BBL witnesses a bizarre dismissal for the first time

In a bizarre turn of events, the Big Bash League (BBL) saw its first ever dismissal due to obstruction of field. Being given out on account of obstructing the field is indeed a very rare occurrence. Till date, only 8 cricketers in the history of top-level international Cricket have been dismissed in that manner.

The controversial decision came during the proceeding of the 24th match of the ongoing BBL season on Wednesday. The match was being held at Brisbane between Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat. The batsman at the receiving end was Alex Ross of the Brisbane team.

Controversial decision regarding the dismissal of Alex Ross

Batting first, Hobart Hurricanes had set a respectable total of 180 runs for the Brisbane team to chase down, aided by D’Arcy Short‘s mammoth innings of 122 runs. Brisbane captain, Brendon McCullum along with opener, Sam Heazlett put on a strong opening partnership, but it didn’t snowball into the magnitude they would’ve hoped for. It was at the juncture where 49 runs were needed off 19 balls hen the confusing mix-up happened.

Having taken the first run off Tymal Mills’ bowling, batsman Alex Ross attempted to return to his crease when a haywire throw from the mid-wicket region caused him to change the angle of his dive in the course of his run. While the on-field umpires initially confirmed that the batsman had made his ground. However, after further consultation, the third umpire conveyed his decision of Ross’ dismissal due to obstructing the field. Last year, in June, England batsman Jason Roy had been given out in a similar fashion against South Africa in a T20I.

Here’s a video footage of the incident:

The first obstructing the field in BBL history #BBL07 pic.twitter.com/uG1o1AlbWp

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 10, 2018

While this turn of events surprised many, most onlookers, including some prominent cricketers and experts felt that the decision was uncalled for and to an extent, unjust as Ross hardly had any other way to go if he were to avoid being hit by the throw. Alex Ross was dismissed was the personal score of 27 runs off 19 balls. Eventually, Hobart went on to win the match by 3 wickets.

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