During a BPL 2025 match at Sylhet, Mahedi Hasan was ruled out obstructing the field despite his partner Nurul Hasan being guilty of the act.
The BPL 2025 match between Rangpur Riders and Fortune Barishal see-sawed during its final phase. With 42 to defend in three overs, Shaheen Shah Afridi conceded only three runs in the 18th over and took out Iftikhar Ahmed (48 in 36 balls), bringing the target to 39 in two overs.
However, Khushdil Shah (48 in 24) began the next over, bowled by Jahandad Khan, by dispatching each of the first two balls for a six. The bowler hit back by dismissing Khushdil, caught by Mahmudullah. Rangpur needed 27 in 9 balls at this point.
Jahandad now ran in to bowl his left-arm seam from over the wicket, to the right-handed Mahedi Hasan. Mahedi tried a cross-batted slap, and the ball took the top edged and ballooned towards mid-pitch. As Jahandad ran to take the catch, the batters set off for a single.
Presumably noticing Jahandad, captain and non-striker Nurul Hasan changed direction and ran towards the pitch instead of running in a straight line. There was a mild collision – thankfully, no harm was caused – and the ball dropped in front of Nurul, out of Jahandad’s reach. Unable to complete the catch amidst all this, Jahandad appealed.
The umpires, Ali Arman and Asif Yaqoob, referred the decision, and television umpire Tanvir Ahmed ruled Mahedi out.
Tanvir’s decision was in accordance with Law 37.3.1 of Cricket, which states: “If the delivery is not a No ball, the striker is out Obstructing the field if wilful obstruction or distraction by either batter prevents the striker being out Caught.”
Being the striker, Mahedi was thus given out. The run was annulled, and Nurul even failed to retain the strike. With 27 to defend in eight balls, Jahandad bowled a wide but got Mohammad Saifuddin with the next ball, and bowled a dot to Kamrul Islam Rabbi.
With 26 to score in the last over, however, Nurul created history by hitting Kyle Mayers for six, four, four, six, four, six to seal the game.
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