The 1st T20I between Aus and Eng at Perth saw some breathtaking action, with both teams scoring 200 runs. Though England emerged triumphant in the match, there’s one particular incident that they won’t be happy about.
Australian wicket-keeper batter Matthew Wade seemed to have ‘obstructed the field’ while trying to prevent Mark Wood from taking the catch. While Wade seemed to have been at fault, England skipper Jos Buttler decided not to appeal.
The incident took place in the 17th over of Australia’s batting as the hosts were looking to chase down the target of 209 runs. Requiring 39 runs from 22 balls, Australia weren’t out of the equation as yet.
Wood would have caught the ball with ease, but realizing that the England pacer was on his way to catch the ball, Wade placed his hand on the fast bowler and prevented him from reaching the ball. The England players were not happy with the Australian wicket-keeper batsman's act but decided not to appeal against it. When Buttler was asked about the post-match incident, he said that he was not sure what actually happened but would appeal if such an incident is repeated in the T20 World Cup. "I was watching the ball the whole time, so I wasn't sure what happened. He asked if I wanted to appeal, but I thought we'd been here in Australia for a long time, so it would be risky to do so. At the start of the match," Butler said at the post-match presentation ceremony. Asked about the appeal on repeating such an incident in the T20 World Cup, Buttler said: "Maybe, yes". England won the match by 8 runs taking a 1-0 lead in the series. However, if the match had not ended in his favour, the incident involving Wade could have caused a major controversy.
