Snicko, short for snickometer, is a cricket tool used in DRS to check if the ball just grazed the bat or gloves. It creates exciting moments during close calls. This edge-detecting tech mixes sound spikes with super-slow video and has caused new arguments in the current Ashes series.
How it Works Snicko?
- A special microphone hidden in the cricket stumps picks up tiny sounds. These show up as wavy lines on screen, matched with slow-motion videos to prove if the ball hit the bat-for catches or LBW decisions.
- Cricket fan Allan Plaskett invented it back in the 1990s. Australia and New Zealand use it, but other places prefer the sharper UltraEdge because of arguments over its accuracy.
Primary Uses
Snicko helps umpires check if batters got out “caught behind” by showing if the ball touched the bat. It also checks LBW decisions to see if the ball hit the bat before the pad. It works live during play but gets reviewed in slow motion for better accuracy.
Recent Controversy in Ashes
- The Snicko controversy happened during the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval in December 2025. It showed problems with the edge-detection tech used in DRS reviews.
- On day one, Australian batter Alex Carey was given not out because of a mistake by BBG Sports, the Snicko company. They used audio from the wrong stump mic, which delayed the spike and helped him keep his century.
- On day two, England keeper Jamie Smith survived a caught-behind review off Pat Cummins. Snicko showed no edge, even though Australia thought it grazed his glove. Players like Mitchell Starc were furious. Smith got out two overs later on a very small Snicko spike that was within the error range. This led to complaints about the tech being inconsistent.
Starc expressed his frustration on stump mic
- Mitchell Starc got angry on the stump mic and said “Snicko needs to be sacked” because he thinks it’s the worst technology ever, after it made two mistakes in a row.
- England’s Marcus Trescothick told officials to fix it. Ricky Ponting said it’s worse than UltraEdge and that umpires don’t trust it. Graeme Swann called it nonsense and wants it gone.
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Official Responses
Match referee Jeff Crowe gave England back their review against Carey after they admitted a mistake. Cricket Australia’s CEO, Todd Greenberg, demanded guarantees that this won’t happen again, calling the response inadequate. The ECB wants to push the ICC to review its protocols, but the ICC wouldn’t comment right away, any changes need committee approval. Snicko debuted on broadcasts like Channel 4 in 1999 before official DRS integration.
