Mushfiqur Rahim's Obstructing The Field And Five Other Controversial Cricket Dismissals Of 2023 That Stood Out

On December 7 2023, Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim became only the 11th player in Test cricket history, and first in 22 years, to be given out for “obstructing the field” on the opening day of the second match against New Zealand in Dhaka. Rahim, who became the first Bangladesh batter to be dismissed in this way, blocked a climbing delivery from New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson in the fourth ball of the 41st over, and then tried to keep the ball away with his right hand even though it was far from the off-stump. The Kiwis appealed and the on-field umpires referred the matter to the TV umpire Ahsan Raza who gave Rahim out. (More Cricket News)

Rahim's dismissal was not the only controversial one that made the headlines in the year 2023. Right from Angleo Mathews' Timed out to Jonny Bairstow's 'run out', here are some of the top five dismissals from 2023 that made the headlines for the wrong reasons:

1) Jonny Bairstow, 2nd Ashes Test
During the second Ashes Test match between Australia and England at Lord's, a major controversy erupted involving batter Jonny Bairstow. On day 4 of the Test match, Bairstow wandered out of his crease after evading a bouncer off Cameron Green's bowling, assuming the ball was dead. However, Aussie wicketkeeper Alex Carey seized the opportunity and threw the ball at the stumps. The visitors appealed and Bairstow was declared out that resulted in a major controversy. Despite the major furore in the local media, the dismissal of Bairstow was within the laws of cricket.

2) Angelo Mathews, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
Sri Lankan veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews was not a happy man during their match against Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Mathews came on to the field but after checking his helmet, the former called for a separate one from the dug-out. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan appealed for a 'time out' and the umpires intervened and as it came under the laws of cricket, the Mathews was adjudged 'timed out' without even facing a delivery. "If they want to play cricket like that, stoop to that level, it is something wrong drastically. If I got late, past my two minutes and the law says I have to get ready in two minutes, I still had five more seconds to go," Mathews said. 

Also Read: Most Controversial Moments Of The ICC ODI World Cup 2023

3) Ayush Badoni, Indian Premier League 2023
During the IPL 2023 fixture between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants in Bengaluru, LSG's Ayush Badoni's hit wicket was one such dismissal that stood out as the most talked about in the tourney. In the 19th over, LSG required seven runs off nine balls with RCB's Wayne Parnell already three deliveries down. In his fourth delivery, Badoni went to sweep the ball out of the park but in turn, his bat flicked the bails and was adjudged hit wicket.

4) Fanyan Mughal, Continental Cup 2023
Malta's Fanyan Mughal hit the headlines for the wrong reasons during his side's match against Romania in a T20 match at the Continental Cup 2023. During the match, Romanian bowler Shantanu Vashisht bowled at the leg-stump amd Malta's Fanyan Mughal had a swing at it. However, the ball hit Mughal's bat and lobbed near his feet, and the opposition wicketkeeper came charging towards him to collect the ball. However, Mughal patted the ball away and the Romanians appealed and the batter was declared out for hitting the ball twice.

5) Toby Roland-Jones, County Championship
During a County Championship Division One game between Middlesex and Warwickshire earlier this year, Middlesex skipper Toby Roland-Jones managed to hit the stumps in his follow-through after hitting for a six. Middlesex had already taken a first-innings lead in the game and the skipper tried to play some expansive shots to extend their lead. In the process, Roland-Jones swung the bat so hard that it ended up hitting the stumps and was declared out hit wicket.