Mankading is an informal name given act of running out a batsman in a certain way. In this mode of dismissal, the non-striker batsman is ran-out as he gets out of the crease before the bowler delivers the ball.
According to the Laws of Cricket, Mankading is not at all illegal. The law clearly states that the batsman must keep his ground until the ball is delivered.
The dismissal got its name after the Vinoo Mankad, an Indian International cricketer, used this method to dismiss the Australian Batsman Bill Brown twice in the warm up match and 2nd test of the series in 1947.
In this post, we will focus on 5 incidents of Mankading from cricket and discuss how it’s looked at as within the rules of the game and against the spirit of the game.
Here are 5 incidents of Mankading from cricket.
1. Brian Luckhurst by Greg Chappell (1975)
Before Greg Chappell was involved in the underarm controversy, he was a part of another one. Say what you will, but Greg Chappell was always very well versed with the laws of the game.
Chappell Mankaded the English batsman Brian Luckhurst in an ODI match on New Year’s Day of 1975. Chappell later claimed that he warned Luckhurst twice before Mankading him. Even after the controversial decision, England managed to eventually win the game.
2. Peter Kirsten by Kapil Dev (1992)
This is one of the most famous instances of Mankading. Kapil Dev had warned Kristen a couple of times for leaving the crease too early. As Kapil Dev went to deliver, he saw Kristen moving out of crease once again and eventually decided to Mankad him.
Kristen was not happy and dissented to the umpire’s decision but had to walk away as the decision stood. South Africa went on to win the match by 6 wickets, but series took a sour turn from there on.
3. Grant Flower by Dipak Patel
Dipak Patel is best known for opening the bowling for New Zealand in the 1992 World Cup as a spinner. But many are not aware of his Mankading performance.
He will also be remembered for Manakding the Zimbabwe legend Grant Flower. The dismissal took place in the second ODI of a series in 1992. Although the match result was not in New Zealand’s favour as they lost the game by four wickets.
4. Jos Butler by Sachithra Senanayake (2014)
In the last ODI between Sri Lanka and England, Jos butler was the net victim of Mankad mode of dismissal. After warning on several occasions, Senanayake went on to dismiss Jos Butler by Mankading him as he left his crease again pre maturely.
The spinner was booed by the whole crowd, but the Sri Lankans stood by their appeal and Jos Butler had to go back to the pavilion. Sri Lanka won the match by 6 wickets and clinched the series with the win.
5. Jos Butler by Ravichandran Ashwin (2019)
In a match against Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royal in 2019 IPL season, Jos Butler of the Royals was still batting at impressive 69 from 43 balls during a match in Mohali. As Ashwin was about to deliver a ball, he saw Butler leaving his crease and he instinctively went for the kill.
Ashwin had performed a Mankad against Sri Lanka in 2012 but the appeal was withdrawn by the then Captain, Virender Sehwag. In the current match, Ashwin was the captain himself and he decided to stick with the appeal. Butler was given out and he walked back to the pavilion in disgust as the Kings XI won the match by 14 runs.
Mankading: Is It Fare?
The dismissal sparked a huge controversy. The fans and the cricketing world were divided in two different camps once again. One group approved of it and the other believed that it was against the spirit of the game.
As far back as 1947 when Vinoo Mankad dismissed Brian Luckhurst in Australia, he was defended by Sir Don Brandman. Sir Bradman believed it was within the laws of the game and therefore, the sportsmanship of it shouldn’t be questioned.
Furthermore, after the 2019 Mankading of Butler, the group approving of the act also believed that batsman leaving the crease before the ball is bowled give him an unfair advantage. Therefore, it is justified to Mankad the batsman if he leaves his crease immaturely.
Mankading is within the laws of the game because a batsman can’t just be allowed to get a head start by running halfway down the pitch. In today’s game with several matches going down to the wire, each run matters.
Thus, if the law says that a batsman is not allowed to leave the crease before the bowler has delivered the ball, then it should be adhered to because in a real sense, that is playing in the Spirit of the Game.
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