'Not against rules to dismiss non-striker who leaves crease early'

Ravichandran Ashwin, the Kings XI Punjab skipper, dismissed Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler in their match earlier this week by removing the bails at the non-striker's end just as he was set to deliver a ball

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the arbiter of laws of the game, has stated that it is not against the Spirit of Cricket to run out a non-striker who is seeking to gain an advantage by leaving his/her ground early, in reference to the ongoing 'Mankad' controversy.

Ravichandran Ashwin, the Kings XI Punjab skipper, dismissed Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler in their match earlier this week by removing the bails at the non-striker's end just as he was set to deliver a ball.

"The crux of the issue is when the non-striker can safely leave his/her ground, and what the bowler can do to effect this form of dismissal without courting controversy. To clarify, it has never been in the Laws that a warning should be given to the non-striker and nor is it against the Spirit of Cricket to run out a non-striker who is seeking to gain an advantage by leaving his/her ground early," the MCC said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

"Monday's incident could have been ruled out or not out, depending on how the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball is interpreted. Some feel that Ashwin delayed his action to allow Buttler the chance to leave his ground and that Buttler was in his ground when he expected the ball to be released. If it was a deliberate delay, that would be unfair and against the Spirit of Cricket. Ashwin claims this not to be the case," the statement further said.

MCC's law 41.16 deals with the issue of a non-striker leaving his/her ground early. The law states "If the non-striker is out of his/her ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him/her out."

"Whether the attempt is successful or not, the ball shall not count as one in the over. If the bowler fails in an attempt to run out the non-striker, the umpire shall call and signal Dead ball as soon as possible."

Buttler, who was guiding the Royals in the chase of 185, was dismissed for 69 and as soon as he got out, the chase derailed and the team lost the match against Punjab by 14 runs.

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