The mega pre-tournament press conference has certainly given the feel of the T20 World Cup 2022, starting in Australia on Saturday. Captains of all the 16 participant nations gathered at one stage and answered the questions asked by journalists from all across the world.
The presser was divided into a couple of slots. Skippers from England, Australia, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Namibia, Sri Lanka, UAE, and the Netherlands took the stage in the first batch. But there was an awkward silence in the arena when a journalist asked the captains – if they will run a non-striker out before the ball is bowled.
Each of the 8 captains was asked to raise their hands if they were willing to answer the question. Surprisingly, no one did.
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— Guess Karo (@KuchNahiUkhada) October 15, 2022
The rule of running a batter out at the non-striker’s end is often considered against the spirit of the game. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has termed it legal in the newly-introduced set of rules.
The dismissal hogged the limelight during the third and the final women’s ODI between India and England at Lords when Deepti Sharma used it to remove Charlie Dean. The hosts needed 17 runs to win with just one wicket in hand but the dismissal resulted in England’s loss and India clinched the series 3-0. Following the incident, a number of England men’s players declared they won’t attempt the dismissal. However, to the letter of the law, the ICC said England in this instance would be effectively conferring a competitive advantage on the opposition.
What ICC says about this act?
Running a batter out at the non-striker has now been moved from the ‘Unfair Play’ section to the ‘Run out’ section. Whether it be a case of a non-striker backing up too far, or simply being out of their ground, the adjudication of the dismissal is effectively the same as a stumping would be at the other end.
The showpiece event begins on Saturday with Round 1 in which 8 teams will compete to make it to the Super 12 round. Reigning Asian champions Sri Lanka will take on Namibia while the UAE will lock horns with the Netherlands.
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