Why Buttler didn't appeal for Wade obstruction

England captain Jos Buttler has confirmed he elected not to appeal for a rare obstructing the field dismissal on Matthew Wade in the latter stages of Sunday night's thrilling T20 victory in Perth, but suggested circumstances may have been different if higher stakes were involved.

Wade was yet to score and had just joined David Warner (unbeaten on 73) with the Aussies on course to chase down England's 6-208 when the wicketkeeper top-edged a searing bouncer from Mark Wood into his helmet in the 17th over of the innings.

As a disorientated Wade regathered his bearings, he took several strides down the crease only to sent back by Warner with the ball ballooning straight into the air at the striker's end.

But when Wood attempted to get in position to complete the caught and bowled, Wade threw out his left arm, making contact with the chest of the England speedster as he dived to get back into his ground, with the ball landing inside the crease about a metre from the stumps.

Buttler and Wood both stood with their arms raised momentarily before electing not to appeal for obstructing the field and the game continued after Wade was assessed by a doctor for concussion.

Under Law 37 of the MCC Laws of Cricket, a batter can be given out obstructing the field if they "wilfully attempt to obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action".

While it would have been up to third umpire Phil Gillespie to determine if Wade obstructed Wood deliberately had England appealed, no decision was necessary and the left-hander went on to make 21 off 15 balls before he was dismissed on the fourth last delivery of the match as the hosts fell eight runs short of what would have been a record T20 international chase in Australia.

Buttler said after the match that he was focused on the ball the entire time and didn't see the contact between Wade and Wood.

"(The umpires) said did we want to appeal but I said 'no'," said the England skipper, who set up the massive total by blasting 68 off 32 in a 132-run opening stand with Alex Hales.

"I had my eyes on the ball the whole time, so I didn't really see what happened. We've only just got to Australia too so I thought, just carry on in the game."

When pressed if his response would have been different if it was a World Cup match, Buttler replied: "Maybe".

"I didn't see it live, I was just looking at the ball," said Buttler.

"I just thought it's quite hard, I don't know what I'm appealing for really, I could maybe have asked some of the other boys to see if they had a better view.

"If we had a case maybe I should have asked a few more of the lads (what) they saw."

Allrounder Marcus Stoinis, whose 35 off 15 balls in a 53-run partnership with Warner for the fourth wicket had put Australia in a position to win the game, also suggested the hosts wouldn't have appealed either if presented with the same scenario.

"I don't know, it's not up to me anyway, I'm usually on the boundary," he said after his first match back from a side strain.

"I don't think so. It's chaos when you're hit on the head and you're running around, and you don't know where the ball is."

Despite it being a rare type of dismissal, the two sides aren't strangers to such an incident.

Ben Stokes was the controversially given out obstructing the field during a one-day international between England and Australia at Lord's in September 2015, becoming the first England batter to be dismissed in such a way in 50-over cricket.

Stokes had taken a few paces down the wicket after hitting a full delivery from Mitchell Starc straight back at the left-armer, which the quick then hurled at the stumps with Stokes out of his ground.

As Stokes swivelled around to get back in his crease, he raised his left hand, blocking the shy at the stumps, with the third umpire adjudging it a deliberate act and sending the left-hander on his way.

Coincidentally, Wade was the wicketkeeper at the time, with then Australian captain Steve Smith stating he had a good view of the incident from behind the stumps.

"He said straight away that he thought the ball was missing Stokesy and it was going to hit the stumps," Smith said at the time.

"So he appealed and we went upstairs and the umpire gave it out.

"The way I saw it was he was out of his ground and he wilfully put his hand out which is the rule I've been told and he got given out by the umpire."

Just 11 batters have been dismissed obstructing the field in men's international cricket, with out of favour England opener Jason Roy also given out the same way in a T20 against South Africa in June 2017.

No Australian batter has ever been dismissed in such a fashion.

Men's Dettol T20I Series v England

Australia squad (first T20I): Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchel Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

Australia squad (second and third T20Is): Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

First T20: England won by eight runs

Second T20, Wednesday Oct 12: Manuka Oval, Canberra 7:10pm AEDT

Third T20, Friday Oct 14: Manuka Oval, Canberra 7:10pm AEDT

Buy #AUSvENG T20 tickets here