'Closest we've ever seen': Furious Smith thwarted by 'coat of varnish ...

Steve Smith never thinks he’s out, but the Australian vice-captain has every right to feel hard done by following his marginal LBW dismissal at Perth Stadium on Sunday morning.

Early on day four of the series opener against Pakistan, debutant Khurram Shahzad nipped a delivery past Smith’s defences, hitting the right-hander high on the pad. Umpire Joel Wilson eventually raised the dreaded finger before Smith, who was unbeaten on 45 at the time, immediately called for a review, indicating to teammate Usman Khawaja the delivery was sliding down leg.

However, Hawkeye suggested the ball would have skimmed the top of leg stump; groans echoed around the near-empty venue as the predicted ball trajectory appeared on the big screen.

Smith threw his arms towards the screen before trudging back towards the sheds; the 34-year-old repeatedly shook his head as he marched off the field, occasionally glancing up at the Hawkeye replays in disbelief.

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“It was one of the quickest reviews I’ve ever seen, and he’s got it wrong,” Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket commentary.

Former Test batter Mark Waugh continued: “It’s just clipping the bail, that’s why he’s shaking his head he’s probably seen the replay.

“It’s just nipped back nicely … perfect length. Just clipped the top of the leg bail.”

Gilchrist muttered: “Talk about a coat of varnish.”

Gilchrist said the ball-tracking technology boffins had described Smith’s dismissal “as close as they’ve ever seen” an LBW verdict on Hawkeye.

Shahzad, having snared his third breakthrough of the innings, boasted figures of 3-19 from 11 overs.