List of unusual dismissals in international cricket explained

In cricket, a player is dismissed when they lose their wicket. At this point, the batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently. A batsman can be dismissed in a number of ways, the most common being bowled, caught, leg before wicket (LBW), stumped, run out and hit wicket. Much rarer are hit the ball twice, obstructing the field, retired out and timed out. These are regarded by analysts as unusual ways of dismissals in cricket, where the bowler is denied any credit.[1] [2] Handled the ball was a previously a separate method of dismissal, now incorporated into obstructing the field. As of November 2023, there have been twenty-eight instances of players being dismissed unusually in international cricket: ten in Test cricket, twelve in One Day Internationals (ODIs), four in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and two in Women's One Day International cricket.

Test cricket

In Tests, England batsman Leonard Hutton was the first player to be dismissed for obstructing the field, while playing against South Africa in August 1951.[3] Between January 1957 and March 2001, six different players were dismissed for handling the ball, the most common form of an unusual dismissal.[4] Sri Lanka cricketers Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene are the only Test players to be dismissed retired out, when playing against Bangladesh in 2001. Sri Lanka's captain, Sanath Jayasuriya, received strong criticism for the team's act.[5] [6]

Russell Endean, the South African wicketkeeper, was involved in both of the first two unusual dismissials. First came his involvement in Len Hutton's "obstructing the field" dismissal: Endean was prevented from attempting a catch, when Hutton used his bat to prevent the ball landing on his stumps after he had edged it up in the air. (Guarding his stumps being the only circumstance in which a ball can legally be hit twice: so Hutton came close to that form of dismissal too, if the umpire had ruled that the ball was not in fact headed towards the wicket.) Six years later, in similar circumstances after edging the ball up in the air and seeing it drop towards his stumps, Endean used his free hand instead of his bat to intercept the ball, and was given out "handled ball". The second "handled ball" dismissal was more unfortunate: Andrew Hilditch, at the non-striker's end, picked up the stationary ball to hand it back to a fielder, the only instance of a non-striker suffering this dismissal. All subsequent instances of "handled the ball" have been more similar to Endean's, with a batsman using his free hand to guard his stumps.

In December 2023, Mushfiqur Rahim became the first person in test cricket to be dismissed for obstructing the field since the rule for handling the ball was subsumed into this law in October 2017.[7]

No.PlayerDismissalRunsTeamOppositionVenueMatchDateResult
127 The Oval, London, England Won[8]
23 Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa Lost[9]
329W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth, Australia Won[10]
458 National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan Won[11]
555 Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India Drawn[12]
6133 Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester, England Lost[13]
747 M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, India Lost[14]
8201 Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka Won[15]
9150 Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka Won
1064 M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India Drawn[16]
1135 Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Bangladesh Lost[17]

Men's One Day International cricket

In men's ODIs, eleven players have been dismissed on twelve occasions in an unusual manner. The first such occasion was when India's Mohinder Amarnath was given out for handling the ball, against Australia in February 1986. The following year, Pakistan cricketer Rameez Raja became the first player to be given out for obstructing the field in ODIs: with the match lost, but himself on a score of 98, he attempted two runs off the final ball and used his bat to deliberately block a run-out attempt when going for the second run that would have got him a century. In 1989, Amarnath was dismissed in a similar fashion, kicking the ball away to prevent a run-out attempt, while playing in a match against Sri Lanka, thus becoming the first player to be dismissed by two different unusual methods.[3] Obstructing the field has been the most common method of unusual dismissal in men's ODIs, happening on eight of the twelve occasions.

Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews was the only cricketer to be dismissed Timed out in international cricket when he was dismissed in such a manner during a group stage match against Bangladesh in 2023 Cricket World Cup.[18] [19]

No.PlayerDismissalRunsTeamOppositionVenueMatchDateResult
115 Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia Lost[20]
299 National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan Lost[21]
328 Gujarat Stadium, Ahmedabad, India Won[22]
446 Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban, South Africa Won[23]
516 Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar, Pakistan Won[24]
60 Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban, South Africa Won[25]
70 St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, South Africa Won[26]
810 Lord's, London, England Lost[27]
918 Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Won[28]
1034 Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, UAE Won[29]
1155 Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda Lost[30]
120 Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, IndiaLost[31]

T20I cricket

The first instance of an unusual dismissal in T20Is occurred in June 2017, when England's Jason Roy was given out obstructing the field in a match against South Africa.[32]

No.PlayerDismissalRunsTeamOppositionVenueMatchDateResult
167 County Ground, Taunton, EnglandLost[33]
2Hassan Rasheed16 Al Amerat Cricket Stadium, Muscat, Oman Lost[34]
324 TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, Nepal Lost[35]
4Razmal Shigiwal10 Vinoř Cricket Ground, Prague, Czech Republic Lost[36]
5Hevit Jackson38 Kerava National Cricket Ground, Kerava, Finland Won[37]
6Hevit Jackson50 Kerava National Cricket Ground, Kerava, Finland Won[38]
7Mustapha Suwareh3 Rwanda Cricket Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda Lost[39]
8Fanyan Mughal8 Moara Vlasiei Cricket Ground, Moara Vlasiei, Romania Lost[40]
9Abass Gbla8 Lost[41]
100 Won[42]
1118 Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua Lost[43]

Women's ODI cricket

In international women's cricket, there have been two instances of unusual dismissals: the first came in an ODI match between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in April 2010.[44] Sri Lanka wicket-keeper Dilani Manodara was retired out due to her slow scoring rate in her team's first innings, having taken 70 minutes and 39 balls to score 8 runs.[45] The most recent instance of an unusual dismissal happened when India's Thirush Kamini was given out for obstructing the field in a match against West Indies in 2016.[46]

No.PlayerDismissalRunsTeamOppositionVenueMatchDateResult
18 St Paul's Sporting Complex, St Paul's, St Kitts and Nevis Lost
22 Mulupadu Cricket Ground, Vijayawada, India Won[47]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rundell, Michael. Wisden Dictionary of Cricket. 2009. Bloomsbury Publishing. 978-1-4081-0161-2. 235–. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170820074845/https://books.google.com/books?id=6Vu9cih3u1kC. 2017-08-20.
  2. Book: O'Sullivan. David. McCallum. Kevin. The Extraordinary Book of SA Cricket. 2012. Penguin Books. 41–. 978-0-14-352789-3. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170820074845/https://books.google.com/books?id=BC2jf1cWCJEC. 2017-08-20.
  3. Web site: Ahmed. M. Shoaib. Unusual dismissals in Test and One-Day International Cricket. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924155905/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/105321.html. 24 September 2015.
  4. Web site: Records / Test matches / Batting records / Unusual dismissals. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150302032225/http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/275285.html. 2 March 2015.
  5. Web site: Austin. Charlie. Sri Lanka v Bangladesh. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150313122032/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154937.html. 13 March 2015.
  6. Web site: Lanka 'ridicule' cricket. The Tribune. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191937/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010909/sports.htm#5. 3 March 2016.
  7. News: Why Mushfiqur Rahim was out for obstructing the field and not handling the ball . 6 December 2023 . ESPNcricinfo . en.
  8. Web site: 5th Test: England v South Africa at The Oval, Aug 16–18, 1951 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150908202221/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62724.html. 8 September 2015.
  9. Web site: 2nd Test: South Africa v England at Cape Town, Jan 1–5, 1957 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141122123422/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62821.html. 22 November 2014.
  10. Web site: 2nd Test: Australia v Pakistan at Perth, Mar 24–29, 1979 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150326175858/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63236.html. 26 March 2015.
  11. Web site: 1st Test: Pakistan v Australia at Karachi, Sep 22–27, 1982 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150105124724/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63321.html. 5 January 2015.
  12. Web site: 4th Test: India v West Indies at Mumbai, Nov 24–29, 1983 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150220013054/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63353.html. 20 February 2015.
  13. Web site: 1st Test: England v Australia at Manchester, Jun 3–7, 1993 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150422002227/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63609.html. 22 April 2015.
  14. Web site: 3rd Test: India v Australia at Chennai, Mar 18–22, 2001 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151027023021/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63921.html. 27 October 2015.
  15. Web site: 2nd Match: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh at Colombo (SSC), Sep 6–8, 2001 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150308061534/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63947.html. 8 March 2015.
  16. Web site: 3rd Test: India v England at Bangalore, Dec 19–23, 2001 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150331023210/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63963.html. 31 March 2015.
  17. Web site: 2nd Test: Bangladesh v New Zealand at Mirpur, Dec 6–10, 2023 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 December 2023.
  18. News: Jha . Vikrant . Angelo Mathews 'timed out' The 10 ways of getting dismissed in cricket . 6 December 2023 . The Hindu . 7 November 2023 . en-IN.
  19. Web site: Records / One-Day Internationals / Batting records / Unusual dismissals. ESPNcricinfo. 6 November 2023. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160314015914/http://stats.espncricinfo.com/wi/content/records/283167.html. 14 March 2016.
  20. Web site: 2nd Final: Australia v India at Melbourne, Feb 9, 1986 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924233424/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wi/engine/match/65407.html. 24 September 2015.
  21. Web site: 2nd ODI: Pakistan v England at Karachi, Nov 20, 1987 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924233410/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wi/engine/match/64311.html. 24 September 2015.
  22. Web site: 6th Match: India v Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad, Oct 22, 1989 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924233432/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wi/engine/match/65920.html. 24 September 2015.
  23. Web site: 3rd ODI: South Africa v West Indies at Durban, Jan 27, 1999 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924233412/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wi/engine/match/64605.html. 24 September 2015.
  24. Web site: 1st ODI: Pakistan v India at Peshawar, Feb 6, 2006 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150308061713/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wi/engine/match/235831.html. 8 March 2015.
  25. Web site: 4th ODI: South Africa v Pakistan at Durban, Mar 21, 2013 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924233409/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wi/engine/match/567371.html. 24 September 2015.
  26. Web site: 2nd ODI: South Africa v Pakistan at Port Elizabeth, Nov 27, 2013 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 6 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924233435/http://www.espncricinfo.com/wi/engine/match/685733.html. 24 September 2015.
  27. Web site: 2nd ODI: England v Australia at Lord's, Sept 5, 2015 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 5 September 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905054101/http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2015/engine/match/743979.html. 5 September 2015.
  28. Web site: Afghanistan tour of Zimbabwe, 3rd ODI: Zimbabwe v Afghanistan at Bulawayo, Oct 20, 2015 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 14 September 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161112093122/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/924631.html. 12 November 2016.
  29. Web site: 13th Match, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 at Sharjah, Dec 8 2019. ESPNcricinfo. 29 March 2020.
  30. Web site: 1st ODI, Sri Lanka Cricket Tour of the West Indies 2021 - 10th March, 2021 . ICC-Cricket . 10 March 2021.
  31. Web site: 38th Match (D/N), Delhi, November 06, 2023, ICC Cricket World Cup. ESPNcricinfo. 6 November 2023.
  32. Web site: Records / Twenty20 Internationals / Batting records / Unusual dismissals. ESPNcricinfo. 23 June 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170820074845/http://stats.espncricinfo.com/england/content/records/283988.html. 20 August 2017.
  33. Web site: South Africa tour of England, 2nd T20I: England v South Africa at Taunton, Jun 23, 2017 – Cricket Scorecard. ESPNcricinfo. 23 June 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170623134021/http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-south-africa-2017/engine/match/1031433.html. 23 June 2017.
  34. Web site: 7th Match, ACC Western Region T20 at Al Amarat, Jan 23 2019 . ESPNcricinfo . 17 June 2019.
  35. Web site: 9th Match, South Asian Games Men's Cricket Competition at Kirtipur, Dec 7 2019 . ESPNcricinfo . 29 March 2020.
  36. Web site: Czech Rep. vs Austria, 6th Match at Prague, CE Cup, Jul 10 2022 - Full Scorecard. ESPN Cricinfo . 23 August 2023.
  37. Web site: France vs Czech Rep., 4th Match, Group 2 at Kerava, EUROPE QLF B, Jul 24 2022 - Full Scorecard. ESPN Cricinfo . 23 August 2023.
  38. Web site: France vs Estonia, 20th Match, Group 2 at Kerava, EUROPE QLF B, Jul 30 2022 - Full Scorecard. ESPN Cricinfo . 23 August 2023.
  39. Web site: Ghana vs Gambia, 21st Match at Kigali City, MT20WC QLF B, Dec 08 2022 - Full Scorecard . ESPN Cricinfo . 23 August 2023.
  40. Web site: Malta vs. Romania scorecard . ESPN Cricinfo . 23 August 2023.
  41. Web site: Sierra Leone vs Ghana, 12th Match, Group B at Benoni, ACA Cup, Dec 17 2023 - Full Scorecard. ESPN Cricinfo . 23 August 2023.
  42. Web site: Sierra Leone vs Ghana, 12th Match, Group B at Benoni, ACA Cup, Dec 17 2023 - Full Scorecard. ESPN Cricinfo . 23 August 2023.
  43. Web site: England vs Namibia, 34th Match, Group B at North Sound, T20 World Cup, Jun 15 2024 - Full Scorecard. ESPN Cricinfo . 23 August 2023.
  44. Web site: Records / Women's One-Day Internationals / Batting records / Unusual dismissals. ESPNcricinfo. 12 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150609193427/http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283982.html. 9 June 2015.
  45. Web site: Sri Lanka Women tour of West Indies, 1st ODI: West Indies Women v Sri Lanka Women at Basseterre, Apr 18, 2010. ESPNcricinfo. 12 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150602064039/http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/452661.html. 2 June 2015.
  46. Web site: ICC Women's Championship, 2nd ODI: India Women v West Indies Women at Vijayawada, Nov 13, 2016. ESPNcricinfo. 13 November 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161113021823/http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-womens-championship-2014-16/engine/match/1063544.html. 13 November 2016.
  47. Web site: ICC Women's Championship, 2nd ODI: India Women v West Indies Women at Vijayawada, Nov 13, 2016. ESPNcricinfo. 13 November 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161113021823/http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-womens-championship-2014-16/engine/match/1063544.html. 13 November 2016.

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