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The contentious Decision Review System, used to adjugate certain umpiring decisions in cricket, came under fire after a controversial decision on the second day of the third Test between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide.

It was a historic occasion, the first ever day-night Test match played with a pink ball. New Zealand had been bowled out for 202 in their first innings, but they roared back strongly while bowling, reducing Australia to 118/8 with Australia’s number ten Nathan Lyon and wicket-keeper Peter Neville at the crease.

The incident happened on the fourth ball of the 54th over. Lyon tried to sweep Kiwi left-arm spinner and debutant Mitchell Santner but the ball scooped up to be taken at first slip by Ross Taylor. The New Zealanders were convinced that they had got their man and decided to call for a review immediately.

However, the review was less than convincing. The Hot Spot visual which shows infra-red images of the action, showed a faint nick on the bat. At this point, Lyon, looking at the images on the big screen, believed he was out and started making his way back to the pavilion.

However, there remained a twist. The Real Time Snicko, another tool used to check for a spike in the noise level when the ball passes the bat, remained inconclusive. The third umpire Nigel Llong played the visuals over and over again but finally told the on-field umpire that he could not be sure of where the faint nick on the Hot Spot had come from and ruled Lyon not out.

This reprieve turned out to be incredibly important for Australia as Lyon and Neville put on a large partnership to help Australia overhaul New Zealand’s 202. New Zealand were certainly not impressed, as Kiwi senior batsmen Ross Taylor indicated at the Press Conference after the match. And even on social media, the response was scathing: