Mitchell Starc caught in controversial scenes in T20 World Cup victory

Mitchell Starc was at the centre of controversial scenes on Tuesday night when he appeared to warn Dhananjaya de Silva about leaving his crease early during Australia's clash with Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup.

The 'Mankad' has been a hot topic of discussion in the cricket world in recent weeks after India bowler Deepti Sharma ran out England's Charlie Dean at the non-striker's end during a women's ODI.

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In the weeks that have followed the controversial incident, Starc has been spotted warning a number of batters about leaving their ground at the non-striker's end early.

He did so during a recent T20 against the West Indies, before warning England captain Jos Buttler.

"Don't go early Jos. I'm not Deepti but I might do it. Doesn’t mean you can leave your crease early," he could be heard telling Buttler.

Starc was at the centre of similar scenes on Tuesday night when he appeared to point out that de Silva was leaving his crease early.

While some fans suggested that Starc was simply asking for some work to be done on the popping crease where his front foot was landing, cricket journalist Bharat Sundaresan noted that Starc was also seen talking to de Silva at the end of the over.

The ICC has recently moved to legitimise the 'Mankad' after years of controversy and confusion over its place in the game, but the response to Sharma's actions proved the dismissal is still widely despised.

Many believe that a bowler should warn the non-striker before running them out, and Starc is clearly in that category.

However others believe that the onus is on the batters to ensure they're not leaving their crease early, with the ICC recently moving the dismissal out of a section under 'unfair play' in their official rules.

Speaking before the World Cup, Aussie captain Aaron Finch said: “I think if guys get a warning, then it’s fair game after that.

“That would go for most teams, I assume, if you give a batter a warning, because you think that they’re gaining a little bit too much ground before the ball is bowled. But I’m not a big fan, personally.”

Buttler added: “No one wants to see them in the game because they always create such a talking point when it should be about the battle between bat and ball."

Marcus Stoinis makes history in Aussie victory

Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis has belted the fastest half century in Australian T20 history to lead his side to a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Perth.

In reply to Sri Lanka's 6-157, Stoinis struck an unbeaten 59 off 18 balls to get Australia over the line with 21 balls to spare.

Stoinis pummelled four fours and six sixes to reach his half-century in just 17 balls, bettering the previous Australian record of 18 balls set by David Warner.

"Once I got in, the plan was to just keep going." Stoinis said.

"To be honest I was really nervous today, being at home in front of lots of family and friends here.

"But I'm really happy that we ended up putting on a bit of a clinic there."

Australia entered the match under immense pressure following their 89-run loss to New Zealand last Saturday, effectively making their remaining four pool matches must-win affairs.

Despite the win, Finch has come under fresh fire after managing just 31 off 42 balls in an unbeaten knock that will go down as one of the scratchiest of his career.

with AAP

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