England ask match referee for 'consistency' over controversial umpiring decisions - Reports
England captain Joe Root and head coach Chris Silverwood approached match referee Javagal Srinath, seeking umpiring 'consistency' on Wednesday.
ESPNCricinfo stated that Root and Silverwood were unhappy with two decisions made by the third-umpire on Day 1 of the third Test.
An England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) spokesperson said in a statement:
"The England captain and head coach spoke with the match referee after play. The captain and head coach acknowledged the challenges the umpires faced and asked respectfully that in making any decisions there was consistency in the process. The match referee said the captain was asking the right questions of the umpires."
India opener Shubman Gill was caught off Stuart Broad in the slips by Ben Stokes, who started to celebrate with his teammates. But after watching the replays, the third-umpire ruled that the ball had touched the ground, leaving the England team unimpressed.
Later in the day, Ben Foakes attempted a quick stumping of Rohit Sharma. But the TV umpire swiftly adjudged the right-handed batsman not out.
“We needed that 50-50 to go our way” - England opener Zak Crawley
Zak Crawley also admitted that the visitors were left frustrated after several close umpiring decisions didn't go their way on Day 1 of the pink-ball Test.
The England opener said at a virtual media conference:
"Yes, it was very frustrating as we were behind in the game and we needed that 50-50 to go our way. And it when in their way today. It is frustrating as we desperately want to win and it doesn't help in our chances of winning. Hopefully, we play better tomorrow and don't require that 50-50.”
Zak Crawley (53) was England's top run-scorer, with the visitors getting bowled out for 112 on the opening day of the third Test in Ahmedabad. Speaking about his innings, Crawley said:
"It's great being back out there and scoring that fifty was a very nice feeling. I think it was easy to bat against the seamers and I got to 30 odd runs before the spinners came on. It's never easy to start against spinners especially in Indian conditions. We should have got few more runs like something around 200 would have been a nice competitive score.”
India ended Day 1 on 99 for 3, with Rohit Sharma unbeaten on 57.