Matthew Wade escapes a rare dismissal for obstructing the field
Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade escaped a rare dismissal in the first T20I against England as the visitors did not appeal against him for obstructing the field. In the 17th over bowled by Mark Wood, Wade top-edged a delivery and the ball went high in the air before it landed close to the batting crease. No fielder could get to the catch and while Wood tried to get close to the ball, he was obstructed by Wade.
Wade put an arm to block Wood while running back towards the batting crease. The umpires had a chat in the middle and they were happy to move on with the game after England did not make an appeal. However, the 34-year-old could have been under trouble had the appeal been made as he clearly looked like blocking Wood intentionally with his arm.
Wade, however, did not use the chance and was dismissed after a 15-ball 21 while trying to complete a spectacular run chase for Australia. He was the last recognised batter and England clinched the game by eight wickets in the end once he was gone.
Alex Hales picked up the player of the match for his stunning knock of 51 ball-84 in the first innings which helped England post a huge total of 208. Meanwhile, skipper Jos Buttler revealed that he wasn’t sure about what happened in the Matthew Wade dismissal after the match.
He hilariously mentioned about the long stay in Australia for the the T20 World Cup 2022 being a reason for refraining from appealing. “I wasn’t sure what happened. They asked if I wanted to appeal, and I thought, ‘We’re here for a long time in Australia. I would be a risky one to go for so early in the trip,” Buttler told on Wade’s incident in the post-match conference.
