The topic of running out the non-striker – also known as Mankading – when they are backing up too far outside the bowling crease has been a hot debate in the cricket world for decades.
This debate was sparked up again by R Ashwin in the IPL 2019, and has stayed since with greater prominence, and even the MCC, who holds the Custodianship of the cricket Laws, also coming out and speaking on it.
The terms Mankading comes from the first major instance of such run out when India’s Vinoo Mankad ran Australia’s Bill Brown out at the non-striker’s end on the 1947/48 Australia tour.
Last year, the MCC moved this sort of dismissal from the ‘Unfair Play’ section to the ‘Run out’ section. However, many fans, current and ex-cricketers, do not support this mode of dismissal, and speak highly of the ‘Spirit of Cricket’.
Here are 5 prominent cricketers (current and retired) who have spoken against Mankading:
Mark Waugh
Recently Mark Waugh expressed his displeasure at a Pakistan bowler running out a Rwanda batter, who was backing up at the non-striker’s end, during the Women’s U-19 World Cup. Waugh, a former Australian batting great, said that the thing he hated the most about this was teams are deliberately planning to affect such dismissals.
“The worst thing is it seems that teams are using it as a deliberate planned way to get a wicket,” Mark Waugh replied to journalist Piers Morgan.
Ellyse Perry unless it’s against England!
Senior Australian all-rounder, and one of the most followed female cricketers in the world, Ellyse Perry also had a say against Mankading, after she was asked of Deepti Sharma running out England’s Charlotte Dean last year at Lord’s.
Although Perry said she was not in favor of mankading, she added that it she didn’t mind if it was England at the receiving end. This response from Perry was loved by all but the English.
“I think the overall gist is no good, don’t do it, but if you’re going to do it, do it to England,” Perry said.
Michael Vaughan
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has always been against this form of dismissal – which, though, is completely legitimate.
After the Deepti Sharma controversy, Vaughan admitted that this mode of taking a wicket is legal, however, he added that it “stinks” when a bowler uses this tactic.
“Mankad is in the rules,but I hope it’s not a go too tactic .. You surely don’t train all your lives to win a game using that tactic .. and I know Batters should train to stay behind the line but it stinks seeing a game won like that .. Yesterday was a bloody good game too,” Vaughan had tweeted.
Vaughan’s view is that the bowler should give a warning to the batsman, which he opined after the Ashwin-Buttler incident.
James Anderson
Not only criticising Ashwin for his run-out of Buttler at the non-striker’s end, James Anderson went too far when he shredded Ashwin’s photo in a shredder! This video went viral on social media, and England’s greatest Test bowler copped plenty of criticism.
They do this. Then their supporters talk about Spirit of Cricket. Don’t know how low can they go!
When I said Englishmen deserve getting those sledging from the Indians (Kohli & Bumrah specifically), I meant it and rightly so. 👍 pic.twitter.com/tJTUEao144
— Jaanvi🏏 (@ThatCric8Girl) August 18, 2021
Shane Warne
The late Shane Warne too was not really in favor of the mankading, as highlighted by his tweets on the Ashwin incident and this who running out of the non-striker.
Warne had said that is a very disappointing to see Ashwin go that route – Warne reckoned it was a really “low act” – to dismiss Buttler, adding that it was completely against the spirit of the game.
“So disappointed in @ashwinravi99 as a Captain & as a person. All captains sign the #IPL wall & agree to play in the spirit of the game. RA had no intention of delivering the ball – so it should have been called a dead ball. Over to u BCCI – this a not a good look for the,” Warne had tweeted.
“You will be remembered for that low act.”
