Due to a “power issue,” global television coverage of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba was suspended, eliciting outrage on social media from fans, especially following the no-ball incident on Day 2 of the series opener. After nearly a half-hour break, the coverage resumed.
“A power outage has affected the Gabba’s broadcast facility, causing the world feed to go down and all associated technology to fail,” a Cricket Australia spokesman stated. “The problem is being addressed with the goal of getting everything up and running as quickly as possible.”
During the stoppage, not only were the stadium’s huge screens inaccessible, but DRS technology was also disabled, leaving the on-field umpires to handle the situation.
Multiple issues marred the Ashes opening, beginning with a technology failure that resulted in the failure to check front foot no-balls delivered by England all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Only one of Stokes’ 14 no-balls was called, and it was the delivery that rattled David Warner’s woodwork. Following Warner’s dismissal, the TV umpire assessed the front foot and saw Stokes overstepping, resulting in a social media frenzy.
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The RTS ‘Snicko’ equipment was also unavailable for the test owing to COVID-19 “boundary restrictions,” according to Cricket Australia.
The hosts finally won the first Test, with Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, and Travis Head standing out as noteworthy performers for Australia. Cummins claimed five wickets in the first innings before Lyon added four in the second, giving Australia a 20-run lead in the series. Head scored 152 runs earlier in the innings, while David Warner contributed 94 runs to help Australia post a 425-run total.
