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Controversial Mankad dismissal sparks fury

A former Test player has been left livid after a domestic match ended with a highly-controversial Mankad dismissal.

The three-day game in Pakistan went right down to wire, with WAPDA needing four runs to win and Peshawar needing just one wicket.

With Peshawar fast bowler Taj Wali coming in to bowl, he noticed non-striker Mohammad Irfan straying out of his crease, and whipped off the bails during his delivery stride.

Umpires Ahmed Shahab and Faisal Afridi asked Peshawar if they wanted to follow through with their appeal, which they did, and decided that Irfan had been dismissed legally.

The batsmen were not happy. Image: ESPNcricinfo
The batsmen were not happy. Image: ESPNcricinfo

WAPDA captain and former Test player Salman Butt was far from impressed after the match.

"What's the point of this law when the winning team isn't proud and ashamed instead?" Butt told ESPNcricinfo.

"We had a great game, fully competitive throughout four days, which saw both teams' fortunes fluctuate.

"And suddenly this mankading spoiled it. Sportsman spirit should have been the top priority but the game didn't end in a proper way.

"What's the point of this law when the opponent team despite winning apologises to us?"

Peshawar coach Abdul Rehman defended his side.

"We haven't done anything illegal," he said.

"If there is something that is allowed by the law then it is legal.

"If a team or player does something that is within the laws then you shouldn't say it is against the spirit of cricket."

The ICC recently adjusted the laws around Mankads, making it easier for bowlers to pull off.

"The bowler is permitted, before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the non-striker," the rule states.

However many players and fans are still uncomfortable about the contentious practice, believing it to be against the spirit of cricket.

Indian great Sunil Gavaskar recently said he wanted the term 'Mankad' dropped from cricketing parlance, saying linking the famously controversial dismissal to Indian all-rounder Vinoo Mankad smears the legend's name.

The term was coined 70 years ago when Mankad twice ran out Bill Brown at the bowler's end during India's tour of Australia in 1947.

Mankad was widely criticised for unsporting play, despite warning Brown several times that he was straying from his crease.

Gavaskar. Image: Getty
Gavaskar. Image: Getty

Australian skipper Don Bradman and Brown himself also defended the Indian bowler but the term, loaded with negative connotations of bad sportsmanship, stuck for generations.

"I have grave objections to that because it's putting one of India's cricketing legends in a bad light," Gavaskar said on the Sony Max TV channel during an Indian Premier League Twenty20 match.

"He has been one of India's all-time great cricketers. Our legend's name should not be spoiled. If you want to call it anything, just say the batsman was 'Browned', not 'Mankaded'."

with AFP