David Lloyd suggests two changes in the Mankad rule to avoid furore

David Lloyd (PC: Twitter)

The controversy surrounding the third One Day International between India Women and England Women is getting intense day by day. A lot of cricket pundits and former players are pitching in their views on whether Mankad is within the spirit of the game. For the unversed, England Women needed 17 runs to win the match with Charlotte Dean playing at 47 runs.

However, in the 44th over, Deepti Sharma uprooted the stumps when Dean was out of the crease at the non-strikers’ end. Mankad is a legal way of dismissal in the ICC rule book. However, the English players were not happy with the entire scenario. Many English fans and analysts are also accusing Deepti of deliberately delaying the delivery and misusing the rule.

Former English umpire David Lloyd also joined the heated debate. Lloyd reckoned that there is no problem with a batter getting dismissed in the manner. However, the International Cricket Council needs to be a little more specific to avoid the controversy that takes the centre stage every time.

Lloyd finds the current law ambiguous

The veteran advised two changes. He believes that a batter should always be given a warning first and the bowler can execute the run-out if they ignore the warning. Further, he also suggested that there should be a proper description of when a batter can leave the field.

The current rule suggests that the player needs to be within the crease till the bowler is expected to release the ball. Lloyd finds it confusing and believes proper wording will be much better.

In his column for the Daily Mail, the former cricketer wrote:

"If the law was clarified, we'd avoid the furore that occurs every time someone is dismissed in this way. First, I'd make it obligatory for a bowler to warn a batter first. That way, everyone understands what's going on. And if the batter ignores the warning, then he or she is fair game. 

"It's a bit like a warning for running on the pitch. Second, I'd tighten up the wording of the law. We need a physical description of that moment. It could be when the back foot lands, or when the arm reaches its highest point. Whatever it is, we need something more concrete than what we currently have."

Also Read: 'No warnings were given': Heather Knight accuses Deepti Sharma of lying