BBL: Watch Adam Zampa’s failed attempt to inflict ‘Mankad’, MCC issues clarification: Just when everyone believed they had seen every bit of drama & controversy on the cricket field, the game threw another surprise to heat up the debates among the pundits. This time, a run-out attempt on the bowler’s end, which is popularly known as ‘Mankad’, has grabbed the eyeballs of millions of cricket viewers during a Big Bash League 12 (BBL) match between Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades on Tuesday (3rd Jan).
In the final over of the Melbourne Renegades’ innings, Adam Zampa caught Tom Rogers off-guard in the bowler’s end as the batter was well-short of his crease before Zampa released the ball. All this drama happened when Adam Zampa, the Stars skipper, took his run-up for the fifth delivery of the 20th over. Zampa withdrew from his followthrough after taking the delivery stride when he saw Tom Rogers well ahead of the crease and the spinner subsequently whipped off the bails and appealed for run-out to the on-field umpires.
The appeal was sent to the TV Umpire, who showed great attention and probed the action comprehensively before reaching a decision. The TV Umpire overturned the appeal as Zampa’s bowling arm had gone past the ‘verticle’ and Not Out flashed on the big screen.
Following the incident, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardians of cricket laws, issued a clarification as to why the TV Umpire decided to overturn the on-field appeal of run-out at the non-striker’s end.
As per the law, the batter at the non-striker’s end would be given ‘Out’ if he leaves his crease till the moment when the bowler is expected to release the ball. Bowler is not-entitled to inflict a run-out after completing his action, which was what happened in Adam Zampa’s case.
“The non-striker can be run out if he/she is out of his/her ground up until the moment the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball. That means when the arm gets to its highest point. The bowler is *not* entitled to go all the way around in the bowling action and then run the non-striker out,” wrote MCC as it clarified the incident.
While umpires have blindly agreed to the on-field appeals in such cases, in the past, this instance showed high-umpiring standards. The TV Umpire, in this case, was hailed for his attention and detailed probe.
