Cricket's lawmakers have made a U-turn on the 'Mankad' incident that sparked plenty of debate in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
On Tuesday (NZ time), England's Jos Buttler was 'Mankaded' by India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin during Kings XI Punjab's (Ashwin) 14-run win over the Rajasthan Royals (Buttler).
As Ashwin went to bowl, Buttler left the batting crease, but the bowler completely stopped and waited a couple of seconds, before hitting the stumps to remove the star batsman.
The incident forced lawmakers - the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) - to release a statement stating the law was "essential" to the game, while alluding that Buttler was in the wrong.
But after reviewing the incident again, MCC laws manager Fraser Stewart told The Telegraph that Ashwin paused too long and Buttler should've been given 'not out'.
"We didn't come down either way [in the original statement]," said Steward, rejecting the accusation that MCC had changed course. "We now think at the key moment Buttler was in his ground."
"We believe the pause was too long between the time Ashwin reached the crease and the moment it was reasonable to expect the ball would be delivered.
"It is also unfair - and against the spirit of cricket - for non-strikers to leave their ground too early. All these debates wouldn’t be necessary if non-strikers remained in their ground until the ball is on its way down the pitch.
"Buttler, it is fair to say, did not make a concerted effort to get back into his crease after Ashwin had delayed his delivery and didn't help himself in that respect.
"We didn't come down either way [in the original statement]," Stewart went on, rejecting the accusation that MCC had changed course. "We now think, at the key moment, Buttler was in his ground."
Immediately after the game, Ashwin defended his actions, insisting he was well within his rights.
"It was very instinctive," he said. "It wasn't planned - it's there in the rules of the game.
"I don't know where the understanding of the 'spirit of the game' comes, because, quite naturally, it's there in the rules. So, probably the rules need to go back and be sorted."
The term 'Mankad' is derived from Indian cricketer Vinoo Mankad, who infamously used the tactic to dismiss an Australian batsman in 1947.
In 2017, cricket's lawmakers adjusted the 'Mankad' rule to put more onus on the batsman to ensure they were not leaving their ground early, allowing bowlers to retain the ball in their hand for longer to attempt the dismissal.
Newshub.
