New Delhi: Bangladesh’s former captain Mushfiqur Rahim became the first batsman from his nation to be out for ‘obstructing the field’ in a bizarre incident that took place on the first day of the second Test against New Zealand at Mirpur on Wednesday. Rahim, who was the top scorer for his team with 35 runs, tried to save his wicket by using his hand to stop a ball that was heading towards the stumps, which is against the laws of cricket.
The incident happened in the 41st over of Bangladesh’s innings, when Rahim faced a short delivery from New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson. Rahim fended off the ball, which bounced back towards the wicket. Rahim instinctively raised his right hand, which was not holding the bat, and deflected the ball away from the wicket. Jamieson immediately appealed for obstruction, and the on-field umpire referred the decision to the third umpire Ahsan Raza.
After reviewing the replays, Raza ruled that Rahim had intentionally blocked the ball with his hand, and gave him out for ‘obstructing the field’. According to Law 37.1.2 of the MCC Laws of Cricket, the striker is out for obstructing the field if he wilfully attempts to obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action, or if he wilfully strikes the ball with his hand not holding the bat, unless this is to avoid injury. This applies to any strike, whether it is the first or a subsequent one.
This type of dismissal was earlier termed as ‘handling the ball’, but due to changes in the rules in 2017, it was categorized as ‘obstructing the field’. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was the last batsman to be given out for ‘handling the ball’ against India in 2001. Rahim’s dismissal was a big blow for Bangladesh, who were all out for 172 runs in 67 overs. New Zealand were 93 for 2 at stumps, trailing by 79 runs.
