Steve Smith says technology saved him after apparent edge in Darwin Test

Steve Smith said technology saved him after appearing to edge Ebadot Hossain during the first Test against Bangladesh at the Marrara Stadium in Darwin on Thursday. He told reporters he believed he had made contact and that the review system overturned an on-field umpire’s decision to give him not out.

The incident occurred in the 21st over with Smith on seven when Ebadot bowled full and around the fifth-stump line, tempting a poke outside off. The ball passed to wicketkeeper Litton Das and umpire Kumar Dharmasena did not raise his finger, prompting Bangladesh to use a review. Real Time Snicko showed no spike as the ball passed the bat, so the original not-out decision was upheld and Bangladesh were left without another review.

Smith addressed the moment at his post-match press conference, conceding he thought there had been contact. “I think so. Yeah,” Smith said. Asked whether he had been lucky to survive, he added: “I was lucky? Yeah, it seems that way. Yeah. You got to take it sometimes,” and later said, “Normally, it’s pretty good. Yeah, maybe I didn’t nick it. I don’t know but I certainly felt something. If I had been given out, I was going to walk off. But yeah, technology saved me today, I guess.”

The caught-behind scare was not Smith’s only early escape; he had earlier been dropped at third slip by Tanzid Hasan Tamim when he was on two. Ebadot again was the bowler, producing a short-of-length delivery on the fifth-stump line that produced a thick outside edge which died in front of Tamim as he dived; Tamim got both hands to the chance but could not hold on.

The reprieve proved valuable as Smith went on to top-score with 71, reaching his half-century before eventually falling for 71 off 109 balls. His innings contained seven fours and a six, and his dismissal came to Hasan Mahmud after Smith advanced down the track to a shortish delivery outside off, tried an upper cut and miscued to the slip cordon where Litton Das completed the catch.

Bangladesh bowled the visitors out for 198. Smith’s dismissal completed a remarkable spell for Hasan Mahmud.

Hasan Mahmud finished with six for 55, a career-best six-wicket haul, and Bangladesh ended the day on 96 for one, just 102 runs behind Australia.