England’s Curran appeals for third umpire help on obstruction

MELBOURNE: England all-rounder Sam Curran says third umpires should be able to rule on players obstructing the field rather than require players to appeal, as debate continued on Tuesday over Matthew Wade’s clash with Mark Wood in a T20 World Cup warm-up.

Wade stuck an arm out to impede Wood as the England paceman ran down the pitch to attempt a catch in Perth on Sunday, sparking criticism of the Australian wicketkeeper-batsman from fans and media pundits.

England captain Jos Buttler declined to appeal for obstructing the field, however, saying later that he did not see the incident clearly and also wanted to avoid controversy at the start of the series.

Curran said his captain had “probably” made the right call under the circumstances but felt similar decisions in future might be better taken out of players’ hands.

“As players, you’re watching the ball go up and we’re looking at that rather than maybe the actual movements of the players involved,” he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday. “Maybe that’s the easiest way, just go straight to the third umpire, it’s probably tough for the umpires in the field because they’re probably watching the ball as well.

“Hopefully it doesn’t happen too often, (but) in those big moments, it could be a wicket that wins you the game or loses the game as well so maybe that’s the best way.”

Buttler leads from front as England target T20 World Cup glory

With the T20 World Cup around the corner, Buttler said after England’s eight-run win on Sunday that he might have appealed if the stakes were higher. Curran agreed the weight of a World Cup match could change things.

“When you play a game versus Australia and at a World Cup for instance, your competitive edge will be out there and there will be wanting to win at all costs,” he said. “In the moment, you’d hope they take it upstairs (to the third umpire) and the best decision is made because Woody bowled a nice ball there and he probably deserved a wicket and he’s (Wade) kind of got a little bit in the way.”

England play their second T20 warm-up against Australia in Canberra on Wednesday.