Ashwin breaks silence after 'Mankad' law change; says bowlers should not have second thoughts now
Star India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin has welcomed MCC's decision to amend its laws regarding run-out at non-striker's end.
FollowEarlier this month, the Marylebone Cricket Club made several revisions to the existing rules of play. One of the major amendments was moving the running-out of non-strikers from 'Unfair Play' to Law 38, which concerns 'Run Out'. The mode of dismissal, more commonly known as 'Mankad', has been used by many bowlers, including India's Ravichandran Ashwin. Still, there remained a considerable opposition to the use of dismissal, which is deemed by many as unfair.
The custodians of cricket laws, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), had revised some existing rules of play in the sport earlier this month. One of the biggest amendments made was re-classifying the running-out of a non-striker from Law 41's 'unfair play' to Law 38, which concerns legitimate run-outs.
Popularly known as 'Mankad', this mode of dismissing a batsman has been used by several bowlers worldwide, including India's veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The off-spinner ignited a massive debate about the legitimacy of this form of getting a batsman out after he dismissed England's Joss Buttler in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in 2019.
Also read: MCC frames new laws to come into effect from October 1, including Mankading
Ashwin has now welcomed MCC's move to amend its laws regarding the run-out at the non-striker's end, saying bowlers now should not have any "second thoughts" in dismissing the batter if he steps out before the delivery is released. The off-spinner added the decision to not run-out the bowler's end batter can have a career-destroying impact.
"My dear fellow bowlers, please understand. The extra step the non-striker is taking might end up destroying your entire career," Ashwin said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
"If the non-striker ends up on strike because of that extra step he is taking, he might smash a six. Whereas the current striker might have gotten out. If you take a wicket, you will grow in your career, whereas if you are smashed for a six, your career may go downwards. So the impact is huge," he added.
"So, the bowlers should not have any second thoughts on running the non-striker out is my opinion. The non-striker is very specific on the non-striker not taking that extra yard before the bowler delivers the ball. They are giving the allowance to the bowler. This is the significance of the rule," Ashwin stated.
Having faced criticism all these years for his 'mankading' Buttler, Ashwin hoped people would stop ridiculing him, especially now that he has become a teammate of the English allrounder at the Rajasthan Royals.
"During my school days, if a guy was interested in a girl, their friends would shout the guy's name when the girl passed by. Likewise, when I'm playing, the crowd is shouting 'Buttler, Buttler' when they see me. Why do you guys do that? We are now teammates, guys," the spinner said.
"Non-striker leaving the crease early is the actual unfair play in this whole scenario, not the bowler running them out," said Ashwin, who was picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 5 crore for IPL 2022.
Also read: IPL 2020: Ashwin’s mankad warning to Finch floods social media with memes
The dismissal came to be known as "Mankad run-out" after former India all-rounder Vinoo Mankad twice ran out Australian opener Bill Brown at the non-striker's end -- once in a tour game against an Australia XI at the SCG in 1947, and then again in the second Test of the ensuing series.
"It has been changed now to run out. They (MCC) have destigmatized the entire concept and have termed it a run-out law. The bowler was earlier expected to give a warning when the batter leaves the crease at the non-striker's end," Ashwin said.
"Now they have announced that what the non-striker is doing is wrong and, therefore, bowlers can actually run them out if the non-striker tries to leave the crease before the ball is delivered by the bowler. Bowlers used to feel bad about doing this, wondering how our team batters would feel and what the cricketing world would think if we did it. So, thinking about these consequences, they used not to run them out," the spinner concluded.
