Ben Stokes produced one of the 'greatest knocks of all time' in the third Ashes test, Danny Hay is announced as the new All Whites coach and we catch up with two young para-athletes one year out from the Tokyo games
Ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan has said what all of Australia was thinking by slamming Joel Wilson's not out lbw decision in the critical moment of the third Ashes test.
Vaughan said Wilson should have given Ben Stokes out when Nathan Lyon struck him on the pad with England still needing one run to tie the match and two to win — and not just because he was out.
The former Test opener argued Wilson should have been aware Australia was out of reviews and relied upon Stokes correcting his call if he was wrong.
"Wilson had to use his common sense at that moment and give Stokes out to Lyon," Vaughan wrote for The Telegraph. "England had one review left. They could have checked his decision and nobody would have had a grumble."
There have been loud calls for Wilson to be sent to the Test umpiring scrap heap after his latest calamitous call in a series that's been peppered with howlers.
"That was appalling umpiring," The Australian's chief cricket writer Peter Lalor told SEN. "Joel Wilson has had a nightmare. An absolute nightmare."
The umpiring has come under fire since the first Test at Edgbaston and there were some dubious calls again in Leeds. But some argued the Aussies lost their right to complain after their own failings in using the Decision Review System (DRS) cost them a 2-0 lead.
After bombing Lyon down the ground for six to put England within two runs of victory, Stokes tried to sweep the off-spinner a couple of balls later but missed. The ball struck him on the pad and Lyon and the rest of the Aussies pleaded with the umpire to raise his finger.
England batsman Ben Stokes survives an lbw appeal by Tim Paine off the bowling of Nathan Lyon. Photo / Getty
The desperate appeal was a fantastic shout but Wilson was unmoved and because Australia had already wasted its two unsuccessful reviews, it could not go upstairs to challenge the call.
Had Tim Paine been able to use the technology, Australia would have won by a single run because Hawkeye showed the ball hit Stokes in line with the stumps and was going on to hit the pegs.
Paine strode down the pitch to speak to Wilson and was captured asking him twice: "What was that missing?"
The lbw shout which was turned down by umpire Joel Wilson.
But the reason Paine couldn't use the DRS is because Australia wasted its last review the over before. With eight runs required for victory and bowling from over the wicket, right-armer Pat Cummins hit the left-handed Jack Leach on the pad and despite doubts over the legitimacy of the appeal, Paine challenged.
It was an act of utter desperation that didn't pay off because the ball clearly pitched way outside leg stump.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting slammed the decision to review when Cummins' natural angle would have made it nearly impossible for Leach to be out lbw, saying in commentary for Sky Sports that blunder "cost them the Test Match".
On Twitter, former cricketer turned broadcaster Mike Haysman said: Well … also a horrendous burn of review in the previous over. Australia have been poor all series on reviews."
After the match Paine explained why he reviewed the Leach lbw. "I've got every review wrong so I'm going to give up, give it to someone else," Paine said.
"Patty Cummins said, 'I think it might have pitched in line but I think he might have hit it', and I said well he definitely didn't hit it but I was worried where it pitched.
"Then it was just a spur of the moment, we'll have a dabble at it but yeah, got it wrong."
Paine said he still has faith in Wilson's ability as an umpire, even after the official had an absolute shocker in the series-opener, and also commented on the not-out call for Lyon's LBW shout, saying: "I don't need to (see a replay). I saw it live, that's all I need to see. I don't want to watch that again."
That lbw decision was diabolical, nothing short of it. But given the umpiring has been so far below par this whole series, it was ludicrous to waste one just moments earlier. There was always a chance of that happening. #Ashes
DRS is a great weapon to have, but can boomerang lethally if used insensibly. Australia will be filled with remorse at lbw review wasted over Leach which cost them lbw review against Stokes that would have been upheld
