'Would be a risky one to go for so early in the trip' - Joss Buttler on Matthew Wade's field obstruction

Matthew Wade's obstruction, Jos Buttler (Image Source: Twitter)

Australia and England crossed swords in the first game of the three-match T20I series at Perth on October 9, Sunday. There were so many moments to take away from the game and one of them was Matthew Wade’s field obstruction during Australia’s chase. 

For the unversed, England won the game by 8 runs in the final over and it was Alex Hales who top-scored with the bat with his 51-ball 84. With regards to bowling, Mark Wood, the talismanic pacer, starred with the ball with his three-for. 

As far as Wade’s incident is concerned, the southpaw tried to obstruct the field in the 17th over against Wood. The left-handed batter mistimed the ball to find a top edge and the pacer tried to catch it forcing himself towards the batter. However, Wade, who understood that his wicket was in danger, tried to obstruct Wood from catching it and eventually made his way back into the crease. 

The Three Lions skipper Joss Buttler said in the post-match interview that he did not appeal as he did not want to face backlash from the Australian media. “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 said in the post-match interview. 

Grateful for the chance: Alex Hales

Commenting on the match, the Three Lions batted first and put on a total of 208 runs on the board for the loss of 6 wickets. Alongside Hales, the English skipper Buttler scored a quickfire 68 off just 32 balls and helped the team put on the mammoth total. 

However, the Kangaroos proved their bellicose yet again as the southpaw David Warner toyed with the English bowlers with his 44-ball 73. Once he departed, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis joined hands in the middle and tried to succour the team as both scored thirty-odd runs. Despite putting on a greathearted fight, Australia ended up losing the match by 8 runs in the final over, much to the discomfiture of the home crowd. 

Hales, who won the Player of the Match award, said in the post-match presentation that he was grateful for the chance and hoped to carry on with the form. "Really proud, it was a good all-round performance, the way we batted and then defended was outstanding," Hales said while receiving the award after the match.

"We thought at one point when Warner and Stoinis were going, we had slipped away our chance of winning, but great to come back. Grateful for the chance at the top of the order," said the batter further.