Mushfiqur Rahim 'handled the ball' in the 2nd Test against New Zealand© Twitter
Bangladesh cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim was the victim of a rare dismissal during the first day of the second Test against New Zealand on Wednesday. The wicketkeeper-batsman, used to using his hands while standing around the stumps, was dismissed for handling the ball during an over from New Zealander Kyle Jamieson. In doing so, Rahim became the first ever Bangladeshi player to be dismissed in this manner. He joined the rare list of cricketers, including Mohinder Amarnath, Mohsin Khan, Michael Vaughan, etc, who were dismissed in this manner.
Not many cricketers in international cricket have been dismissed while handling the ball. Rahim became the eleventh player to be sent back to the locker room for using his hands when a throw was not dead.
Did Mushfiqur Rahim really have to do that? He was sent off for obstructing the field! This will be talked about for a while…
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.#BANvNZ pic.twitter.com/SC7IepKRTh— FanCode (@FanCode) December 6, 2023
Rahim had scored 35 runs from 83 balls before he was forced to return to the pavilion for a rare reason. What stunned fans on social media was the fact that the ball wouldn't even touch the stumps before Rahim used his hands to guide it away.
The decision was referred to the third umpire, who decided to give the call in favor of the bowling team.
Here's what the rulebook says about the dismissal of 'Handling The Ball':
Out handled the ball:(a) Either batsman is out, dealt with, if during play he deliberately touches the ball with a hand or hands not holding the bat, unless he does so with the permission of a fielder. (b) Any batsman is out under this Law if, while the ball is in play, and without the consent of a fielder, he uses his hand or hands not holding the bat to return the ball to a fielder.
Not out Handled the ball:Notwithstanding (a) above, a batsman shall not be out under this Law when handling the ball to avoid injury.
It should also be noted that the bowler does not get credit for the dismissal
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