'Curse of technology' cost Pakistan potential win: Hafeez

Pakistan's team director Mohammad Hafeez has blamed "inconsistent umpiring and the curse of technology" for the 79-run loss to Australia, adding his team played better cricket and would have been rewarded with a different result but for the offending officialdom.

While the contentious dismissal of Pakistan's last recognised batter Mohammed Rizwan – which triggered a stunning capitulation where the visitors lost 5-18 in less than seven overs to crash to defeat – was the lightning rod for Hafeez's grievance, he pointed to other decisions throughout the second Test.

The former allrounder didn't cite individual examples but alluded to the number of 'umpire's call' outcomes from on-field reviews that were a feature of the game where no batter posted a century and Australia skipper Pat Cummins dominated with 10 wickets.

Cummins himself was the victim of a third-umpire decision that deemed he had feathered a catch to Rizwan even tough he felt he had "missed it by a bit", but was in no doubt the appeal for Rizwan's wicket and subsequent off-field scrutiny delivered the correct outcome.

Rizwan was clearly upset with his dismissal, demonstrably arguing with on-field officials Michael Gough and Joel Wilson claiming the bouncer from Cummins had grazed his forearm and not the wrist band of his batting glove as the DRS scrutiny eventually found.

"That one sort of shot through, I heard something and I thought it was glove, it was there or thereabouts," Cummins said of the wicket that put a halt to Pakistan's audacious chase of 317 for victory and sent them tumbling to defeat in the final half-hour of day four.

"I thought it was worth a review and clearly off the glove strap."

Cummins' view was supported by former ICC umpire of the year Simon Taufel who told Channel Seven the combination of vision indicating the ball brushed wristband coupled with the real-time snickometer confirmation of contact was sufficient to overturn Gough's on-field call of not out.

"For me, conclusive evidence was the ball on top of that wristband attached to the glove, with the spike (on snicko)," Taufel said.

"Very comfortable from where I'm sitting that Richard Illingworth the third umpire had conclusive evidence to overturn that decision."

Those views were supported by Australia keeper Alex Carey who completed the catch that set his team on the path to victory inside four days after they opted to play an extra half-hour tonight in order to force the result.

"Eleven of us thought it was pretty clearly off the wrist band of the glove," Carey told cricket.com.au.

"Wristband off the glove is out, that's what we saw from on the field and I think that's the way the third umpire saw it as well.

"He (Rizwan) probably felt (it hit him) on the forearm where the wristband was. Pretty crucial wicket, with the match scenario, so there's going to be disappointment there.

"He was rubbing his forearm, (but) we could see it (came) off the wristband."

Hafeez launched a strong defence of his keeper-batter who continued to argue his case with the on-field officials after his innings had been terminated by the third umpire's ruling.

"I spoke to him, and he's a very honest person," Hafeez said in the aftermath of Australia's win which gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game NRMA Insurance Series and retention of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

"What he said to me (was) he did not even feel that it touched anywhere near the gloves.

"There should be a conclusive evidence to reverse the decision of umpire, that's what I know.

"The umpire gave it not out, and there was no very conclusive kind of evidence where the decision has to be turned over.

"So I don't know how to say further than this but this technology is basically putting the curse on this beautiful game of cricket.

"We need to address it very rightly."

The referred decisions that accounted for Rizwan and Cummins were among a number of DRS reviews launched throughout a frantic final day on which 14 wickets fell, including the last three Pakistan tailenders in four balls without the addition of a run.

The fine line that separates successful and otherwise appeals to the off-field official was highlighted by two decisions against Pakistan umpire Imam-ul-Haq in the space of three deliveries sent down by Cummins shortly after lunch today.

The first of those was deemed not out by Gough with subsequent replays indicating the ball would have grazed the top of leg stump, and therefore would have remained in the batter's favour even if the Australia skipped had called for a review.

The second one struck Imam in an almost identical place albeit with the left-hander slightly deeper in his crease and, after Gough adjudicated it to be out, the opener was frustrated when his review revealed it would also have clipped the top of leg which meant he was on his way under umpire's call.

"If you see the whole game, the very inconsistent decisions of the umpiring," Hafeez said.

"We play this beautiful game of cricket with a natural instinct, and we all know the basics of the game.

"But sometimes it feels like some technology show, it's not the cricket we are playing inside.

"Sometimes the technology brings some decisions which obviously, as a human, we don't understand.

"The ball hitting the stump is always out - why it's umpires call, I never understand that. A lot of areas need to be addressed for the betterment of cricket.

"Our Pakistan team played better than the other team in general."

Hafeez also conceded Pakistan had failed to grab a number of crucial opportunities during the course of the game they seemed to have taken control of when they reduced Australia to 4-16 (holding an overall lead of just 70) on day three.

But that was when opener Abdullah Shafique turfed a straightforward slips catch off Mitchell Marsh with the Australia all-rounder was 20, enabling him to add a further 76 to his score which proved vital in a 79-run final margin.

And the 153-run fifth-wicket partnership Marsh and Steve Smith forged as a result of that reprieve effectively decided the game.

Furthermore, Shafique dropped Australia opener David Warner on two early on day one (he went on to score 38), and Babar Azam failed to hold on to a tough low chance from a stinging drive by Smith on 10 (he scored 26 in the first innings).

But the visitors can also point to the four reviews deemed to be umpire's call all that all fell in Australia's favour, while the hosts also benefited from some crucial line-ball decisions – most notably lbw shouts against Marsh (on 25) and Smith (on 40) during their stand – which were decided by a hair's breadth.

In turn, Australia can cite the successful review that overturned an on-field lbw verdict from Nathan Lyon's bowling against Pakistan skipper Shan Masood on 12 (he went on to top score with 60) earlier today as another of those 50-50 calls that left one camp scratching their heads in bemusement.

Throw in numerous other DRS decisions that went for and against batting teams across the four days on a pitch that offered significant seam movement and generous bounce, and there remains sufficient scope to argue neither team could claim to be wholly happy or unhappy with technology.

"I don’t know what the alternative is," Cummins said post-match when asked about his broader views on the role of the third umpire in cricket, noting he did not agree with Hafeez's assessment of how it impacted the result in Melbourne.

"I think it's pretty good, even umpire's call is obviously 50-50 but I think it does even itself out. I think it's as good as it can be.

"It's good for the game, there's always going to be moments that you rue or which were looked at a little bit differently, or perhaps technology picked up a little bit differently.

"It's not a perfect science, DRS, umpiring or anything. Some go your way, some don't.

NRMA Insurance Test series v Pakistan

First Test: Australia won by 360 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 79 runs

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (10.30am AEDT)

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi