Mankad could well be the villain of a James Bond script. The man in question wasn't. He was an Indian bowler who became entrenched in cricket history for performing a perfectly legal deed in a Test match 65 years ago.
Vinoo Mankad's act - running out Australian batsman Bill Brown after he backed up too far at the non-striker's end during a 1947 Test - created one of the biggest taboo subjects in the game. Only the spectre of match-fixing is treated by cricket followers with more disdain.
Another Indian, Ravi Ashwin, discovered just how much of a touchy subject the Mankad is when he tried to replicate the deed by running out Lahiru Thirimanne in the one-day clash at the Gabba last Tuesday.
But why is the Mankad so despised? After all, if it is within the laws of cricket to dismiss a batsman for being out of his crease what is the problem? And clause 42.15 states, the "bowler is permitted, before entering his delivery stride, to attempt to run out the non-striker".
There is no mention of warnings. No suggestion a player would be scorned if he/she did so.
However, the Mankad strikes at the sense of decency in cricket, the so-called "spirit of the game" officials like to talk about to make fans feel all warm and fuzzy and believe the contest is above board.
No-one can use the word cheating. Yet there is a sense that both parties involved in a Mankad aren't following the official line.
Firstly, the batsman is seen to be stealing valuable metres by getting a cheeky jump on the bowler who is too busy concentrating on where he is going to pitch the ball.
And, unless the batsman is half-way down the pitch, the bowler is viewed as being sneaky by removing the bails on a player simply following the flow of the delivery and leaving his ground.
There is another element to last Tuesday's Mankad appeal, which was later withdrawn by the Indians. It was another gesture with the spirit of the game in mind. India also recalled England's Ian Bell in a Test last year when he was run out after walking from his crease in the mistaken belief tea had been called.
A Mankad in a one-day cricket isn't the same as one in a Test match. International ODI conditions do allow for a bowler to run out the non-striker before releasing the ball. He/she has to do it before entering delivery stride in other competitions.
So the controversy remains. After all, the Mankad has only been performed seven times in international cricket, the most recent almost 20 years ago. Such is the black mark against the feat.
But if a batsman leaves his ground before he should then a bowler should be confident his/her rival is fair game.
No questions asked.
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