Steve Smith's DRS Drama Raises Questions
Steve Smith stood almost alone as Australia struggled against Bangladesh in Darwin, scoring a fighting 71 on a disastrous opening day. But his innings was overshadowed by a controversial DRS incident that has raised questions about technology, sportsmanship and whether the Australian batter should have walked.
Smith appeared convinced that he had edged Ebadot Hossain behind early in his innings. Bangladesh thought so too. Yet when captain Najmul Hossain Shanto reviewed the decision, the DRS showed a flat line and Smith survived.
The technology said there was no edge.
Smith's own reaction suggested otherwise.
Smith Was Ready to Walk Before DRS Review
The incident came in the 21st over, shortly before lunch.
Smith pushed at a delivery from Ebadot Hossain and Bangladesh immediately appealed. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena was not convinced, but Shanto called for a review.
By then, Smith had already started walking towards the dressing room.
That made what happened next particularly intriguing.
The DRS review showed no spike on the Real-Time Snicko, and the original decision was therefore allowed to stand. Smith returned to the crease despite appearing to believe that he had made contact with the ball.
Asked afterwards whether he thought he had edged it, Smith admitted:
"I think so, yeah. I was lucky? Yeah, it seems that way. You got to take it sometimes."
He added that he would have walked if he had actually been given out.
"Maybe I didn't nick it. I don't know. But I certainly felt something. If I'd been given out, I was going to walk off."
That admission makes the incident considerably more interesting than a routine DRS review.
Did DRS Technology Get It Wrong?
The biggest question surrounding the incident is whether the technology failed to detect a genuine edge.
Smith clearly felt something when the ball passed his bat. Bangladesh were sufficiently convinced that they reviewed the decision. Yet the technology produced a flat line.
That leaves an uncomfortable gap between what the batter experienced and what the technology detected.
Real-Time Snicko is designed to help officials determine whether the ball has made contact with the bat, but like any technology, it is not infallible.
The incident is particularly notable because Australia has already experienced controversy around DRS technology during the Ashes.
The Real-Time Snicko system came under scrutiny during that series when visual evidence and audio spikes did not always appear to align. The Smith incident is different, but it once again puts the reliability of the technology under the spotlight.
If Smith genuinely edged the ball, then the DRS effectively gave him a second life.
Should Steve Smith Have Walked?
That is where the debate over sportsmanship enters the picture.
Cricket has traditionally placed considerable value on players walking when they know they have been dismissed, even though modern international cricket increasingly relies on umpires and technology to make those decisions.
Smith's situation is not quite that straightforward.
He did start walking before the review was completed, suggesting that he believed he had nicked the ball. Once the DRS showed no contact, however, he returned to the crease.
Was that the correct thing to do?
There is a reasonable argument on both sides.
Smith could argue that the decision-making system exists precisely to remove uncertainty. Once the review showed no edge, he was entitled to remain at the crease.
The counterargument is that Smith himself said afterwards that he believed he had edged the delivery. If a batter knows he has hit the ball, should he accept the technological verdict simply because the system has failed to detect it?
That question is unlikely to have a universally accepted answer.
Smith's Two Lives Were Crucial
The DRS reprieve was not Smith's only slice of fortune.
He had already been dropped on 2, when Tanzid Hasan failed to hold a low chance at third slip.
Smith therefore had two significant moments go his way before he eventually settled into his innings.
The Australian veteran admitted that he struggled initially.
"I actually forgot how to hold the bat for my first 30 balls. I'm not going to lie."
But after surviving those early moments, Smith became increasingly important to Australia's innings.
Steve Smith Stands Alone as Australia Collapse
Smith's 71 was not enough to rescue Australia, but it did give the hosts some respectability after a disastrous batting performance.
Australia were eventually dismissed for just 198, with Bangladesh's bowlers dominating for long periods.
Smith was comfortably Australia's leading run-scorer and the only batter to produce a substantial contribution.
At the other end, wickets continued to fall around him.
Hasan Mahmud was the chief destroyer, finishing with an outstanding 6 for 55 as Bangladesh exposed Australia's batting weaknesses.
Smith eventually became Mahmud's fifth victim after attempting to score quickly with Nathan Lyon for company. He carved the ball high into the air, bringing his resistance to an end.
Without Smith's 71, Australia's total could have been considerably worse.
Hasan Mahmud Tears Through Australia's Batting
While the DRS controversy will attract plenty of attention, Bangladesh's bowling performance remains the central reason Australia finished the day in such trouble.
Hasan Mahmud was exceptional.
His six-wicket haul dismantled Australia's batting order and prevented the hosts from building the partnerships they needed.
Smith's ability to remain at the crease for an extended period provided some resistance, but Bangladesh consistently maintained pressure at the other end.
The result was an Australian total of 198 that leaves Bangladesh with a significant opportunity to take control of the Test.
Smith's Innings Adds to an Unusual Bangladesh Record
Smith's 71 also extended an unusual statistic in his Test career.
Bangladesh remains the only Test nation Smith has faced against which he has never scored a century.
This was only his third Test against Bangladesh, but the drought continues.
Given the way Australia's innings unfolded, however, Smith will probably regard his 71 as a valuable contribution despite missing out on another hundred.
The Bigger Issue: Can Cricket Trust Its Technology?
The Smith incident could have wider implications than simply determining whether one batter was out.
Cricket increasingly relies on technology to settle contentious decisions. DRS has transformed umpiring by giving teams the ability to challenge decisions and by providing officials with additional evidence.
But incidents like this highlight a fundamental problem.
What happens when the technology contradicts what the player himself believes happened?
If Smith genuinely edged the ball but the system failed to detect it, then the technology has effectively overruled the batter's own knowledge of what happened.
That does not necessarily mean DRS should be abandoned. Instead, it highlights the need to understand the limitations of the technology and whether additional evidence should sometimes be considered.
The debate becomes even more complicated when the batter appears to know the ball hit his bat.
Smith's 71 Gives Australia Something to Build On
For Australia, the immediate concern is not the DRS controversy but the precarious position they find themselves in.
Smith's fighting 71 prevented the innings from becoming an even greater embarrassment, but Australia remain firmly under pressure after being bowled out for 198.
Bangladesh's bowlers deserve enormous credit for exploiting the conditions and keeping Australia's powerful batting lineup under control.
Smith, meanwhile, will know that he had fortune on his side.
He survived a dropped catch, survived a DRS review that he appeared to believe should have gone against him, and then produced Australia's only substantial innings.
That makes his 71 one of the more intriguing knocks of the Test so far.
