‘Similar To Undertaker’s Stare In WWE’ – Indian veteran spinner on Adam Zampa’s non-striker runout in BBL 2022-23

In a recent Big Bash League (BBL) game, Adam Zampa garnered media attention when he attempted to run out a hitter from the non-striker’s end. The captain of the Melbourne Stars attempted to run out Tom Rogers of the Melbourne Renegades as he was backing up too far

After reconsidering his judgment, the third umpire determined that Zampa’s arm had “gone past the vertical” 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 Apex Cricket Council rules for such a dismissal.

Now that Adam Zampa and Ravichandran Ashwin both play for the Rajasthan franchise in the Indian T20 League, the latter has expressed his opinion on the incident.

David Hussey gave an interview during the second innings saying that they would have withdrawn the appeal: Ravichandran Ashwin 

“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 about this whole incident is the stare given by Adam Zampa after running out the non-striker,” he stated.

“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,” he added.

“But as you can see, the non-striker had already begun sprinting as he prepared to bowl. In reality, the rule is crystal clear: once the bowler releases, you are free to run anywhere as he is no longer able to run you out. If the non-striker begins to run after the bowler releases, in my opinion, that is a benefit for the non-striker because the batter has not yet had an impact.

Additionally, I’m not sure how frequently balls are returned to the bowler because, in T20s, batters hardly ever play defense. Anyhow, I adored Adam Zampa‘s icy gaze, which sent a powerful 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“In fact, David Hussey gave an interview during the second innings saying that they would have withdrawn the appeal even if the umpire had given it out.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 You could have easily withdrawn the appeal even before it had gone to the third umpire,” Ashwin said in a video on his Youtube channel.