To Mankad or not to Mankad? That is the question.
It’s been a question in cricket for more than 70 years and it’s the biggest question this week after the dismissal of England batter Charlie Dean in the third and final dead-rubber ODI against India at Lord’s.
India’s Deepti Sharma used the Mankad method to essentially run-out Dean and seal a whitewash for the visitors in the series.
Perhaps ironically, perhaps purposefully, it’s come just days before the Marylebone Cricket Club [cricket’s rule makers] move the Mankad from the "unfair play" section of the rules to the "run out" category – deeming it a legitimate and perfectly legal method of dismissal.
The particular case at Lord’s has garnered worldwide attention and only ignited further in the last couple of days, with India claiming it warned the England batters of a potential Mankad.
England’s captain, Heather Knight, who wasn’t even playing in that particular match, has since accused the Indians of lying, sparking outcry from the sub-continent.
For what it’s worth, the MCC says it was ruled correctly by the match officials.
Former White Ferns spinner Frankie Mackay is a self-confessed "Mankader" and believes Sharma was brave to be able to execute it.
"She’s only in her early 20s. She’s played a lot of international cricket but she’s still a youngster and for her to be able to come out and say they’d noticed it was happening during the game, they say they’d put warnings in place, the captain gave full backing that she was able to do it, she had the courage to be able to do it on the big stage, at Lord’s against England, there’s lots riding on it and for a youngster to come out and do it I think is really brave," Mackay said.
"I think non-strikers backing up have been just stealing ground for far too long. It got ridiculous, and I think that’s why the ICC looked to bring it back in. It takes a lot of courage to do it and to put yourself out there to be the one that’s doing it."
Mackay even used the Mankad three times in one season in domestic cricket for Canterbury. It got to the point it was being used so much, 1News understands Canterbury Cricket stepped in.
"Three in 10 games gave me a bit of a rap for it," she joked.
"So, it wasn’t thought of too kindly… It was then politely said to me that it should be something that should get stowed away and we didn’t need to see it all the time, but there are some pretty high profile cricketers who are on the list and some pretty bad reactions to it at the time, but it’s still a wicket."
As the MCC is days away from officially moving it into a legitimate method of dismissal, Mackay warned it’s not going to change much in terms of the reaction.
“It’s going to take a long time for perceptions and opinions to change on it. It’s been drummed into people playing cricket that the Spirit of Cricket is the most important thing almost the code we live by and for so long the Mankad has been thought of as going against that Spirit of Cricket. It’s probably only going to happen more and more often.”
But even as one of the most prolific users of the controversial method in this country, Mackay doesn’t want it becoming the over-used norm.
“I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to see bowlers run in and splatter stumps at the batter’s end and deceive them through flight and guile as well, so I don’t want to see 10 of them a game," she said.
"But I do think they’ve got their place.”
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