Explainer: What is ‘Mankading’?

R. Ashwin’s ‘Mankaded’ Jos Buttler in the IPL fixture in Jaipur on Monday, reopening the spirit of cricket debate.

Published : Mar 26, 2019 21:19 IST , Chennai

'Mankading' came into existence when former India all-rounder ran out Bill Brown, who was the non-striker and out of his crease, in the tour of Australia in 1947.
'Mankading' came into existence when former India all-rounder ran out Bill Brown, who was the non-striker and out of his crease, in the tour of Australia in 1947.
lightbox-info

'Mankading' came into existence when former India all-rounder ran out Bill Brown, who was the non-striker and out of his crease, in the tour of Australia in 1947.

Kings XI Punjab captain R. Ashwin ‘Mankaded’ Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler on the way to victory from a precarious hold in the IPL fixture in Jaipur on Monday. The ‘Mankading’ incident reopened the spirit of the cricket debate. It rewinded to the time of the actual incident; the origin of the verb.

What is Mankading?

It is named after former India all-rounder Vinoo Mankad. During India’s tour of Australia in 1947, Mankad — who also bowled slow left-arm spin — had run out Bill Brown when the non-striker had left the crease before the ball was delivered. Since then, the act — as and when repeated — has been referred to as ‘Mankading’.

Prior the international fixture, Mankad had also run out Brown in the same manner in a tour game.

It is legal but considered against the spirit of the game.

READ| Ashwin 'mankads' Buttler, says it was instinctive

Like Ashwin now, even Mankad drew flak for the tactic but the then Australia skipper, the legendary Don Bradman, had defended the Indian.

“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.

READ| Rajeev Shukla: 'Dhoni, Kohli had decided against Mankading'

“If not, why is the provision there which enables the bowler to run him out?

“By backing up too far or too early the non-striker is very obviously gaining an unfair advantage … there was absolutely no feeling in the matter as far as we were concerned, for we considered it quite a legitimate part of the game,” Bradman had written in his autobiography Farewell to Cricket .

 

There have also been situations when the bowlers respected the spirit of cricket. In the World Cup of 1987, West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh had refrained from running out Saleem Jaffar. The Caribbeans lost the game eventually.

ALSO READ| Ashwin’s action was disgraceful and embarrassing: Warne on Buttler’s Mankading

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment