The Controversial ‘Mankad’ Dismissal Is Sparking Furious Debate In Cricket

Melbourne Stars skipper Adam Zampa was fuming during a grudge Big Bash League match against crosstown rival Melbourne Renegades earlier this month.

In a traditional marquee fixture, attracting almost 40,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Zampa seethed after Renegades batter Tom Rogers had been sneaking out of his crease early at the non-striker’s end.

Zampa, whose mood deteriorated with a missed chance earlier in the over, decided to take matters into his own hands. On the second last delivery of Renegades’ innings, Zampa tried to run out Rogers at the non-striker’s end after the batter had left his crease early.

He quickly whipped off the bails and appealed for the wicket after there was initial confusion over whether Zampa was merely warning Rogers. But it was given not out after replays showed that Zampa’s bowling arm was past vertical – a rule Zampa – and many others watching – admitted he did not know.

Zampa was attempting to conjure the contentious little-used mode of dismissal commonly known as ‘Mankad’ – named after India all-rounder Vinoo Mankad, who ran out Australia’s Bill Brown in a Test match in 1948.

The response to Zampa’s actions was predictably bedlam and spoke to how polarising the rule is. Zampa was jeered by some in the crowd and his coach David Hussey – soon after the incident – on the broadcast said he did not support the actions.

Rogers was visibly annoyed and engaged in a war of words with Zampa.

Zampa, who was jeered by some of the 38,500 crowd, later doubled down and had support from some quarters, including from Cricket New South Wales with chief executive Lee Germon saying the rule needs “to be supported in upholding the relevant laws of the game”.

While allowed by the letter of the law, Mankad has long had a stigma and viewed as unsavoury and unsportsmanlike. Just last year there was a vitriolic response when Deepti Sharma helped India defeat England after effecting a Mankad on Charlie Dean at Lord’s.

But the tide is seemingly turning with an increasing number of bowlers during the Australian season feeling emboldened to at least warn batters not to leave the crease early.

The Zampa incident might prove to be a harbinger moment, where the dismissal starts being accepted as a common practice. The younger generation might be already swayed with Pakistan’s Zaib-un-Nisa dismissing Rwanda’s Shakila Niyomuhoza with a Mankad during the ongoing Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

It has been reported that a number of teams in the competition have been training bowlers on how to properly utilize the dismissal.

But, of course, not everyone is on board with former England batter Mark Butcher believing it could have a ripple effect into local cricket, where matches are often self-officiated.

“What is not being talked about is the effect that this is likely to have on village greens on Sunday afternoons up and down the country if this starts to become the norm,” Butcher told the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast.

“I can just see absolute carnage happening up and down this land and many others if people start doing it as a matter of course in club games.

“The game has always been played on the basis that there will be a bit of good sportsmanship. If this starts happening up and down the land there will be blood – I’m telling you that now.”

It hasn’t helped that the official law was ambiguously worded previously, where it might have been interpreted that a run out could happen even after the bowler had completed the bowling action.

Marylebone Cricket Club, the sport’s law makers, have since amended the wording of law 38.2.2 which has come into immediate effect.

“Even if the nonstriker had left his/her ground before the instant at which the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, once the bowler has reached that point it is no longer possible for the bowler to run out the nonstriker under this Law,” it now reads.

It once again reinforces that the dismissal is legal amid increased momentum for it to be unleashed more often.

But such a divisive mode of dismissal is unlikely to gain universal acceptance any time soon.