The only surviving son of legendary all-rounder Vinoo Mankad, Rahul Mankad has finally won a long battle. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has moved to revamp the law on a non-striker batsman being run out during back-up, removing it from “unfair play” and moving it to the “run out” section of the Cricket Rules .
This method of dismissal is commonly known as Mankading. The term took effect when Vinoo Mankad ran out Australia’s Bill Brown during India’s tour in 1947–48.
In a change made by the MCC, the governing body of cricket, it has been said that a bowler who runs out to a non-striker who gets too much back up will now be considered a runout instead of an unfair game in the past. While the move has proved many bowlers right, who have used it to dismiss players, for Rahul it was personal.
It was always offensive to Rahul Mankad to use the word ‘mankade’ when a bowler runs out a non-striker to back up the wrong way. According to him, it was a gross misuse of his father’s name.
“My response is – about bloody time!!” Rahul told Cricbuzz after learning about the MCC decree. He shared that he was in a London hospital as he suffered a heart attack. “They had to put a stent in my heart,” he said.
Rahul highlighted that he was writing to the MCC and the International Cricket Council (ICC) urging them to rework the law. Notably, Rahul was also in support of the manner of dismissal. “The problem is that this method of dismissal is now clouded by this sense of sporting material,” he said.
Rahul said the game has been changed and “there is little room now to take the moral high ground”. Outlining other issues on the cricket field, Rahul said that fielders claim a catch when the ball bounces clearly in front of them, while the batsmen do not strike the ball.
Expressing displeasure over the immoral behavior in the game of cricket, Rahul said, ‘Then where is the enthusiasm of cricket.
According to the MCC, Law 41.16 – Running out a non-striker has been moved from Law 41 (Unfair Play) to Law 38 (Run out). Although the terminology of the law remains unchanged, the move is believed to have removed the stigma attached to the law.
Welcoming the move, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said that he is hopeful that the names of the Indian giants will not be spoiled anymore and such dismissals will be called simply run outs. Reportedly, Gavaskar has been supporting Rahul in his efforts to eliminate the use of the word Mankade.
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