Deepti Sharma and the spirit of cricket

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Deepti Sharma has reignited the debate about a bowler running out a non-striker for stepping out prior to the release of the ball. To many, this violates the spirit of the game with similarities drawn to cheating. At India’s final match against England, which they proceeded to win 3-0, Sharma’s dismissal of Charlie Dean divided crowds as many, such as James Anderson took to Twitter to voice their disapproval.

Many others such as Sunil Gavaskar have voiced their support and reiterated that Sharma’s move is within the rules of the game. While it has been argued that Dean did not intend to cheat, and moved ahead assuming the ball would be released, the rules clearly state that only when the ball has been delivered can the non-striker move ahead.

However, this is not the first instance of a player being dismissed for their carelessness. Bowler Ashwin was under the scanner for a similar dismissal of Jos Buttler in the IPL, where many felt that Ashwin had had no intention of bowling his ball. Similarly, John Emburey of England run outKrishnamachariSrikkanth when he accidently stepped out of his crease, and Muttiah Muralitharan was run out by Brendon McCullum as he stepped out of the crease to congratulate his teammate for a century.

Fakhar Zaman has also been at the receiving end when Quinton de Kock ran him out with a coordinated version of the same move. Ultimately, the rules are clear, and it is best for cricketers to be vigilant about not stepping out of the crease before the ball has been delivered, rather than count on the goodwill of the bowler to issue a warning.