Perth Test DRS Drama: Simon Taufel Backs Call In Jamie Smith Dismissal Storm

Former ICC elite umpire Simon Taufel has stepped into the eye of the Perth Ashes storm, defending the controversial DRS decision that gave Jamie Smith out caught behind in England’s second innings. While English fans booed and chanted in anger, Taufel insisted the technology was applied correctly and that “the right decision” was reached.

How The Jamie Smith Dismissal Unfolded

England were trying to build a defendable lead on day two in Perth when Jamie Smith, batting positively on 15, tried to pull a short ball from debutant Brendan Doggett. Cramped for room, Smith missed his stroke – or at least thought he had – as the ball went through to Alex Carey, prompting a big appeal from the wicketkeeper and close catchers.

On-field umpire Nitin Menon shook his head and gave it not out, but after a quick chat with his fielders, Australia captain Steve Smith sent it upstairs. What followed was nearly four minutes of review, confusion, and growing tension in the stands as Real Time Snicko (RTS) replays were slowed down and rocked back and forth frame by frame.

Real Time Snicko vs UltraEdge – Why It Looked Confusing

Initially, RTS on the big screen showed a faint murmur as the ball passed the bat, and Jamie Smith actually started walking towards the dressing room, assuming he was gone. Then, when the broadcast slowed the clip further, a clearer spike appeared one frame after the ball had seemingly gone past the bat, raising an obvious question: did it touch the bat or not?

In many parts of the world, the DRS system uses Hawk-Eye UltraEdge, where umpires are used to matching a sound spike exactly with the ball’s contact point on bat or pad. Australia, however, is one of the few countries that uses Real Time Snicko as the primary edge-detection tool, and its interpretation protocol is slightly different.

According to Taufel, RTS protocols treat a spike that appears up to one frame after the ball passes the bat as conclusive evidence of contact. That technical nuance – not widely understood by fans or even some players – is what ultimately tipped the decision against Smith.

Taufel: “Correct Decision Was Made”

Speaking on Channel 7’s coverage, Simon Taufel was clear in his verdict: by RTS standards, the TV umpire got it right. “This is the difficulty when we have two types of edge-detection technologies around the world. Primarily, we use Hawkeye Ultra-Edge. In Australia, it is one of the few countries in the world to use Real-Time Snicko,” Taufel explained.

He went on to outline the RTS protocol: if there is a spike up to one frame past the bat, that is treated as conclusive evidence of an edge. “In this particular case, that is exactly what was there… For me, the correct decision was made: a spike on RTS after one frame past the bat, the batter has got to go,” Taufel said.

Taufel did, however, acknowledge how messy the process appeared. He suggested TV umpire Sharfuddoula “did not want to pull the trigger quite as quickly as perhaps he could have,” and that the broadcast crew were doing everything possible to provide the right angle and speed for a clear call.

Sharfuddoula’s Final Call

After close to four minutes of scrutiny, TV umpire Sharfuddoula finally relayed his decision to Nitin Menon. “There is a spike as the ball has just gone past the bat. I am satisfied the ball has made contact with the bat. My decision… Nitin, you need to change your decision from not out to out. There’s a clear spike as the ball has just passed the bat,” he said over the broadcast audio.

On-field, Jamie Smith had little choice but to resume his walk back, visibly frustrated at how long and confusing the process had been. The England supporters at Optus Stadium did not hold back, booing loudly and breaking into the chant: “Same old Aussies, always cheating.”

Did Smith’s Reaction Sway The Decision?

Former Australia batter Mark Waugh, on commentary for Kayo Sports, floated another layer to the controversy – Smith’s own body language. “I think Smith gave it away there,” Waugh said, arguing that Smith’s initial walk-off might have subconsciously influenced the umpire.

“I do not think the umpire would have been convinced that he had hit that if he had stayed there. You have got to think if that takes that long to make a decision, there has got to be some doubt there. But when Smith walked off, I think that is what convinced the umpire. I think that is the longest DRS decision I have seen,” he added.

It’s not the first time player reactions and technology have tangled awkwardly. The incident echoed several DRS flare-ups from recent series – particularly in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – where small spikes and delayed frames have created big headlines.

England’s Collapse And Australia’s Fightback

Smith’s dismissal came in the middle of a dramatic, low-scoring Test that flipped multiple times in less than two days. England were bowled out for 172 in their first innings, undone by Mitchell Starc’s devastating 7/58 and incisive support from Brendan Doggett.

Australia then crumbled to 132 all out, with Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Ben Stokes ripping through their top order and middle. England’s second innings briefly promised a match-winning lead as Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Carse and Gus Atkinson pushed the advantage beyond 200.

But once again, Starc, Scott Boland and Doggett combined to wipe out the lower order, leaving Australia 205 to win on a surface that still had pace, bounce and plenty of life. Travis Head then produced one of the great Ashes counterattacks, a breathtaking 123 that took the game away from England in less than 30 overs.

Bigger Questions For DRS

The Jamie Smith incident has reignited a familiar debate: fans want technology to bring clarity, not confusion. When different countries use different edge-detection systems – UltraEdge in some places, Real Time Snicko in others – expectations and interpretations get blurred.

Taufel’s defence of the decision rests firmly on the written protocol for RTS, but for many viewers, seeing the spike appear just after the ball passed the bat – and only after long, repeated slow-motion replays – left room for doubt. The episode underlines a simple truth: until DRS is standardised across venues and technologies, controversies like Perth are likely to keep resurfacing.