AUS vs ENG: He Certainly Impeded The Bowler From A Chance To Take Catch – Mike Hussey On Controversial Incident Involving Matthew Wade, Mark Wood

Former Australia National Cricket Team batter Mike Hussey, who is England’s assistant coach for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, has shared his perspectives on the controversial incident involving Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade and England express pacer Mark Wood.

During the first T20I of the three-match T20I series between England and Australia at the Perth Stadium, Wade seemingly blocked Wood from taking a catch in the 17th over. Wade mistimed a pull-shot off Wood’s delivery and the ball went up in the air.

The pacer sprinted towards the striker’s end to try and take the catch, but Wade extended his arm and blocked Wood from getting to the ball. Also, England captain Jos Buttler refused to appeal for obstructing the field.

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Meanwhile, Mike Hussey said that the umpires should have made the decision on their own without asking Buttler. He also felt that Wade deliberately blocked Wood from grabbing the catch.

“My understanding is the umpires asked Jos if he wanted to appeal and Jos said ‘oh don’t worry about it’,” Hussey told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. 

“But it would have been interesting if it was just left to the third umpire to make a decision, because I felt as though, watching, he certainly impeded the bowler from a chance to take the catch.

“I’m sure if he was given out the crowd would have got involved a bit there. But it almost needed to be taken out of Jos’ hands and just be left to the third umpire or the umpires out there to make a call on what they thought. Obstructing the field doesn’t happen very often at all … I probably would have appealed.”

Hussey further shared his views on England captain Buttler’s decision during the intense situation.

“He comes across as that quiet, calm, mild-mannered kind of guy, but you shouldn’t be mistaking the competitiveness in him,” Hussey said. 

“You see that with the way he bats, but he also has a great desire to win and lead this side well. It was pretty good thinking I guess to have that clarity of thinking in a pressure situation, to be able to think about the long game rather than that one incident,” he added.

I was just on holiday down in south WA and Motty called out of the blue – Mike Hussey

Former Australia cricketer Hussey further spoke about his appointment as England’s assistant coach for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. He said that the England head coach Matthew Mott contacted him and asked if he would join the England coaching staff.

“I was just on holiday down in south WA and Motty called out of the blue and said ‘what do you reckon’,” Hussey said.

“There’s been a bit of change with Motty coming in as coach and Eoin Morgan retired from white-ball cricket as well. I know listening to Jos Buttler talk, there’s been so much good work done in the past but we’ve got to keep moving forward as well, and he’s all about talking about ‘let’s take the great things that have happened in the past but let’s keep looking forward and playing what’s in front of us’.”

Hussey also revealed that he was a bit nervous about the reaction of fans seeing him in the England coaching setup.

“I was a little bit nervous to see what the reaction might be last night, and I must admit when I first got the training gear and put the shirt on I thought ’oh it feels a little bit weird,” Hussey said. 

“But then you just get to work. There’s a bigger picture than just Australia versus England and your allegiance to Australia over England. I don’t mind who I’m coaching, whether it’s helping Indians, Australians, Englishmen, Dutch, whoever it is. I just like watching players develop.”

Hussey has crossed paths with the likes of Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, David Willey and Mark Wood at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and he said that “there is some level of relationship” between him and the players.

“There’s only so much you can do. I’ve worked with some of the guys in the IPL so there is some level of relationship there, but it is difficult to come in and make a big impact.

“But these guys know their own games so much that you don’t want to come in and change too many things either. Part of the job of being a coach is not to stuff them up!”

Also Read: AUS vs ENG: “This Is Cheating, Not In The Spirit Of The Game”: Venkatesh Prasad Furious At ‘Pathetic’ Matthew Wade Incident

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