGrath, echoing the thoughts of his former teammate Ricky Ponting.

Ricky Ponting says it is time to make a change to Test appointments. Picture: Saeed Khan/ AFP)

After the disastrous first day, Ponting told cricket.com.au that it was time for the ICC to make a change.

“People might say that with all the technology we’ve got now, it (poor on-field umpiring decisions) doesn’t matter that much,“ Ponting said.

“But it’s not a good spectacle when pretty obviously wrong decisions are made. There’s been a lot a negativity about the DRS over the years, but we’re pretty lucky that we had it (on day one).”