New Zealand players appealed and the on-field umpires sent the decision to the third umpire to review. New Zealand appealed against Mushfiqur, who was found to have pushed the ball away with his gloves while defending against Kyle Jamieson in the 41st over.

Television umpire Ahsan Raza declared Mushfiqur out for 35 after the on-field umpires asked for a check.

What does the rules say

37.1.1 Either batter is out Obstructing the field if while the ball is in play, he/she wilfully attempts to obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action.

37.1.2 The striker is out Obstructing the field if in the act of receiving a ball delivered by the bowler, he/she wilfully strikes the ball with a hand not holding the bat. This will apply whether it is the first strike or a second or a subsequent strike. The act of receiving the ball shall extend both to playing at the ball and to striking the ball more than once in defence of his/her wicket.

With the ball still in play and Mushfiqur ‘wilfully’ pushing the ball away, he had to be sent back to the dressing room after scoring 35 off 83 balls.

A batter is not out for obstructing the field if:

:37.2 Not out Obstructing the field: A batter shall not be out Obstructing the field if the obstruction or distraction is accidental, or the obstruction is in order to avoid injury,

or in the case of the striker, he/she makes a second or subsequent strike to guard his/her wicket lawfully as in Law 34.3 (Ball lawfully struck more than once).

Mushfiqur’s dismissal is also the first batter to be dismissed for obstructing the field in Tests since the rule update in 2017.

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Published: 06 Dec 2023, 02:38 PM IST