"It’s the batter who gains an unfair advantage and you are blaming the bowler?" - Murali Kartik welcomes 'Mankading' rule change 

Former Indian spinner Murali Kartik has welcomed the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)'s revisions to run out laws. Run outs at the non-striker's end before delivering the ball will now no longer be deemed 'unfair play' as the dismissal has been moved to Law 38 from Law 41.

In his conversation with PTI, Kartik mentioned how many would blame the bowler for 'Mankading'. However, he feels it was the batter who gained an unfair advantage by backing up at the non-striker's end before the ball was bowled.

Kartik, who has run the batter out in such fashion on five occasions, revealed that he had always felt that it was the right thing to do. He said

“There is spirit of cricket. But what I have always argued is that this is not ‘spirit of cricket’. That people who are actually flouting it were the ones hiding behind the garb of ‘spirit of cricket’. It was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black. It’s the batter who gains an unfair advantage and you are blaming the bowler and calling him wrong?"

He added:

“That is what my fight has been. I have always told people I would have ran all 11 out if allowed, I have done it five times. Never ever have I felt any lack of support because I have always believed it is right and just because nobody else is believing it, does not mean that it is not right."

“Finally, the bowlers are being empowered in a big way" - Murali Kartik

Murali Kartik believes the enforcement of the rule will affect the mindset of the batters at the non-striker's end before the delivery is bowled. Kartik pointed out how teams have improved their over-rate ever since the penalty of having a one less fielder outside the 30-yard circle was introduced in T20 cricket.

He feels a similar change will be observed in the mindset of the batters, with the stigma surrounding 'Mankads' now removed. Murali Kartik said:

“It should change the mindset of batters. I will give you a simple example. Look at T20 cricket, just recently the penalty of one less fielder outside the 30-yard circle has been introduced by the ICC in case the last over of an innings doesn’t start in stipulated time."

“Look at over rates, teams are finishing overs in time since there is a penalty. It’s an enforcement and it’s like on certain roads, it’s 60 kmph and if you drive at 80 kmph, the cops will haul will you up. It was always legal but now it has to be enforced properly."

Murali Kartik opined that the move would now empower the bowlers. He believes only a handful of bowlers who would try to run the non-striker out in this manner and added:

"Finally, the bowlers are being empowered in a big way…only a few people had the conviction to believe in what they were doing as most were always scared of the wrath they will incur and fury it might cause. Others have always been shy of doing it.”

Meanwhile, MCC's new code of Laws for 2022 will come into effect from October 1. Other changes also include a ban on the use of saliva on the ball.