Former Australia captain proposes law change to make non-striker run-out easy for bowlers

Runouts at the non-striker’s end are often debated about and frowned upon by the so-called purists of the game. The application of the law should never have been deemed ‘unsportsmanlike’ as it is a legitimate form of dismissal and also prevents the non-striker from hogging those extra yards. However, the popular belief, or as it used to be, is that it is not a “fair” mode of dismissal as it lacks a contest between bat and ball.

It is not poor sportsmanship to attempt a run out at the bowler’s end without giving the batter a heads-up. It should not be applauded by the crowd when a fielder appeals for a catch that he knows he has made since it is lawful.

“In the Guwahati game against Sri Lanka, I’d have preferred if the India captain, Rohit Sharma, had enforced, rather than rescinded, the run-out appeal against his opposite number Dasun Shanaka. As I said to Ravichandran Ashwin during India’s 2020-21 tour: “Keep mankading batsmen until they finally work out that what they are doing is illegal,” the former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell wrote in ESPNcricinfo.

Bowlers should be able to bring their arm over without releasing the ball: Ian Chappell

“Ashwin ran out Jos Buttler at the bowler’s end in a 2019 Indian T20 League game. His actions – which should have been applauded – were widely decried and even described as “contrary to the spirit of the game” by the MCC,” the former player asserted.

“If a batter backs up as he should – watching the bowler’s hand with his bat in the crease and only leaving when the ball is actually delivered – he won’t be run out. In the process he may also gain some information that will help when he is at the striker’s end later, facing that same bowler,” the 79-year-old added.

“Bowlers should be able to bring their arm over without releasing the ball and then break the stumps to effect a run-out. This was correctly allowed under the old law. If batters were run out under that law, they would quickly learn to back up legally,” the Unley-born cricketer concluded.