ISLAMABAD: The controversial “Mankad” run out has been back in the spotlight since last week, when a Pakistani bowler dismissed a Rwandan batter using the controversial method during an Under-19 Cricket World Cup match, fueling debate among commentators and fans alike over whether it breaches the spirit of the game.
The rare mode of dismissal, where a bowler runs out the non-striker in their delivery stride if the batter is out of his crease, was named after Indian all-rounder Vinoo Mankad, who over 75 years ago ran out Bill Brown twice in that fashion on a tour of Australia in 1947.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodians of cricketing laws, have always held that such dismissals are legitimate and batters should not seek to gain an advantage by backing up out of their ground. But last year, in one of several changes announced by the MCC, the Mankad move was switched over from the “Unfair Play” to “Run Out” category.
Despite the MCC’s legal amendment, the dismissal continues to ignite debate every time it happens, including last Sunday when Pakistan’s Zaib-un-Nisa dismissed Rwanda’s Niyomuhoza via the Mankad method in an Under-19 World Cup match.
On Tuesday, both Indian and Pakistani cricketing experts came out to defend the Mankad run out, putting the onus on the batter.
“Is it fair for a batter to be outside the crease when a bowler is coming in to bowl? So why is it unfair for the bowler to be castigated for doing something similar,” Indian cricket author and broadcaster Chandresh Narayanan told Arab News.
“He or she is showing a fantastic presence of mind, to be aware that the batter is out of the crease at the time of the delivery, so he or she is well within the rules to run the batter out,” Narayan said. “I find absolutely no problem in that.”
It was the batter’s job, the broadcaster said, to ensure that they were in the crease before the ball was delivered: “I don’t think the bowler should issue any kind of warning, the batters should know that they have to be inside the crease.”
Sports presenter and cricket analyst Roha Nadeem concurred, pointing out that the MCC and the ICC, cricket’s global governing body, both now allowed the Mankad.
"I do think that if something is within the rules then there is no reason for people to frown upon it, although the bowler can give a warning before the run-out," Nadeem told Arab News, adding that the move was not against the spirit of cricket even if the bowler did not issue a warning:
"Everyone wants their team to win so I think you should not frown upon someonetrying to win a match.”
Former Pakistan cricketer Sikander Bakht, who was a “victim” of the Mankad dismissal when Australian bowler Alan Hurst ran him out during a Test match in Perth in 1979, said in recent times, especially in cricket’s shorter formats like the T20 where runs were required quickly, batters had a tendency to step out of their crease at the non-striker’s end.
“They [batters] have to be very careful in what they are doing, they have to be smart,” Bakht told Arab News, saying the Mankad reflected the “presence of mind” of the bowler.
But when the stakes are not too high or the match isn’t at a decisive stage, he added, “it is better to warn” the batter rather than dismiss him.
“I think it is important to give a warning,” Bakht said, “but even if it is not given, I don’t think it is against the spirit [of cricket].”
