Tabraiz Shamsi comes out in support of Ravichandran Ashwin for running out non-strikers for backing up

South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi has come out in support of Ravichandran Ashwin running out the non-striker trying to gain extra few yards. The incident once again sparked up the old debate about such dismissals. Ashwin, being one of the bigger supporters of this form of dismissal, was having a Twitter conversation with a fan, when Shamsi weighed in with his opinion. 

The incident started with former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar sharing one of his pieces where he had discussed some of the things which can be done to tweak the sport. Ashwin came ahead and put forth a suggestion around the run-out rule. This got a fan giving his viewpoint to Ashwin. 

Back in the 2019 IPL season, while captaining Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) against Rajasthan Royals, Ashwin decided to run-out Jos Buttler, who was batting well. This had happened at a crucial juncture of the match and Punjab managed to sneak in a win. After this, Ashwin faced a lot of criticism with people questioning the spirit of the game. 

Its actually the batsmen that are stealing yards: Shamsi

Coming back to the incident which got the attention of Tabraiz Shamsi, Ashwin posted a tweet saying that the mental trauma which a bowler can face after going for such a dismissal can be a reason why they avoid doing it. Shamsi replied to this tweet, saying that he believes every bowler should be doing this as this falls under the rules. 

He continued arguing that it is the batsman who should be questioned by running when he is not supposed to. “@ashwinravi99 I think all bowlers should do it without any fear.. its within the rules of the game. Why must the bowlers get abused about “spirit of cricket” when it’s actually the batsmen that are stealing yards and THAT is against the spirit of cricket That’s the real truth,” Shamsi tweeted.

This debate has been going on for quite some time. There have been ex-cricketers and players who have come out in support of bowlers who have decided to dismiss a batsman in this form. However, there is always a barrage of opinions around the spirit of the game.