The deluge of thoughts on ‘Mankading’ a player has not yet abated after Deepti Sharma’s controversial but well within the laws run-out was carried out in the third ODI between England and India. The ODI series which India won 3-0 saw an unexpected anti-climatic end with Charlie Dean’s run-out leaving her in tears and the Indian team in jubilation.
These ensued polarising opinions which have been running rife and met with fierce opposition and vindication alike. Meanwhile, star England all-rounder Moen Ali also threw his hat in the ring with his opinion on the matter.
Ali who is currently in Pakistan captaining the English side for the T20I series expressed his strong dislike of the mode of dismissal and made plain that the English side takes a dim view of it.
“No it's not my thing,” he said. “I don't think I'll ever do it unless I was really angry with someone. It's in the laws and there's nothing illegal so people that do it have the right, but I just hope it doesn't become a common thing or something that's regularly done.
“You’re not really working to get a wicket. At least with a run-out, there’s a bit of work that has to be done, and with all the other dismissals. This is just waiting for the guy and taking the bails off. Even when I played cricket as a kid in the garden, it’s not my thing to do,” Ali told The Telegraph.
To nip the matter in the bud, the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Council) has had to step in proclaiming the legality of dismissal as fair. However, Moeen’s reservations are that it doesn’t become a regular occurrence in cricket as it's against the spirit of the game and not something you work hard for.
“You should be in your crease anyway, to be fair, but it’s a difficult one. You don’t really look at the bowlers. You feel like they’re there and they’re going to bowl, but if they’re stopping, your momentum can take you out of your crease,” said Moeen.
“I actually just think they should get rid of them. We were discussing this the other day, how would you do it, because guys would then (pinch ground) but there should be a line where you can’t go past and you know how the umpires look for the no-balls, they could potentially do the same for that and say, right, he’s got one more, if he does it again, he’s gone,” Ali further added.
