Dominic Cork and Nasser Hussain are wrong. Deepti Sharma’s run out is within both the rules and spirit of cricket

A wicketkeeper issues a caution to the batsman: “Should you stray from the crease while attempting a shot next time, I won’t hesitate to stump you out. Consider this a warning for now.”

A fielder positioned in the slip cordon warns the batsman, “If you cut the ball uppishly in the next attempt, I’ll catch it, and you’ll be heading back to the pavilion. I’ve let you off this time.”

The bowler conveys to the batsman, “Miss the line of the ball again, and I won’t hesitate to appeal for lbw or bowled. You’ve been given a ‘life’ this time.”

Likewise, a fielder advises the batsman “not to play the ball in the air.” They add, “I’ll catch it the next time you make a false shot.”

You might be questioning, “What is all this? This isn’t how the ‘gentleman’s game’ is played!”

True, but according to former English bowler Dominic Cork’s comments following Indian bowler Deepti Sharma’s “run out” of England’s non-striker Charlie Dean for straying too far at Lord’s ODI on Saturday, such scenarios may become more common in the future!

Speaking at the end of the match, Dominic Cork stated, “It was against the spirit of the game, although it may be within the rules of the game. The bowler should have warned the non-striker before taking the action she did to dismiss Dean.”

Possibly, the former English cricketer couldn’t accept that the English women were outplayed in the ODI series.

During her eighth over (team’s 44th), while running in to bowl the fourth ball, Deepti Sharma observed Charlie Dean backing up too far at the non-striker’s end. She ran her out, securing the final wicket at Lord’s and giving India a thrilling 16-run win, ensuring a 3-0 series victory over England in the IDI series.

Although Dean’s dismissal adhered to the recent rule changes, former England skipper Nasser Hussain, commenting on TV at the time, deemed it “a controversial dismissal.” He refused to acknowledge that the “run out” is a legitimate part of the game. In reality, the Indian bowler’s awareness of the rule should be appreciated.

The ICC recently revised this rule, placing the act of a bowler attempting a run-out at the non-striker’s end under the ‘Run Out’ section (Law 38), as opposed to ‘Unfair Play’ (Law 41).

Hence, Deepti acted within the rules when she ran out Charlie Dean on Saturday.

This is not the first time such a ‘run-out’ dismissal has stirred controversy. R. Ashwin ran out Jos Buttler in a similar fashion during the 2019 IPL, creating a similar debate.

The dismissal, famously known as a “Mankad” after the Indian bowler who ran out Australia batsman Bill Brown in the 1948 Sydney Test, has sparked debate every time it has been used since then.

The spirit of the game ultimately prevailed. After initially expressing anger, throwing her bat to the ground, and shaking her head with tears, Charlie Dean composed herself and walked over to the Indian team huddle to shake their hands.

This spirit demonstrated that cricket remains a “gentleman’s game” despite all the controversies.