Alyssa Healy was given not out following an appeal for ‘obstructing the field’ by India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur after the batter tried to deflect a throw with the bat during day three of the India-Australia Test.

The incident happened during the third ball of the 80th over of Australia’s second innings in Mumbai on Saturday (December 23) when Healy came down the ground and played a delivery from Kaur back to the bowler. The Indian captain immediately picked it up and threw the ball towards the batter upon seeing her out of the crease.

However, Healy was in the line of the throw and in front of the stumps and used the bat as a shield while protecting herself from the ball. Kaur went up in appeal for ‘obstructing the field’ but the on-field umpires remained unmoved. In the meantime, the ball had run away for a four, with Healy moving from 28 to 32.

According to the MCC laws 37.2, a batter will be ruled not out for obstruction if, “The obstruction or distraction is accidental, or the obstruction is in order to avoid injury, or in the case of the striker, he/she makes a second or subsequent strike to guard his/her wicket lawfully.”

Alyssa Healy in trying to protect herself uses her bat and the ball runs off it to the third man fence.

Harmanpreet Kaur appeals for obstructing the field.#CricketTwitter #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/MY36gO8HCa

— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) December 23, 2023

With the umpires deeming that Healy was trying to protect herself from the ball to avoid an injury, she was given not out.

The very next ball, Kaur got Healy lbw, giving her a stare as he walked back to the pavilion. Healy attempted to play a premeditated sweep against a straight ball but missed completely as it hit her on the pad. The third umpire ruled it out despite faint spikes being visible on HotSpot.

Kaur and Healy have an unpleasant history between them, with the latter slamming the former’s running between the wickets during the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final after the Indian’s bat got stuck in the ground. Healy said: “Harmanpreet can say all she likes that it was so unlucky, but at the end of the day she cruised back and probably could have past the crease – you know, an extra two metres if she genuinely put in the effort.”

Australia ended the day at 233-5 with a lead of 46 in the second innings. With just one day to go, the match is shaping up to be a potential thriller.

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