MCC flip-flops on Ashwin's 'Mankad'

A day after ruling the 'Mankad' to be essential to the game, cricket lawmakers MCC have taken a U-turn on their stance on the controversial dismissal after it took place during an Indian Premier League game.

The 'Mankad' has been a hot topic of debate over the last couple of days, ever since Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin employed it to dismiss Jos Buttler. Various experts, and former and current players weighed in on the issue, but the MCC, the guardians of the laws of cricket, said Ashwin did nothing unethical.

"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.”

However, in a turnaround of the interpretation, the lawmakers on Wednesday told British newspaper The Telegraph that the run-out was indeed contrary to the spirit of the game. "Having extensively reviewed the incident again, and after further reflection, we don't think it was within the spirit of the game," MCC laws manager Fraser Stewart said.