ON THIS DAY IN 1992: The cricket world has witnessed a number of instances of Mankading over the past few years. From Ravichandran Ashwin to Deepti Sharma, several Indian cricketers have courted controversies with the act of Mankading in recent times. Though it was recognised as legal in the ICC rule book, questions were raised underlining the spirit of the game.
In 2019 when Ashwin dismissed Joe Root during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, many thought he was the first Indian to opt for this contentious mode to run out a non-striker.
But India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev previously did the same in 1992 to get rid of Peter Kirsten during a South Africa tour.
It was the second ODI of the seven-match series which was hosted at the St George Park Cricket Ground in Gqeberha. The then-Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and elected to bat first. The visitors failed to showcase their A-game with the bat and wrapped up their innings with a paltry total of 147 runs.
Coming in to chase, South Africa lost an early wicket, with Kapil Dev castling opener Andrew Hudson in the third over. Peter Kristen came in to bat at No. 3 and joined hands with skipper Kepler Wessels.
The duo managed to rack up a 12-run partnership when Dev Mankaded Kristen, sending off the Proteas batter for 8 runs.
The event unquestionably silenced the home crowd as no one was ready for such an occurrence. This was not the first time that Kristen left the crease before the bowler would release the delivery.
Even during the first ODI, he was reportedly warned by Kapil Dev multiple times. But Kristem perhaps did not take the notice seriously as he continued to breach the rule in the following match as well.
It certainly irked Dev, who took revenge by Mankading Kristen in the second ODI. The Indian legend knocked off the bail at the non-striker’s end and made a loud appeal for run-out. As the mode of dismissal was allowed by the cricket governing body, the on-field umpire Cyrus Mitchley had to raise his finger, with a distressed Kristen making his way back to the pavilion.
India, however, failed to win the contest. Powered by an unbeaten 45-run knock from Dave Callaghan, South Africa chased down the target in 46.4 overs with six wickets in hand.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which is in charge of establishing rules for the game of cricket, has recently made a few changes to the Mankad rule.
As per the fresh regulation, “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 if he/she is out of his/her ground.” The latest modification to the law came in January this year after Adam Zampa tried to run out Tom Rogers during a Big Bash League (BBL) match.
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