Jos Buttler run out: Ravichandran Ashwin heavily criticised for ‘disgraceful’ mankading in IPL

Ashwin was running in to bowl for Kings XI Punjab, but slowed down as he reached the wicked and instead turned to whip off the bails at the non-striker’s end

Ravichandran Ashwin has been heavily criticised after controversially running out Jos Buttler during an IPL game by ‘mankading’ the England international.

Ashwin was running in to bowl for Kings XI Punjab, but slowed down as he reached the wicked and instead turned to whip off the bails at the non-striker’s end where Buttler had stepped out of his crease.

Buttler, who plays for the Rajasthan Royals, had been cruising up until that point on 69 from 43 balls, but had no option to walk off the field. At the end of the game he shook Ashwin’s hand with no fuss.

The controversial act is named after Vinoo Mankad, who first tried it during India’s 1947-48 tour of Australia. He was vilified by the Australian media, although Don Bradman later defended him.

It is within the rules to run out an opponent Mankad-style, but it is considered very poor sportsmanship and against the spirit of the game unless they are making a serious and persistent attempt to cheat by shortening their run between the wickets.

Jos Buttler is controversially run out by Ravi Ashwin (Twitter)

Kings XI went on to win the match by 14 runs, with Buttler’s dismissal a key turning point with his England team-mates Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer among the seven Royals players who came in after Buttler and failed to reach double figures.

Archer led the criticism of Ashwin’s actions, tweeting: “You show no confidence in yourself or your bowlers to get the job done so you resort to that? #greatcaptaincy.” Archer later deleted the tweet.

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing!!” wrote England’s limited overs captain Eoin Morgan. ”@IPL Terrible example to set for young kids coming through. In time I think Ashwin will regret that.”

The former England Test captain Michael Vaughan defended Buttler, and suggested he should have been given fair warning before Ashwin took action.

Vaughan wrote: “If @josbuttler had been warned well that’s fine ... if he hasn’t and it’s the first time I think @ashwinravi99 is completely out of order ... watch how often this happens from now on !!!!!!!

“The more you see this the worse it looks .. @josbuttler is still in his crease as @ashwinravi99 is in his delivery position .. Warning or not this is very very Poor from the Skipper ... in time I think he will look back and regret this ..”

His former England team-mate Paul Collingwood added: “No deliberate attempt to steal some ground from @josbuttler If @ashwinravi99 didn’t stop, turn then take the bails off he wouldn’t have left his crease!! Disgraceful decision!!! Fair play award certainly isn’t going to Mohali [home of Kings XI Punjab].”

However, the popular Indian cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle said Ashwin stuck to the laws of the game.

“Lots of drama on the Buttler run-out,” Bhogle tweeted. ”He was livid but the law and the advisory on it is clear. The bowler is within his right to run a player out at the non-striker’s end if he is out of his crease.

“I am hearing a lot of talk about spirit of the game. This law specifically came in because, taking recourse to this very “spirit of the game” batsmen were running 6 inches less to complete a run.

“My final point on this. Ashwin ran Buttler out. It went to the 3rd umpire who is on the ICC Elite panel. He looked at the replays & said the non-striker was out. He is the custodian of the laws & playing conditions. So irrespective of what Ashwin did, it was the umpire’s decision.”

Shane Warne responded to Bhogle: “Harsha, if that had of been an international player you would have nailed him ! Please do not be bias & stick up for your own. Any player in the game that does that to anyone is an embarrassment to the game & as captain it’s even more disgraceful ! #spiritofthegame !”

It is not the first time Buttler has been run out in this way. In a one-day international against Sri Lanka in 2014 by off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake, and Sri Lanka went on to win the series-deciding game.