Mitchell Starc, a leading figure in Australia’s pace attack, has pushed for stricter regulations regarding hitters who leave the crease at the non-strikers’ end before the bowler has even released the ball. For this attack, Starc has advised that a team should lose a run. When the two arch-rivals faced up in the third T20I at the Manuka Oval last week, Starc refused to trot out England’s limited-overs captain Jos Buttler at the non-strikers’ end. Starc reportedly became frustrated and approached the batsman, saying, “I am not Deepti, but I might do it (run him out),” after Buttler apparently left the crease towards the bowlers’ end a few times.
“There are cameras for front foot no-balls, a camera there all the time [in international cricket] and someone watching the line”, said Starc while speaking to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. “Every time the batter leaves the crease before the front foot lands, dock them a run. There’s no grey area then. And in T20 cricket where runs are so handy at the backend and games can be decided by, one, two, three runs all the time, if all of a sudden you get docked 20 runs because a batter’s leaving early, you’re going to stop doing it aren’t you?,” he wondered.
After India’s women’s spin bowling all-rounder Deepti Sharma ran out Charlie Dean during the third WODI against England at Lord’s last month, the run-out at the non-strikers’ end came under discussion. Before the custodians of cricket’s laws, the MCC intervened and made it apparent that Deepti had done nothing illegal and that this form of dismissal is entirely consistent with the spirit of the game, the situation appeared to be spiralling out of control. At home during the current T20 World Cup, Mitchell Starc will be attempting to deceive the top batsmen with his deceptive yorkers. On Saturday, October 22, Australia will face off at the SCG against rivals from over the Tasman, New Zealand.
