Michael Clarke concedes he got DRS wrong in first Ashes Test

MICHAEL Clarke admits he erred in his use of the Decision Review System in Australia's heartbreaking 14-run first Test loss.

MICHAEL Clarke has refused to blame the umpiring while admitting he erred in his use of the Decision Review System in Australia's heartbreaking 14-run first Test loss.

Vice-captain Brad Haddin's faint nick behind with Australia 15 runs short of a miraculous win in the opening Ashes Test at Trent Bridge proved a correct call by the DRS as England forged a one-nil lead in the five-match series.
 
But for Haddin to be given out for a feathered touch on the ball further highlighted how ridiculous it was that in the same match, England's Stuart Broad managed to remain at the crease despite giving a full-blooded edge to slips in the hosts' second innings.

“If I'd used my reviews better, I'd have had an opportunity to correct it when there was a howler,” the Australian skipper said. “I don't think the Test was decided on one DRS decision. There were plenty of times when we could have done things better. We'll learn from that.”

In such a tight Test, the 28 runs Broad scored - after he should have been out in the second innings - ultimately proved telling.

Australia lost out on four umpiring calls throughout the match on lbw referrals.

And a major factor in the match was that England clearly used their reviews better than Australia.  The Australians had no reviews left when the Broad incident happened.

“That's the way the system is unfortunately,’’ Clarke said.

“We've still got two umpires on the field they're still the most important people out on the ground, those two umpires. They make their decisions and, as a player, I've been brought up to live with the decision of those guys.

“The DRS has been introduced for the howler - there's no doubt about that. I don't know the answer to your question (how to fix it). What we've got is the same for both teams. That's all I can ask for.”

England captain Alastair Cook also had no answer on how to eliminate the howler but he said using DRS should be a tactical thing for captains.

“I think the bottom line with the review system is it does get more decisions right. Well it should get more decisions right is probably the best way of saying it,” Cook said.

“Because it's such a big game, it's so important that decisions are right because they impact the game. I think both sides feel that.”

Overall Clarke felt Australia had proved a point to the pundits who had predicted England would walk the series 5-0.

“I hope we get a bit of respect by the way we've played,'' Clarke said. “People who've written us off, I think we might have showed enough to change their minds. I think our boys should hold their heads high.”

The tourists were agonisingly close to winning the Test and also breaking the record for the highest successful run chase by a last wicket pairing. Haddin and James Pattinson put on 65 for the final wicket, taking their team from 9-231-9 to 296.

The tense finale drew comparisons with the second Ashes test at Edgbaston in 2005, when England had seemed to be on course for a comfortable win, only for Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz to put on 59 for the final wicket.

Australia needed just three runs to win when Kasprowicz gloved Steve Harmison behind to Geraint Jones to seal a win that instantly became part of Ashes folklore.

Clarke was the only player to have played in both games and he said Sunday's action was harder to take.

“I can't remember Edgbaston well,” Clarke said. “Well, I can, but I just don't want to. I was a youngster then but it probably does hurt you more when you're captain and you care so much about the guys around you. I guess part of my job now is to make sure the boys are up and ready for what's happening in four days' time.”

The second Test of the series starts at Lord's on Thursday.

AAP, AP