Ashwin not the villain in dismissal
So, let’s get this straight. Jos Buttler wandered out of his crease without watching the bowler, Ravichandran Ashwin, as he leapt into his delivery stride.
Ashwin stopped abruptly, and casually whipped the bails off before Buttler turned and, realising his blunder, rushed to ground his bat behind the line. If he hadn’t left his crease early there was no issue.
Third umpire Bruce Oxenford, an Australian who sits on the ICC elite panel, gave Buttler run out as the fuming Englishman stalked to the pavilion during the Indian Premier League match in Jaipur.
Cue online outrage, largely directed at Ashwin and a perceived lack of sportsmanship, with outdated references to the ‘spirit of cricket’ which can’t be applied to the modern game and its laws. You’re either in, or you’re out. It’s no longer the ‘gentleman’s game’, it’s high pressure, professional sport.
And that’s part of the issue, a poorly worded law 41.16 which Ashwin tried on and was found to be correct. Yes, this type of run out is within the laws and, no, the bowler is not required to warn the non-striker first.
Buttler has form for wandering, too, and was dismissed the same way in 2014 by Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake who even had the courtesy to warn him first.
Law 41.16 states: ‘‘If the nonstriker is out of his/her ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him/her out.’’
This raises more questions than answers, and is open to interpretation. So much so that the MCC, which oversees the laws of cricket, amended it in December to the following, which comes into effect on Monday, April Fool’s Day.
‘‘There is a slight change to law 41.16, which should further confirm the principle, established in the 2017 code, that it is the nonstriker’s duty to remain in his/ her ground until the bowler has released the ball.’’
That couldn’t be clearer. Essentially the law was designed to stop the non-striker getting a head start before the ball is delivered, gaining crucial ground when run outs can be decided by centimetres.
Known as the Mankad, it was named after India’s Vinoo Mankad who first sparked controversy by doing it in Australia in 1947. It was long frowned upon even though the governing body ruled it was as legitimate as a conventional run out.
In this case Ashwin’s ‘Mankad’ was a crucial turning point. Buttler, one of world cricket’s most destructive batsmen, was 69 off 43 balls and in control as Rajasthan Royals pursued Kings XI Punjab’s total of 184-4.
They collapsed and lost by 14 runs, handing former Black Caps coach Mike Hesson victory in his first IPL match but also putting him in a tricky spot, to publicly defend his skipper or not.
Yes, Ashwin’s act had a degree of desperation about it as they tried in vain to dismiss Buttler. But what about the batsman who doesn’t walk when he’s nicked the ball? Or the wicketkeeper who appeals for a caught behind knowing the batsman hasn’t made contact?
This was within the laws, Ashwin saw his chance and took it. Why wouldn’t you in a tense, high stakes match? Brendon McCullum certainly did in a 2006 test match when Muttiah Muralitharan touched his bat down for a single then wandered out of his crease to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara on reaching his century. Sorry champ, you’re run out.
Rather than have Ashwin’s sportsmanship and captaincy called into question, it could be seen as inspirational leadership and quick thinking to remove a dangerman and ultimately win the game.
Young cricketers are taught to back up from the non-striker’s end, watch the bowler and keep their bat grounded behind the line until the ball is released. So rather than being, as was claimed, a poor example for younger cricketers, it was more a lesson in what not to do if you’re the non-striker.
As for this ever-changing and subjective ‘spirit of cricket’, that relates more to player behaviour and conduct rather than objective decisions. The fielder’s word on disputed catches is never taken these days, and most batsmen still don’t walk when they’ve nicked the ball.
Umpires, on field and in the box with technological assistance, now adjudicate on everything, as Oxenford did correctly in this case. Buttler was out, and he’ll be more cautious next time.