Darren Sammy weighs in on Mankading incident during West Indies vs Zimbabwe ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016

Darren Sammy took to twitter to express his opinion on the Mankading incident that caused a controversy during West Indies’ win over Zimbabwe in a do-or-die ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016. The incident occurred when, with 3 runs to win off the final over and 1 wicket remaining, West Indies bowler Keemo Paul ran out Richard Ngarava, the batsman at the non-strikers end. This sparked off immense controversy, with the cricketing fraternity divided starkly. While some cricketers such as England ODI captain Eoin Morgan derided the act as “disgraceful” others such as Tino Best were quick to stand by the decision. “Smart play WIU19 keep pounding boys,” he wrote on Twitter. READ: Mankading controversy: Time to put the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ debate to rest

Other cricketers too reacted to the Mankading in different ways. Tom Moody wrote on twitter, “Saddened to see that winning comes down to this! #WIvZIM #U19CWC.” On the other hand, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said, “1ball 6 to win, batsmen is a hero. Bowler with the presence of mind to do it and win a game for his team. Make him a hero I say.” Harsha Bhogle too was sympathetic with Zimbabwe but maintained that the rules are the rules. “Whether playing U19 cricket or a World Cup final, if outside the crease, intentional or otherwise, you are out. Have to know the rules.” READ: Did Mankading rob Zimbabwe an entry to ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016

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Sammy, who will lead West Indies in the ICC World T20 2016, said on Twitter that he believed that the non-striker backing up too far was cheating, but also said that on a personal level he would not Mankad a batsman out, but would still warn him.

Backing up to far to get an advantage is cheating.But personally I wouldn’t run the batsman out. I’d warn him though https://t.co/ZPLt00iaUP

— Darren Sammy (@darrensammy88) February 4, 2016

It should be noted that Mankading is an accepted form of dismissal according to the ‘Rules of the Game’ but some countries still deride as being against the ‘Spirit of Cricket.’