England skipper Jos Buttler was not aware of what transpired when Australia's wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade ran into pacer Mark Wood in the dying stages of the opening T20I against Australia at Perth Stadium on Sunday, October 9. The incident took place in the 17th over of Australia's run chase when the match could have gone either way. This was when Wade found himself in danger of getting out 'obstructing the field'.
Wade tried to hit Mark Wood for a maximum, but he could only manage to get a top edge. While returning back to the crease to prevent a run-out or a stumping, it seemed as if Wade pulled out his hand out to stop Wood from taking the catch.
Talking about the incident, Buttler said that he was asked if he wanted to appeal against the left-handed Wade. "I was looking at the ball the whole time, so I wasn't sure what happened. They asked if I wanted to appeal, but I thought we are here for a long time in Australia so would be a risky one to go for so early in the trip," Buttler was quoted as saying after the match.
Buttler said that he may not mind appealing if a similar incident happened during the World Cup. "Maybe, yeah," he said.
In the match, openers Buttler (68) and Alex Hales (84) were central to England setting a commanding target of 209 in Perth, with their stand of 132 almost double that of any other partnership for either team. No one else managed more than 13 for England, but Chris Woakes (13 not out of five) provided a late injection to help them pass 200 and set Australia a significant target.
Australia's response was valiant. David Warner (73) looked sharp, aided by Mitchell Marsh (36) and Marcus Stoinis. During the latter's 35 off just 15 balls, Australia looked to have turned the tide. Mark Wood (3-34) was key to disrupting Australia's momentum as he claimed the scalps of Stoinis and Warner, though the hosts still went into the final over knowing 16 runs would seal the victory.
Matthew Wade's (21) four at the start of the last over stoked hope, but Sam Curran ensured there was no dramatic late turnaround with two wickets in the space of three balls.
The second T20I is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 12 at Manuka Oval in Canberra.
