Three recent Instances of players obstructing the field in first-class cricket
Obstructing the field is one of the ten modes of dismissal in cricket by which a fielding team can get the opposition batter out. Until 2017, ‘obstruction of the field’ and handling the ball (which can be also called as obstruction of the ball) were two separate categories of dismissal, but now the latter has been taken into the obstruction of the field category. Here are the recent three instances of this dismissal in first-class cricket:
Warren Bell (2015-16)
This instance happened during a 3-day first-class domestic tournament in South Africa. The man in question was playing for the Northern Cape against Border. After Border made 216 runs in their first innings, Northern Cape were 122 for 5, but Bell was batting quite well on 44. This is the moment when he was adjudged out for obstructing the field. This instance happened at Kimberly’s Diamond Oval.
Jaahid Ali (2016)
Jaahid Ali was batting at no. 3 for Pakistan A against Zimbabwe A in an unofficial Test match between the two teams in Bulawayo when this moment took place. Zimbabwe A had made 346 runs with the bat in the first innings. Pakistan A were 138 for 1 when this happened. Pakistan A ended up winning the match by 8 wickets as he stayed not out in the second innings, reviving himself from the dismissal which saw him lose his wicket in the first innings for just 32 runs.
Tom Blundell (2020-21)
🚨 WEIRD DISMISSAL KLAXON 🚨
Tom Blundell was dismissed for obstructing the field in the Plunket Shield!
Also, as an aside, can we just appreciate how many woolly hats are being worn… 🤣pic.twitter.com/hEhQfDIXl7
— The Googly Cricket (@officialgoogly) November 8, 2020
Tom Blundell created history when he was the first batsman in 60 years to be given out by this mode in New Zealand first-class cricket. He was batting on 101 runs when this incident happened and was trying to save the match for Wellington in the fourth innings. He defended a ball, but it might have touched the edge of the bat and was jumping on the stumps when he tried to kick the ball away. In trying to do so, he ended up pushing the ball more towards the stumps and instinctively managed to only use his hand to change the direction of the ball. He was given out straight away after the players of Otago appealed.
