(CRICINFO) – West Indies Under-19 entered the quarterfinal of the World Cup in controversial and tense circumstances, as Keemo Paul effected a ‘mankad’ to claim the last Zimbabwe Under-19 wicket – that of Richard Ngarava – with three runs needed off the final over. Paul ran through the bowling crease without entering his delivery stride and broke the stumps, catching the non-striker Ngarava with his bat on the line while he was standing a couple of steps out of his crease.
The two on-field umpires conferred before asking West Indies if they wanted to uphold the appeal, and once it was confirmed that they did, the third umpire was called in and found the batsman just on the line, ending Zimbabwe’s campaign in a game they had to win to make the quarter-final. The dismissal was within the rules of the game.
A visibly upset Zimbabwe captain Brandon Mavuta refused to comment on the mankad after the game. “We got so close, no comment about it. I don’t have anything to say right now,” Mavuta said. “No comment.”
The West Indies captain Shimron Hetmyer said he was comfortable with the decision to appeal for the wicket. “I would say yes, cricket is a game of uncertainties, we’ve seen it happen in cricket before, it’s not a big deal for us.”
“Probably not,” said Hetmyer, when he was asked if he thought if it was in the spirit of the game.
The Zimbabwe manager Admire Marodza said the team was unhappy but there was little they could do but console the players because the dismissal was within the rules. “It is too early to comment but we are trying to get emotions under control in the dressing-room. Everyone is disappointed at the loss,” Marodza said. “Rules are rules. We can’t change them and we can’t change what happened. A run-out is a run-out. I don’t think it is anything to protest about. We are not happy about losing the game from such a good position. The way our boys competed, it is an achievement. We are happy how we played in this tournament.”
DISGRACEFUL
Meanwhile, the controversial win by the West Indies Under-19 team has been labelled “absolutely disgraceful”.
Zimbabwe needed three runs to win with just one wicket remaining when fast-bowler Keemo Paul began the final over of what was a thrilling match in Chittagong. As Paul approached the wicket to bowl the first ball over the over, non-striker Richard Ngarava began to slowly walk out of his crease in the quest for a quick single.
But instead of starting his delivery stride as he ran past the wicket, Paul quickly removed the bails with the ball in his right hand and appealed for a run out.
The umpires conferred and asked the West Indies if they wanted to withdraw the appeal, which they declined to do, so the officials referred the decision to the third umpire. The TV official reviewed the footage and correctly ruled that Ngarava was just out of his ground when the bails were removed.
The decision of out handed the Windies a two-run win and a spot in the quarter-finals, while it also ended Zimbabwe’s tournament. The incident drew immediate and heavy criticism from some of the biggest names in the sport, with Australia coach Darren Lehmann and New Zealand legend Stephen Fleming quick to tweet their disapproval.
MANKAD EXPLAINED
When is a batsman said to have been “mankaded”?
When the batsman at the non-striker’s end has backed up out of his crease and the bowler in his run-up removes the bails with the batsman out of his crease, the batsman is said to have been “mankaded”. Technically, the dismissal falls under the run-out category.
How do the views of ICC and MCC differ?
The law, which is written by the MCC, says the bowler is allowed to attempt the run-out only before entering his delivery stride. However, the ICC playing conditions permit the bowler to attempt the dismissal before releasing the ball provided he has not ended his delivery swing. The said playing condition was introduced in 2011*.
Why is the dismissal so named?
The most famous instance of this mode of dismissal came when Vinoo Mankad ran Bill Brown out in the Sydney Test in 1947-48. Mankad, in the act of delivering the ball, held on to it and whipped the bails off with Brown well out of his crease. There was a previous to this, as Brown had been similarly dismissed by Mankad earlier during the tour too, in a match against an Australian XI, after having warned Brown that he was backing up too far. The dismissal got extensive coverage in the Australian press, with Mankad being accused of unsportsmanlike behaviour. The term “mankaded” caught on in the wake of the controversy.
What are the other famous instances of mankading?
Things got ugly when Kapil Dev ran Peter Kirsten out after repeated warnings in Port Elizabeth in 1992-93, the last such dismissal in international cricket. Kirsten walked off reluctantly after he was ruled out, while Kapil fumed angrily too.
Other instances of mankading, in chronological order, are Ian Redpath by Charlie Griffith in Adelaide, 1968-69; Brian Luckhurst by Greg Chappell in Melbourne, 1974-75; Derek Randall by Ewan Chatfield in Christchurch, 1977-78; Sikander Bakht by Alan Hurst in Perth, 1978-79; and Grant Flower by Dipak Patel in Harare, 1992-93.
The Bakht dismissal had its part to play in an unsavoury moment later in the same Test, when Sarfraz Nawaz successfully appealed for a handled-the-ball dismissal against Andrew Hilditch when all Hilditch had done was return the ball to the bowler out of courtesy.
Among the most famous instances of a dismissal not being effected under this mode was when Courtney Walsh famously let Saleem Jaffar off with a warning in the last over of a 1987 World Cup match in Lahore. The last Pakistan pair was in and they needed four off the last ball when Walsh refused the run-out that would have sealed the match. Pakistan went on to win, which cost West Indies a potential semi-final place.
Can a bowler mankad a batsman at any time?
It used to be that a bowler could dismiss a batsman in this fashion at any point in his run-up, delivery stride included. However, the Laws of cricket have since been changed to ensure that a bowler cannot run out a non-striker once he has entered his delivery stride.
The delivery stride is defined as the stride in the course of which the delivery swing is made: it starts when the bowler’s back foot lands and ends when the front foot lands in the same stride.
Is it unsporting to mankad a batsman?
The unwritten code of cricket suggests that a bowler ought to warn the batsman at least once before running him out. When Mankad was criticised for running Brown out, Don Bradman, Brown’s captain then, defended Mankad solidly.
Not sporting, indeed not! Cricket is not a gentleman’s game any longer. WI won using a tactic that showed the awareness of the bowler, and within the rules. With only 3 runs to win, the tactic was timely and justified. Today all is fair in war (not) and cricket (not). Good work lads.