Right from the second ball of the match, Marizanne Kapp and South Africa thought they had opener Tammy Beaumont lbw after a very convincing appeal, but the ball was disallowed and England’s opening pair started adding 53 for the first wicket.
Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt batted fluently and looked determined to take her team to parity in the first over before she was awarded lbw to Sophie Ecclestone in the 65th minute.
Wolvaardt was furious, walking off the pitch, banging her bat on her helmet and mumbling that she had hit it – a reaction for which she was eventually fined by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
However, the most controversial of the decisions – although it had less impact on the final result of the match – came in the second innings of the match in South Africa, when England appealed for a catch at short off Dercksen and the on-field umpires accepted the decision. checked by a third judge, similar to review.
Even if there is no DRS in play, referees can usually check with the third official to make sure catches are clean and bouncing off the ball in situations they may not be able to see in real time, but in this case the catch was made at cage level chest .
“Ultimately the right decision was made because it looked like there was an advantage, but I just think it was the wrong process,” Hartley told the BBC Test Match Special.
“There was never any question whether it was a clean sweep or not. The fact is that no one knows what the decision was.
“It showed that DRS has to be available for every international match and then we wouldn’t be talking about it. This should be a wake-up call for cricket in South Africa.”
Proteas head coach Mandla Mashimbyi said the decision not to use DRS was above his “pay grade” but lamented the lack of communication over the “bizarre” decision that led to Dercksen’s wicket.
“There was no communication – I didn’t understand why [it was out]– said Maszymbyi.
“If it’s out, it’s out and if the umpire isn’t sure, the doubt goes to the batsman. It was quite strange, I think the referees felt they made the right decision so we can’t object to it.”
