Mushfiqur Rahim’s gaffe leads to ‘obstructing the field’ dismissal

As many as fifteen wickets fell on the opening day of the 2nd Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Dhaka but the highlight was without a doubt the ludicrous dismissal of Mushfiqur Rahim, who became the first Bangladesh batter to be given out for ‘obstructing the field’ in Test cricket.

Earlier, these kind of dismissals were considered ‘handled the ball’ but a change in the laws in 2017 brought it under ‘obstructing the field’ category.

According to Law 37.1.2: The striker is out obstructing the field if, except in the circumstances of 37.2, 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 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.