5 Mankading instances that sparked controversies in cricket history
2. Jos Buttler by R Ashwin in IPL (Indian Premier League)
England star opener Jos Buttler had been at the receiving end of the Mankading dismissal in the past. But the England wicketkeeper-batter didn’t seem to learn his lesson. During the Kings Eleven Punjab (now Punjab Kings) clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2019, Ravichandran Ashwin provided another Mankading instance.
The bowler stopped midway through his bowling action and dislodged the bails to catch Buttler, who had casually left the non-striker’s crease, napping. A distraught Buttler minced no words as he trudged off the field reluctantly after the umpire adjudged him out mankaded. Closer inspection of the incident’s replays seemed to suggest Ravichandran Ashwin intentionally delayed the ball’s release and waited for Buttler to step out before disturbing the furniture.
Nonetheless, the Mankading dismissal sparked controversies galore, with commentators and pundits terming the gesture as legal yet utterly disgraceful. Players across the globe jumped on the bandwagon and Ashwin’s Twitter feed was bombarded with posts condemning the off-spinner on moral grounds.
1. Kapil Dev vs Peter Kirsten, 2nd ODI, India vs South Africa, 1992
You wouldn’t expect the legendary Kapil Dev to be a part of the Mankading folklore. But even the veteran enjoyed his slice of the Mankading pie when South Africa’s Peter Kirsten turned a deaf ear to repeated warnings. South Africa were chasing a modest target of 147 in the second one-dayer of a seven-match ODI series in 1992.
Having just arrived at the crease, Kirsten was hunting for quick singles but was overtly eager and venturing beyond the crease far too early. Despite being warned twice, Kirsten sauntered out of his crease for the third occasion and ultimately bore the ramifications of his misadventure as Dev removed the bails without missing a beat.
