Mitchell Starc's ingenious solution to prevent Mankading


image-l9dnb9bfMitchell Starc warns Jos Buttler during 3rd T20I last week [Source: Twitter]

'Mankad' remains one of the most debated modes of dismissal in cricket, despite being within the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) rule book. The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently drafted Mankad's dismissal into the run-out category.

However, since India's Deepti Sharma inflicted a run-out on England's Charlie Dean, the cricketing world has been divided. While several players have outright rejected trying 'Mankarding', few have endorsed it.

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, during the third T20I against England last week, warned Jos Buttler for backing too much at the non-striker's end. He maintained that he would not attempt the dismissal but did give a radical idea to make it a guilt-free affair.

Speaking to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, the left-armer suggested that cameras should be used to detect if a batter is leaving the crease and should be docked runs if found guilty.

“There are cameras for front foot no-balls, a camera there all the time [in international cricket] and someone watching the line. Every time the batter leaves the crease before the front foot lands, dock them a run. 

There’s no grey area then. And in T20 cricket where runs are so handy at the back end and games can be decided by, one, two, three runs all the time, if all of a sudden you get docked 20 runs because a batter’s leaving early, you’re going to stop doing it aren’t you?".

Starc also revealed that he had to warn as many as seven New Zealand batters during the recently concluded One-Day International series, where few batters were going beyond the two metres.


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