Vinoo Mankad represented India. Mankad made a nemesis in the form of Bill Brown, when India played Australia in the 1947-48 series. Mankad got the wicket of Brown in a unique way in two consecutive matches.
When Mankad took his run-up, he saw Brown beginning to leave his crease from the non-striker’s end. This act of the non-strike batter is called backing up, in which the batter tries to leave the crease as early as possible to reach the other end hastily. The Laws of Cricket state that the non-strike batter is not allowed to leave the crease unless and until the bowler has released the ball.
Mankad’s sharp observation and backed by the laws of the game, led to Brown falling prey to the non-striker’s run out. Mankad abruptly stopped his run-up and dislodged the stumps at the non-striker’s end. He appealed to the umpire and Brown was given out. A similar story repeated in the next match.
Media’s vehement response led to the act of Mankad be termed as Mankading. Today, many think Mankading is not in the spirit of the game. Some others feel that a batter should be warned first if at all he is a contender for Mankading. But as far as the laws are concerned, the batter needs to be in his crease and Mankading is completely legal.
The “Spirit of Cricket” which is a preamble to the laws of cricket, lists many instances which are considered against the spirit of the game. The list does not contain any statement on or related to Mankading.
As of January 2025, the non-striker’s run out has been executed successfully on ten instances in men’s professional cricket, and thrice in women’s professional cricket. In men’s first-class cricket, a non-striker’s run out has been executed over 30 times. Moreover, there have been 14 instances where the batter had to be either warned or was called back (appeal withdrawal) by the fielding side captain after inflicting the Mankad.
