
What Ashes umpire should have done
Ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan has said what all of Australia was thinking by slamming Joel Wilson's not out LBW decision in the critical moment of the Third Test.
Vaughan said Wilson should have given Ben Stokes out when Nathan Lyon struck him on the pad with England still needing one run to tie the match and two to win - and not just because he was out.
The former Test opener argued Wilson should have been aware Australia was out of reviews and relied upon Stokes correcting his call if he was wrong.
"Wilson had to use his common sense at that moment and give Stokes out to Lyon," Vaughan wrote for The Telegraph. "England had one review left. They could have checked his decision and nobody would have had a grumble."
There have been loud calls for Wilson to be sent to the Test umpiring scrap heap after his latest calamitous call in a series that's been peppered with howlers.
"That was appalling umpiring," The Australian's chief cricket writer Peter Lalor told SEN. "Joel Wilson has had a nightmare. An absolute nightmare."
The reaction on social media was savage. Everyone from church leaders to entertainers were out for Wilson's blood.
Not whingeing, because I don’t really care BUT, why couldn’t umpire Joel Wilson see Ben Stokes was ‘plum’, and WHY don’t UMPIRES review their own decisions. Technology wasted. Maybe Joel wouldn’t have got out alive. #TheAshes #Thriller
— Sam Newman (@Origsmartassam) August 26, 2019
Australian captain Tim Paine, however, refused to criticise Wilson's original not out decision, even if he disagreed with the West Indian umpire's verdict.
"I saw it live. I thought it was out. I don't need to see it again," Paine said.
"I have no issue with it, I don't think I've got a referral correct the whole series so I can't sit here and bag the umpires.
"To sit down and single out an umpire is unnecessary, he is no different to everyone else, he is allowed to make mistakes."
Three people won a vital cricket test for England in the ashes. The NZ’er Ben Stokes, Tim Paine and the worst umpire in the world, Joel Wilson. Well done Poms. 😜
— Brian Houston (@BrianCHouston) August 25, 2019
Finally, piss off Joel Wilson, you're not fit to umpire park cricket. #Ashes19 #ashes
— Rohan Connolly (@rohan_connolly) August 25, 2019
Can someone send Joel Wilson a You Tube Tutorial on How LBW Works??? #Ashes
— Peter Helliar (@pjhelliar) August 25, 2019
Can someone give me a list of Joel Wilson's family, friends and his home address?
— JAKE BUCKLEY 🇪🇸 (@TheMasterBucks) August 25, 2019
I just wanna talk. #Ashes
Joel Wilson is one of the best English cricketers I’ve ever seen
— Alan White (@aljwhite) August 25, 2019
Aussies made so many mistakes and should’ve won but Joel Wilson’s non decision of the LBW is laughable. An offie bowling to a left handed bat and hitting him in line with middle and leg is about as plumb as you’ll ever get. Ever #ashes
— TomRehn9 (@tomrehn9) August 25, 2019
I’m not buying the “use of review narrative”... it’s quite simply preposterous incompetent umpiring by Joel Wilson. If he was watching Narine in the Caribbean Premier League he would have fired the batsman before the appeal! But Lyon at a raucous Headingley... not out #disgrace
— Brenton Speed (@BrentonSpeed) August 25, 2019
Give Joel Wilson Namibia v Oman next time.
— Daniel Cherny 📰 (@DanielCherny) August 25, 2019
Best test innings I’ve seen. But Joel Wilson should probably not umpire another test
— Matt Dixon (@mattyd_30) August 25, 2019
