Ponting to slap mankad ban on Ashwin

Coach Ricky Ponting says now that Ravi Ashwin plays for his Delhi side he will be spoken to about the controversial run out method

Ravi Ashwin left Jos Buttler furious after a 'mankad' run out during the IPL

Ricky Ponting has laid down the law and stirred up debate by signalling India’s Ravi Ashwin will be told not to “mankad” in this year’s IPL.

The Kings XI cricketer divided the world of cricket last year when he ran out Jos Buttler in the opening match of the world’s biggest domestic T20 tournament.

Mankad refers to the bowler running out the nonstriker before the ball is released. The form of dismissal is named after Indian bowler Vinoo mankad who ran out Australia’s Bill Brown during the 1947-48 tour of Australia. Mankad is a revered figure in cricket and people argue that attaching his name to the controversial form of dismissal is wrong.

Shane Warne, among other critics at the time of the IPL incident, described Ashwin’s actions as “disgraceful” and a “low act”.

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In this year’s IPL Ashwin will play for the Delhi Capitals coached by Ponting. The tournament begins September 19 in the UAE.

“I‘ll be having a chat with him about (mankading), that’s the first thing I’ll do,“ said Ponting on The Grade Cricketer Podcast. “Obviously, he wasn’t in our squad last year, he’s one of our players that we tried to afford to bring in this year. Look, he’s a terrific bowler, and he’s done a great job in the IPL for a long period of time now, but I must admit watching that last season, as soon as it happened and he did that, I actually sat our boys down and said ‘Look, I know he’s done it, there’ll be others around the tournament who’ll think about doing this as well but that’s not going to be the way that we play our cricket. We won’t be doing that’.

“So, that‘s going to be a conversation and that’s going to be a hard conversation I will have to have with him, but I’m pretty sure he’ll take it on the chin.”

Ashwin recently retweeted a picture of the incident and used it as a way to encourage fellow Indians to stay home during the pandemic lockdown.

Ponting believe there is a better way for bowlers to challenge nonstriking batsmen sneaking out of their crease.

“I think, even him, looking back now, probably he’d say it was within the rules and he’s right to do it, but this is not within the spirit of the game, not in the way I want, at least with the Delhi Capitals anyway,” Ponting said.

“I think there’s ways that you can actually stop batsmen cheating like that. If the bowler was to stop, and the batsman was a foot out of his crease for instance, why don’t you just penalise him some runs or something? Then they won’t do it again.

“You’ve only got to do that once at the start of a tournament, and then all the players see it, and you can guarantee the players won’t be fudging any ground from then on. I chatted to some of the match referees about it during last year’s IPL as well. If the umpires make a stance and do something to warn the batsman that they might be cheating, then that’s better than having the ugly incident of a mankad.”

Ponting was part of the MCC cricket committee which recommended the law be changed four years ago. The rule was subsequently changed to make it easier for the bowler. Where 42.15 had previously said the bowler must complete the run out “before entering his delivery stride” it now allowed the run out to happen “before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the nonstriker”.

It could have been argued that Ashwin’s run out was so late he had completed his delivery swing. Others said he had paused in his action and breached the spirit of the law.

The incident prompted the statement from the MCC which said it needed to look further at the wording of the Law 42.15.

The committee reaffirmed that the act in itself was within the spirit of the game but Ashwin’s run out of Butler was not as cut and dried if it was a “deliberate delay”.

“Yesterday’s incident could have been ruled out or not out, depending on how “the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball” is interpreted,” the MCC said.

“Some feel that Ashwin delayed his action to allow Buttler the chance to leave his ground and that Buttler was in his ground when he expected the ball to be released.

“If it was a deliberate delay, that would be unfair and against the Spirit of Cricket. Ashwin claims this not to be the case.

“The TV umpire had to make a decision and, under the Law (and indeed ICC’s interpretation of them, which clarifies the expected moment of release as when the arm reaches its highest point), it was understandable how he opted to give Buttler out.”

The MCC also took the opportunity to clarify the misconception that a warning should be given.

“To clarify, it has never been in the Laws that a warning should be given to the nonstriker and nor is it against the Spirit of Cricket to run out a nonstriker who is seeking to gain an advantage by leaving his/her ground early.

“Furthermore, with batsmen now being deemed in or out by millimetres by TV replays on quick singles, it is right that they should remain in their ground at the nonstriker’s end until it is fair for them to leave.”

Mankad was defended by Don Bradman at the time of the most celebrated incident.

“For the life of me, I can’t understand why (the press) questioned his sportsmanship,” he said. “The laws of cricket make it quite clear that the nonstriker must keep within his ground until the ball has been delivered. If not, why is the provision there which enables the bowler to run him out? By backing up too far or too early, the nonstriker is very obviously gaining an unfair advantage.”