Former England captain Michael Vaughan has openly shared his frustration after a serious umpiring mistake came to light in the fifth and final Test of the Ashes 2025-26 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney. The well-known commentator called it unacceptable in modern cricket, saying technology should never allow such errors to happen.
Michael Vaughan hits out at Snicko and No-Ball Errors in the 5th Ashes Test
Vaughan was talking about Harry Brook’s dismissal in England’s second innings in the New Year’s Test that was won by Australia by five wickets to clinch the series with a stunning 4-1 margin on Thursday, January 8. Well, on Day 4 at the SCG, England was in a strong position at 219/3 when Beau Webster trapped Harry Brook lbw for 42.
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That wicket was the turning point of the match for England, as they could take only a small lead of just 36 runs and gave Australia the upper hand in the final Ashes Test at the SCG. Replays later revealed a clear issue. Webster had bowled an illegal delivery, with his back foot landing outside the return crease. Despite this, the no-ball was not called.
The third umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, failed to pick it up, even though the laws clearly state that every wicket-taking ball must be checked for both front-foot and back-foot no-balls. If the error had been spotted, Brook would have been called back, as the wicket would not have counted.
Vaughan demands action as England suffers defeat in the final Test
England completely lost momentum after Brook’s dismissal. The innings fell apart soon after, with the team adding only 124 more runs. That collapse left Australia a modest target of 160, which they chased down with ease on Day 5 inside 32 overs to retain the Ashes at home.
The frustration grew even more the following day when another decision went against England. During Australia’s chase, Jake Weatherald appeared to edge a delivery from Brydon Carse. Once again, the decision went upstairs, and Dharmasena gave Weatherald a lifeline, citing not enough evidence of a clear spike on Snicko.
The call left Carse visibly angry and England captain Ben Stokes furious. After the Ashes ended, Vaughan made it clear that England would not use these decisions as excuses for losing the Ashes, but he stressed that such mistakes should not be repeated.
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It’s not acceptable in this era: Vaughan calls out poor umpiring at SCG
Michael Vaughan was quoted as saying by News Corp: “I don’t think England will use these kinds of decisions as an excuse for why they haven’t won the Ashes, but fundamentally, we’re in 2026. With all the technology, that shouldn’t happen. To think there’s been some back-foot no-balls bowled on wickets and nothing has been done; it’s not acceptable in this era.”
With all the technology available, missing back-foot no-balls on wicket-taking deliveries is simply not acceptable. He questioned whether third umpires are consistently checking for these no-balls and reminded everyone that knowing and applying the rules is a basic duty of officials.
Vaughan signed off by saying, “That shouldn’t happen. That is a big moment. Are the third umpires looking for a back foot no-ball or not? They’re the officiators of the game; they should know every rule. It’s a no ball; it should have been called.”
