The two most unusual modes of dismissal in cricket are handled the ball and obstructing the field; but there is only one batsman in the world who holds the unfortunate record of being dismissed by both means — India’s Mohinder Amarnath.
Former batting all-rounder Amarnath, who played a key role in India’s 1983 World Cup triumph, is the first batsman in ODI history to be given out handled the ball.The dismissal happened during India’s match against Australia in Melbourne on February 9, 1986. He made 15 in that game, which India lost by seven wickets.
Three years later, on October 22, 1989, Amarnath was dismissed for obstructing the field in the Ahmedabad ODI against Sri Lanka. He made 28 and India won that match in a close finish by six runs.
In 45 years since then, Amarnath, who retired after playing 69 Tests and 85 ODIs, remains the only batsman to be at the wrong end of both the unusual modes of dismissal.
However, Amarnath was not the first batsman in ODI history to be given out obstructing the field. That unwanted record is in the name of former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja, who suffered the unusual dismissal just one run short of a century in an ODI against England in Karachi on November 20, 1987.
In the history of ODIs so far, eight batsmen have been dismissed for obstructing the field and only three for handling the ball.
In Tests, seven batsmen have been given out handled the ball and only two for obstructing the field.
The only player to be dismissed ‘timed out’ across formats is Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews, after he was ruled late in getting ready to face the delivery after the wicket fell.