Was watching the ball closely, did not see what happened: Jos Buttler on Matthew Wade obstruction incident
Oct 10, 2022
Perth [Australia], October 10 : After his team's exciting eight-run triumph against Australia in Perth, England captain Jos Buttler suggested that he could have considered appealing against Matthew Wade obstructing the field in the match.
Australia was 170 for 5 and needed 39 off 23 balls in the series opener, which served as a sort of warm-up for the T20 World Cup, when Wade top-edged a furious short delivery from speedster Mark Wood onto his helmet, causing it to go up in the air.
Wade, who appeared rattled, blocked Wood's desperate attempt to collect the return catch. Wade then hindered the quick by sticking his arm out as he attempted to return to his position.
The on-field umpires asked Buttler if he wanted to appeal, but he declined because Wade survived and needed a new helmet. Although there was much uncertainty among the players and the 25,000 spectators at Optus Stadium, the situation was somewhat subdued by Buttler's lack of appeal in England's opening match on Australian soil as the T20 World Cup approaches.
"Maybe, they asked if I wanted to appeal and I said 'no'. I've only just got to Australia so I thought just carry on with the game," said Buttler in his post-match press conference when asked if he would have appealed for blocking the field if it was a T20 World Cup match.
Buttler said he "didn't really see what happened" because he was watching the ball closely.
"It was hard because I didn't know what I was appealing for. I could have asked some of the other boys to see if they had a better view but thought I would get on with the game. Maybe I should have asked a few of the lads," he said.
In a nail-biting encounter at the Optus Stadium, England held their nerves to defeat Australia by eight runs in a run-fest match on Sunday.
David Warner scored 73 off 44 and notched another fifty against the English team but failed to take his team across the line as Mark Wood claimed three wickets while giving just 34 runs in his four overs.
