India’s decision to run out Charlie Dean at the non-striker’s end to secure victory in the last one-day international of the summer at Lord’s was not in the spirit of the game, according to former bowler Alex Hartley.
Dean had looked comfortable at the crease after hitting 47 at number nine as England moved into contention for an unlikely victory before the final wicket.
Deepti Sharma took the bails off after entering her delivery stride for the final wicket which, after the decision was upheld by the third umpire, sealed India’s victory by 16 runs as Dean threw her bat to the ground in tears and boos rang out from the crowd.
While the rare form of dismissal has been re-categorised as a legitimate run-out by the International Cricket Council, the manner by which India secured victory for a clean sweep of the three-match series did not sit well with Hartley.
“I don’t really know how I feel about it because I don’t think it’s in the spirit of the game,” Hartley said on BBC Test Match Special.
“I can’t believe it’s happened, but I can believe it’s happened and that it is Deepti Sharma.
“She always, always threatens to do it so as a team you’ll talk about it. England have got a lot closer than India would have expected and she’s actually done it.
“I just don’t think that’s how you should finish an international game. England are going to be absolutely seething. Does she not feel she can get a wicket in any other way? Does she feel that’s the only way India can win this game?”
It is a rare form of dismissal, which had been named after former India bowler Vinoo Mankad, and there used to be an unwritten convention to offer the batter a warning.
England all-rounder Georgia Elwiss was not impressed. “Has that not just left the sourest taste in the mouth at the end of this international summer? I’m dumbfounded,” she said on BBC Test Match Special.
“I cannot believe the Indian team felt that was the only way they were going to get a wicket. I don’t think Charlie Dean was trying to gain any sort of advantage. It’s ridiculous.
“For me, Harmanpreet Kaur has got to look at her side and think, ‘is that how we want to win games of cricket?’ Can she not withdraw that appeal?”
Former England men’s captain Nasser Hussain was commentating on the match.
“I am not so sure. I know it is in the laws of the game,” he said on Sky Sports. “Laws have changed, so if she was in her delivery stride, she was well within her rights to do that.
“They are going to debate that for a long time, but it is in the laws of the game.
“The laws of the game state that if she is in her delivery stride and the non-striker leaves her crease, you can be run out at the non-striker’s end.”
England international Sam Billings also felt uncomfortable with the dismissal.
“There’s surely not a person who has played the game that thinks this is acceptable? Just not cricket,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Well within the laws but not in the spirit. Just my opinion, the law should be changed back to a warning system or penalty runs for excessive backing-up for example. Safe to say a few people disagree”.
