Dale Steyn slams Ravi Ashwin for 'Mankading' Jos Buttler
This is the first time a player has been Mankad in the IPL.
South Africa speedster Dale Steyn came down hard at Ravichandran Ashwin after the Kings XI Punjab skipper ran out Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler via ‘Mankad’ in the fourth match of this year’s IPL. Buttler was firing on all cylinders right from the time he came out to bat as Royal needed to chase down 185 to start their campaign on a winning note. The England star, who had scored five consecutive fifties in last IPL, started from where he had left off last year.
He looked at ease right from the start and reached his fifty in just 29 balls. With Buttler going strong, it looked like the Royals would cross the finishing line with utmost ease. However, the game turned on its head when Ashwin decided to send back Buttler in a controversial yet legitimate manner. On the fifth ball of the 13th over Buttler had left his crease at the non-striker’s end even before the off-spinner was in his delivery stride.
Sensing an opportunity, Ashwin dislodged the bails and straightaway appealed to the umpire. The officials also had no option, went upstairs and replays suggested he was clearly out of the crease and adjudge Buttler out. The wicketkeeper-batsman looked dejected and angry as he was seen hitting his bat on his pads while making his way out of the ground after scoring 69.
Ashwin, meanwhile, is facing the flak from the cricketing world. Not only the fans but some cricketers have also slammed him for his act and Steyn is one of them. The Proteas star took to Twitter to state that his conduct was not in the spirit of the game, writing: “He ain’t winning any spirit of cricket awards is old ashwin,” Steyn wrote.
‘Buttler no stranger to Mankad’:
While Buttler became the first batsman in the history of the IPL to be given out in this fashion, it was not the first time he fell victim to Mankading. In 2014, he was being given run out for stealing a yard at the non-striker’s end during the ODI against Sri Lanka.
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