The third ODI match between India and England on Saturday was full of drama and controversy. It will be remembered by fans for two reasons – the controversial yet legal run out of England’s Charlie Dean by Deepti Sharma and Jhulan Goswami’s retirement from international cricket. In the midst of this, another cricketer was also trending: R Ashwin. We break down what happened in the match and what the controversy is about:
What transpired in Saturday's match?
India beat England by 16 runs in the third and final ODI to win the series by 3-0. India, while batting first, put out a poor score of 169. India kept losing wickets which confined them to this low score. All-rounder Deepti Sharma top-scored with an unbeaten 68 off 106 balls.
England’s batting order collapsed easily. They were reeling at 65 for 7, but the team managed to reach 103 for 8 with Charlie Dean's efforts. Dean top-scored with 47, while captain Amy Jones contributed 28. But their efforts could not lead the team to victory as India was successful in restricting England to 153.
Dean, who had raised the hopes of England, was dismissed by Deepti Sharma when she was batting at 47 runs.
Dean and Freya Davies were on the field for England. Dean was at the non-striker's end when Sharma was into her delivery stride. Before releasing the ball, Sharma noticed that Dean had already left the crease. Sharma took advantage of this and took off the bails.
Why the internet was split
Many people including former cricketer Virender Sehwag stood by the Indian team while some like Stuart Broad criticised this kind of run out which is termed as 'Mankad'. The internet too was divided over the dismissal. While some supported the Indian team others backed England's side.
What is 'mankading'?
The term means that a bowler can run out the batter at the non-striker's end if he/she tries to step out of the crease before the bowler releases the ball. Often, batters on the non-striker's end are seen stepping out of the crease well in advance as a head start, to run between the wickets.
The name was coined after former Indian cricketer Mulvantrai Himmatlal Mankad, who dismissed Australia's Bill Brown at the non-striker's end when he had left the crease before the ball was released, in 1948.
What does the ICC rule say about such a run out?
This run out stirred controversy, but it is perfectly legal according to the ICC’s rules. Recently the ICC, while modifying the playing conditions, moved these kinds of dismissals from 'unfair play' to 'run out'.
The MCC Law 41.16.1 states: "If the non-striker is out of his/her ground at any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be run out."
What do experts say about this incident?
Former ICC umpire Shavir Tarapore said, "Even though the law permits such dismissals, I personally believe that this could have been avoided by the Indian bowler. If you will look closely at the dismissal video, you will notice that Sharma had stopped deliberately. The Umpire at that time was about to declare it as a dead ball. But he did not do so." He further said, "I believe such dismissals are against the spirit of the game."
Former India captain Anjum Chopra feels all-rounder Deepti Sharma had all the "rights" to run out Charlie Dean during the third ODI against England at Lord's on Saturday.
Why #Ashwin was trending
Indian bowler Ravichandran Ashwin used this ‘trick’ to dismiss Jos Buttler in the 2019 IPL. As per the laws of the game, the third umpire declared Buttler out but such a dismissal had always raised eyebrows as it is considered against the spirit of the game. After Saturday's incident, Aswin trended on Twitter.
He tweeted, “Why the hell are you trending Ashwin? Tonight is about another bowling hero @Deepti_Sharma06.”
Here's what people had to say about the run out?