Cricket’s continuing engagement with moral issues took another turn recently when the Australian Matthew Wade, clearly out obstructing the field in the T20I against England, was allowed to bat on because the fielding side chose not to appeal.
Was England skipper Jos Buttler being excessively sporting — he said later he was in no mood to get into controversies so early on a long tour — and was Wade simply wrong? Yes and yes.
You can watch the sequence on YouTube. With Australia needing 40 in four overs, Wade top-edges Mark Wood. The bowler seeing a catch runs forward only to be stopped by the batter putting out his hand. It is a violation of Law 37, but the England skipper chooses silence and diplomacy over an appeal and dismissal.
