What you should know about Mankading?

The final ODI between India and hosts England at the Lord’s, which was Jhulan Goswami’s final match, grabbed eyeballs for strange reasons.

Hyderabad: The final ODI between India and hosts England at the Lord’s, which was Jhulan Goswami’s final match, grabbed eyeballs for strange reasons. Deepti Sharma, Indian all-rounder, ‘Mankaded’ England’s Charlotte Dean as final wicket to take India to victory. However, it once again kickstarted the debate over the spirit of the game.

What is Mankading?

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Mankading, named after former Indian all-rounder Vinoo Mankad, is an act where a bowler runs out a non-striker for backing up too much. This means, if a batter at the non-striker’s end leaves the crease before the bowler delivers the ball, the bowler runs out the batter.

It got its name when Indian cricketer Mankad ran Australian batter Bill Brown out at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1947-48 for the first time in this fashion.

Later, Indian captain Kapil Dev ‘mankaded’ South African batter Peter Kirsten in an ODI at Port Elizabeth in 1992 while Ravichandran Ashwin did it in the 2019 IPL match against Jos Buttler, sparing the debate whether it is in the spirit of the game.

What does the ICC rule say?

A week before, the International Cricket Council (ICC) changed their playing regulations regarding ‘Mankading’. From October 1, 2022, it will be counted as a ‘run-out’ not as Mankading, ending the debate.

However, in the past, Mankading was never against rule. Law 41.16.1 of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Laws of Cricket code states that “If the non-striker is out of his/her ground at any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be Run out. In these circumstances, the non-striker will be out Run out if he/she is out of his/her ground when his/her wicket is put down by the bowler throwing the ball at the stumps or by the bowler’s hand holding the ball, whether or not the ball is subsequently delivered.”