The Mankad Dismissal: Backing Up Too Far and the Most Controversial Cricket Rule

The Mankad dismissal — named after Indian cricketer Vinoo Mankad who used the method against Bill Brown of Australia in 1947 — involves a bowler running out the non-striking batter (the batter at the bowler's end) by removing the bails before completing the delivery while the non-striker has moved out of their crease in the act of backing up. The dismissal is perfectly legal under the Laws of Cricket but has historically been considered unsportsmanlike by many players, commentators and fans, sparking debate about whether legal and ethical are the same thing in cricket.

The Law Governing the Mankad

Under Law 41.16 of the Laws of Cricket, it is unfair for a non-striker to back up outside their crease before the ball is released by the bowler. A bowler who removes the non-striker's stumps before releasing the ball can appeal for the batter to be run out. This was previously described in the Laws under 'Unfair Play' — specifically Law 41 — but in the 2022 revision of the Laws, the ICC moved it to a standard 'run-out' dismissal under Law 38. This reclassification removed its designation as an 'unfair' play and formally embedded it as a legitimate dismissal method equivalent to any other run-out.

The historical controversy arose from the old convention — never in the Laws but established through custom — that a bowler should warn a backing-up batter before actually running them out. Courtney Walsh famously declined to Mankad Salim Jaffer of Pakistan in the 1987 World Cup semi-final because Walsh had not warned Jaffer first. Walsh's sportsmanship cost West Indies the match but earned him tremendous respect. The convention of warning was observed for decades without being legally required.

Why the Mankad is Legally Valid

Proponents of the Mankad dismissal argue that the non-striker who backs up beyond their crease before the ball is released is gaining an unfair advantage — reducing the distance they need to run for a quick single and effectively cheating the fielding side of a potential run-out opportunity. If the batter backs up completely outside the crease before the ball is released, they are in a position they would not be allowed to be in on any other type of dismissal — they are essentially stealing ground. The dismissal is simply enforcing a rule that prevents this.

The ICC's 2022 reclassification of the Mankad as a standard run-out reflects this argument — the dismissal is simply the bowler enforcing the batter's obligation to remain in their crease until the ball is delivered. The conventional warning is no longer expected or required under the Laws. International players in recent years — including Jos Buttler being Mankaded in IPL cricket — have been given out without prior warning, and the dismissal is increasingly accepted as a standard part of the game.

Famous Mankad Incidents

The original 1947 Mankad of Bill Brown created the controversy. Brown claimed Mankad had warned him in a previous match and then dismissed him without repeating the warning. Mankad maintained the warning was clear. More recently, Deepti Sharma's Mankad of Charlie Dean at Lord's in an England vs India women's ODI in 2022 created significant controversy — England players described it as 'not in the spirit of cricket' while Indian players and many commentators pointed to the 2022 Law change that made it a standard dismissal.