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Spinner Nathan Hauritz says the failure of video-review technology in 130 km/h Wellington winds has “probably” cost Australia a vital wicket in the first Test.
With one day’s play remaining, New Zealand are 6-369 in their second innings, an overall lead of 67. Bad light stopped play with 30 overs remaining in the final session.
The Kiwis added 182 runs in 52 overs on Monday for the loss of Daniel Vettori (77), who was bowled by Hauritz (3-119).
Wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum is controversially still at the crease on 94 with Daryl Tuffey 23 not out. McCullum and Vettori added 126, a sixth-wicket record for the Black Caps against Australia.
Hauritz sparked an umpiring row when he appealed for the wicket of McCullum, who padded up without playing a stroke on 52.
Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf gave the batsman not out and Ricky Ponting called for a video referral under the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS).
However, the strong winds meant the Virtual-Eye cameras weren’t able to provide an accurate projection of the path of the ball towards the stumps.
Third umpire Aleem Dar of Pakistan upheld Rauf’s decision and skipper Ponting held up the game for several minutes as he argued with Rauf and fellow umpire Ian Gould of England.
“I would have loved to have seen what Hawk-Eye said,” Hauritz said in reference to what was actually the Virtual-Eye technology being used.
“It probably would have said it was just clipping off (stump) but the benefit of the doubt goes to the batsman.”
Hauritz said the Australians only found out the Virtual-Eye cameras weren’t working properly after their big appeal against McCullum.
“I was confident with the appeal,” Hauritz said.
“When a batsman doesn’t offer a shot and it’s spinning back into the stumps I thought it was real close.
“It (the technology) was just going to be off until they could put it back on but the wind didn’t change through the day so it sort of made any real challenge tough to do because the third umpire is just going on what the normal umpires see.
“You can’t do much about it.”
Hauritz admitted Australia were now facing a tough task.
“If they get a lead of 150 to 200 anything can happen with Dan (Vettori) in the side, he’s the best finger-spinner in the world,” Hauritz said.
Sky Television’s cricket executive producer James Cameron said his staff were at the mercy of the weather.
“The ball-tracking cameras were blown so badly by the winds which are upwards of 130 kilometres an hour that it could not successfully track the ball through the air,” he said.
“They’re still operational. If they’re getting blown around too much as it happened in that case, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Match referee Javagal Srinath said all of the cameras were shaking.
“It is a very unusual day,” he said.
“I just went down and briefed the teams so that they should not be taken aback if the pictures are not coming and how are they making this decision?
“If we can’t decide, the challenge is null and void and they get it back.”
Despite much finger-pointing on the field, Srinath said Ponting and Vettori had accepted the situation. “This is the only way,” he said.
Srinath said two cameras side-on to the wicket, used for run outs, no-balls and wides, had been taken down.
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