A major debate and controversy broke out when Deepti Sharma effected a run-out at the non-striker’s end during her delivery stride to dismiss Charlie Dean, who also happened to be England’s last wicket in the final ODI of the series at Lord’s.
Cricket fraternity became divided on that dismissal soon as some supported what Deepti did whereas others opposed the move strongly, calling it as a dismissal ‘against the spirit of the game.’
But the MCC, who also happen to be the lawmakers of the game, were quick to clear the air on their stance on the debate surrounding the dismissal as they called it an absolutely ‘fair’ act under the new laws that are supposed to come into effect from October 1, 2022.
The dismissal is currently listed under the ‘Unfair Play’ section, but that is supposed to move to the ‘Run out’ section once an update of the ICC Playing Conditions comes into effect towards the beginning of next month.
“This change will formally come into effect from 1 October 2022. This was done to clarify this matter and to place an onus on batters to ensure that they do not leave the crease at the non-striker’s end, prior to a bowler releasing the ball,” the MCC statement released on Sunday read.
“The Law is clear, as it needs to be for all umpires to be able to easily interpret throughout all levels of the game and at all moments in the game.
“Cricket is a broad church and the spirit by which it is played is no different. As custodians of the Spirit of Cricket, MCC appreciates its application is interpreted differently across the globe.
“Respectful debate is healthy and should continue, as where one person sees the bowler as breaching the Spirit in such examples, another will point at the non-striker gaining an unfair advantage by leaving their ground early.
“MCC’s message to non-strikers continues to be to remain in their ground until they have seen the ball leave the bowler’s hand. Then dismissals, such as the one seen yesterday, cannot happen.
“Whilst yesterday was indeed an unusual end to an exciting match, it was properly officiated and should not be considered as anything more.”
As a result of that run out, India won the match by 16 runs and completed a historic whitewash on English soil. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, opener Smriti Mandhana and right-arm pacer Renuka Singh stood out with their performances in the series as they delivered some stellar batting and bowling performances. Deepti Sharma, also played an impactful role in the final ODI, scoring an unbeaten 68 and picking up a wicket in a low scoring thriller.
