India all-rounder Deepti Sharma whipped the bails off with non-striker Charlie Dean backing up outside the crease to claim the final wicket and seal their win against England at Lord’s on Saturday. The victory saw India sweep the ODI series 3-0 to give the retiring Jhulan Goswami a grand farewell. But several players, both current and former, and experts criticised the manner of dismissal for the final wicket, bringing up the ‘spirit of cricket’ debate again, even though it is deemed perfectly legal.
Among those who were irked by the dismissal was former England men’s team captain, Michael Vaughan.
“Mankad is in the rules, but I hope it’s not a go too tactic (sic),” he tweeted.
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 #India
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) September 25, 2022
Running the non-striker out for backing up too far was unofficially termed ‘Mankad’, after Vinoo Mankad, but in the official ICC laws, it comes under the ‘run-out’ section.
“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,” Vaughan went on to write.
“Yesterday was a bloody good game too,” he added.
Coming in to bat with England in dire straits, Charlie Dean had hit a fine 47 to take England close to a famous win, and the batter was distraught as India secured a 16-run win with her run-out.
But India captain Harmanpreet Kaur backed Deepti Sharma and said what they did was “nothing new”.
But it is part of the game. I do not think we have done something new; it is ICC rules. You can always take those chances, what I feel is that it shows your awareness,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“I will back my player; I do not think she has done something which is not in ICC rules and it is part of the game,” she reiterated.
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Earlier this week, the ICC announced certain changes to the playing conditions.
Regarding “running out of the non-striker”, the ICC stated: ” The Playing Conditions follow the Laws in moving this method of effecting a Run out from the ‘Unfair Play’ section to the ‘Run out’ section.”
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