The Mankading Debate: Ponting, Ashwin agree on this common solution
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting made headlines after he said he would have a ‘hard conversation’ on Mankading with Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of IPL 2020. The Indian off-spinner is part of the Delhi squad in the upcoming IPL.
After much of waiting around, the duo finally caught up and had a virtual ‘chat’ around cricket’s most controversial mode of dismissal. Both Ponting and Ashwin appeared to be on the same side of the discussion – i.e, suggesting a ‘run penalty’ for batsmen found backing up too far.
“I think there should be some sort of run penalty. If you are to get to the top of your bowling action and stop, and it shows that the batsman is cheating, he’s out of his crease I think you can put a run penalty on him and do it right from the start,” Ponting suggested after Ashwin asked him if it was an alternative solution to look at.
If the batsmen are found backing up too often, they will eventually end up losing that many runs. In a high-intensity tournament like the IPL, every run is equally important and no team can afford to lose out.
What happened last year?
Ashwin, who was the Kings XI Punjab captain last year, said Ponting and Delhi captain Shreyas Iyer had personally spoken to him about avoiding a Jos Buttler-like incident. Both Ponting and Iyer promised Ashwin that none of their batsmen would try to cheat by backing up too far.
Ponting’s stand on the heated issue of Mankading immediately caught the irk of cricket fans. Stories from Ponting’s own playing days started going viral on social media. Ponting further clarified his stance in his conversation with Ashwin. The Aussie basically suggested an option where the opposite team can be penalised instead of effecting the ‘Mankad’.
“I totally get where you’re coming from. And that’s what I said. I wasn’t trying to say that you were justified, because actually in the course of the game you can’t do it. So if the batsman is cheating and trying to pinch a couple of yards, then…Honestly, we’ve got to find a way around, trying to make the batsman stop cheating. We’ve had this conversation already. I don’t want to see anyone running two or three yards down the wicket. That basically is cheating.”
