In a recent Big Bash League (BBL) game, Adam Zampa garnered media attention when he attempted to run out a hitter from the non-end. striker’s The captain of the Melbourne Stars attempted to run out Tom Rogers of the Melbourne Renegades as he exited the crease. After reconsidering his judgement, the third umpire determined that Zampa’s arm had “gone past the vertical” and so it was not a run out. When Zampa ran out the batter, his bowling arm had crossed the bowling crease, which is prohibited by ICC rules for such a dismissal.
Now that Adam Zampa and Ravichandran Ashwin both play for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, Ravichandran Ashwin has offered his opinion. “I am tired of talking or writing about this topic. Every time this incident happens, there are preachers who hop in and start preaching. The best thing I love from this whole incident is the stare given by Adam Zampa after running out the non-striker. It was similar to the Undertaker’s stare in the WWE. He didn’t even say a word to the batter, who also stood in silence whether knowing it was out or not. People will talk about the legality of the dismissal. That he has completed his action and stuff like that.
But see he was about to bowl, and the non-striker had started running. In fact, the rule clearly states that you can run anywhere as soon as the bowler releases since he can’t run you out anymore once he releases. If you ask me, if the non-striker starts running once the bowler releases that in itself is an advantage for the non-striker because the batter hasn’t made an impact yet. And I don’t know how many balls come back to the bowler as the batter rarely plays defensively in T20s. Anyway, I loved the cold stare given by Adam Zampa that conveyed a strong message.
“In fact, David Hussey gave an interview during the second innings saying that they would have withdrawn the appeal even if the umpire had given it out. I don’t believe what he said. Because if you wanted to withdraw the appeal, you need not have taken that to the third umpire itself. You could have easily withdrawn the appeal even before it had gone to the third umpire,” Ashwin said in a video on his Youtube channel.
Regarding the decision, the Marylebone Cricket Club, which is an authority on the laws of cricket, wrote on Twitter: “The non-striker can be run out if he/she is out of his/her ground up until the moment the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball. That means when the arm gets to its highest point. The bowler is *not* entitled to go all the way around in the bowling action and then run the non-striker out.” Brett Lee was also quoted as saying by Fox Cricket that: “If he goes past where he’s meant to let go of the ball there … it’s deemed you can’t actually Mankad the batsman.”
