Making of Mankading
Chasing 185 runs for victory, Rajasthan Royals’s innings triggered an unwanted controversy – Mankading of Jos Buttler. A recent amendment of cricketing rules clearly states that the batsman has to be inside the crease before the bowler releases the ball. R Ashwin has been marred by many veterans of the sport for misconduct and tarnishing the spirit of the game. The debate now centers between established rules and accepted spirit. But, ultimately, the spirit of the game cannot be in conflict with the law put forward by ICC, and hence, the controversy over dismissal holds no ground.
The 41.16 Law
"If the non-striker is out of his/her ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him/her out. Whether the attempt is successful or not, the ball shall not count as one in the over. If the bowler fails in an attempt to run out the non-striker, the umpire shall call and signal Dead ball as soon as possible."
First Instance
India's Vinoo Mankad, after whom the rule is named, was among the earliest bowlers to run a non-striker out. On December 13, 1947, during India's tour of Australia, Mankad had run out Bill Brown when Brown had left the crease before he delivered the ball. Since then, this tactic has been referred as 'Mankading'.
Bradman's Reaction
"An early sensation came in Australia's innings when Brown was once more run out by Mankad, who, in the act of delivering the ball, held on to it and whipped the bails off with Brown well out of his crease. Immediately, in some quarters, Mankad's sportsmanship was questioned. For the life of me, I cannot understand why. The laws of cricket make it quite clear that the non-striker must keep within his ground until the ball has been delivered."
There have also been situations when bowlers have decided against this particular form of dismissal. For instance, in the 1987 World Cup, West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh had refrained from running out Saleem Jaffar – eventually losing the game. It is definitely not a binding question of upholding spirit, rather it is a personal choice that mustn't be unlawfully enforced.
