What is 'Mankading' in cricket? MCC brings change in 'unfair play' rules

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on Tuesday made some changes to the 'mankading' rule in cricket which was related to running out the non-striker while on a delivery stride. The Mankading rule in cricket has been a topic of discussion as run-outs at non-striker’s end have often resulted in heated debates on the spirit of the game. 

MCC makes changes to the Mankading rule

In the change that has been brought by the MCC, the mankading was treated as an unfair mode of dismissal but it has now been moved to Law 38, which concerns run-outs. The wording of the law, however, remains the same. The MCC said in a media statement, " Law 41.16 – running out the non-striker – has been moved from Law 41 (Unfair Play) to Law 38 (Runout). The wording of the Law remains the same".

The statement further said that the code was well received and has had a positive impact on cricket all over the world, but even in the five years since publication, the game has evolved and the MCC Laws sub-committee has suggested several changes for the 2022 Code, which were subsequently approved at the Club’s Main Committee meeting last week.

What is Mankading?

Mankading is when a bowler runs out a non-striking batsman if the latter leaves the crease early, even before the ball is released by an in-action bowler. Although the laws of cricket allow bowlers to run out a batsman in the fashion, many enthusiasts and experts consider it to be against the spirit of the game. 

It was during the 1947/48 tour of Australia when Vinoo Mankad effected two run-outs in a similar fashion on two different occasions. The Australian press termed the run-outs as "Mankading". Since the incident, the style of run-out is popularly known as Mankading all over the world. 

Mankad first run-out batsman Bill Brown while the latter was backing up during a match between India and Australia XI. Mankad again run out the same batsman for backing up during the second Test match in Sydney. The Australian press lambasted Mankad's decision to run out Brown two times in a similar fashion despite it being considered against the spirit of the game.

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