Another day, another Mankad controversy — this time without the benefit of a wicket having fallen. It is not often that a bowler seeks to run out the non-striker and fails, but Adam Zampa has done just that.
Zampa appealed for a run-out against Tom Rogers in the Big Bash’s Melbourne derby, but the third umpire ruled that the bowler’s arm had gone beyond the vertical and so it was not out.
“The non-striker can be run out if he/she is out of his/her ground up until the moment the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball,” MCC, the custodians of cricket’s laws, tweeted. “That means when the arm gets to its highest point. The bowler is not entitled to go all the way around in the bowling action and then run the non-striker out.”
In the final over of Melbourne Renegades’ innings, Zampa had seen Hilton Cartwright fail to catch Akeal Hosein on the boundary before Rogers and Mackenzie Harvey sprinted two off the fourth ball of the over.
With two balls left in the innings, the leg spinner went through his bowling action and attempted to run Rogers out at the non-striker’s end. Rogers began to walk off before the decision was referred to the third umpire. Harvey shook his head and there were boos at the MCG.
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“We want to check whether the bowler’s arm has gone past the vertical,” Shawn Craig, the third umpire, said. Craig deemed that Zampa’s arm had indeed done so and it was not out. Rogers left the crease shortly before Zampa’s arm had brushed past his ear, so if the bowler had stopped short of that point the third umpire would have awarded the dismissal. Rogers was not looking at Zampa at the expected point of release.
The MCC moved this mode of dismissal from “Unfair play” to “Run out” in the laws on October 1, in an attempt to reiterate that it is a legitimate means to remove a batsman. Shortly before that came into effect, Deepti Sharma, the India bowler, had run out England’s Charlie Dean to win an ODI at Lord’s.
The dismissal is commonly known as a Mankad after Vinoo Mankad twice dismissed Bill Brown in that way on India’s 1947-48 tour to Australia, though he was not the first to enact it.
Mitchell Starc, the Australia fast bowler, threatened to run out Theunis de Bruyn in a Test against South Africa at the same ground last week but did not do so. Starc and Pat Cummins, the captain, said they would consider using the dismissal if the non-striker continued to set off early — even though they would have been within their rights to do so to De Bruyn, and anyone else who leaves their crease, without warning.
“I gave him a couple of warnings,” Starc said. “If he wants to keep doing it, I’ll take him.”
Leeds and Hameed named in Lions squad
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Alex Lees and Haseeb Hameed are among four Test players named in the England Lions squad for the tour to Sri Lanka this month (Elizabeth Ammon writes).
Lees, the Durham opener, was dropped from the Test squad at the end of the summer having averaged 23.84 from his ten appearances but has been named in the four-day squad to take on Sri Lanka A. A one-day squad to play three games against the same opponents has also been announced, with some of the 28 touring players being picked for both squads.
Saqib Mahmood and the Yorkshire seamer Matt Fisher, both of whom made their Test debuts in the West Indies last winter before being sidelined with back stress fractures, are also included.
Fisher is part of the red and white-ball squads while Mahmood, the Lancashire seamer, is only in the white-ball squad as England look to manage his workload and rehabilitation after he missed almost the entire 2022 season.
The Durham seamer Brydon Carse, who last played for England in the ODI series against South Africa last July, has also been included in the white-ball squad.
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Hameed was part of England’s Ashes squad last winter but was dropped during the series and has not been selected since. However, England still believe the Nottinghamshire opener has tremendous potential.
England have not yet settled on their favoured opening pair, but Ben Duckett has been selected for the forthcoming Test series in New Zealand to partner Zak Crawley having had an impressive tour to Pakistan last month.
The Lions one-day squad will feature three teenagers — Jacob Bethell of Warwickshire, Tom Prest of Lancashire, and Hampshire’s James Rew — who were part of the England Under-19 team who reached the final of the World Cup last year. Bethell and Rew will play for England Under-19 in two youth Tests in Australia this month before joining the Lions squad in early February.
Lions Test squad Tom Abell (Somerset), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), Jack Carson (Sussex), Sam Cook (Essex), Matt Fisher (Yorkshire), Nathan Gilchrist (Kent), Tom Haines (Sussex), Haseeb Hameed (Nottinghamshire), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Jack Haynes (Worcestershire), Lyndon James (Nottinghamshire), Alex Lees (Durham), Liam Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire), Ollie Robinson (Durham), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Worcestershire).
Lions ODI squad Tom Abell (Somerset), Tom Banton (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Jordan Cox (Kent), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Matt Critchley (Essex), Matt Fisher (Yorkshire), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Tom Lammonby (Somerset), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Tom Prest (Hampshire), James Rew (Somerset), Luke Wood (Lancashire).
