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English all-rounder Charlie Dean responded brilliantly to India’s controversial ‘Mankad’ firing, which caused her to burst into tears.
On Saturday, with England taking 17 to win the third and final one-day international series against India, away bowler Deepti Sharma ran the 21-year-old off the no-striker end to win the series 3-0 at Lord’s in controversial circumstances.
But Dean, left in tears by the incident, has responded in good spirits – refusing ‘Mankad’ Northern Diamonds lead-off hitter Linsey Smith while representing Southern Vipers in the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy Final, also at Lord’s, on Sunday.
English all-rounder Charlie Dean (right) reacted brilliantly to India’s controversial ‘Mankad’ firing on Sunday, which had left her in tears at Lord’s the day before
Dean (left), stopped in her run but didn’t do ‘Mankad’, but sporty warned the batter
Video footage released on Twitter shows the 21-year-old, who is bowling for Lauren Winfield-Hill, stops at the end of her run and, by surprise, catches Smith, who was forced to quickly tuck her leg back into her fold.
However, unlike Sharma, Dean had no intention of trying to run out of her opponent, but instead took the opportunity to warn the batter against running too far down the wicket.
In the clip, posted by Sky commentator Charles Dagnall with the caption: “Charlie Dean today. This has brought a smile to the face,” Dean smiles as she walks away, pointing at Smith in a nice display of sportsmanship.
While a legal dismissal and completely within the rules, some believe it runs counter to the spirit of the game, with host Piers Morgan leading the online outcry after Saturday’s game.
Indian bowler Deepti Sharma (right) controversially outran Charlie Dean at the end of the non-striker in Saturday’s third ODI, with India winning the series 3-0 due to the wicket
Piers Morgan Led Social Media Criticism To India’s ‘Mankad’ Sealing Victory
He said, ‘Absolutely pathetic way to ‘win’ a cricket match. The whole Indian team should be ashamed of themselves.’
Fans quickly took to social media to praise Dean for her classy response, with one saying, “Great response from Charlie Dean. It is certainly a matter of division, but healthier to respond with humor than excessive indignation and blame.’
Another added: ‘Fair play to her!’, with a third posting: ‘For all the talk yesterday. The right response” with a smiling emoji. One simply said, “Dean is a legend,” while a fifth simply tweeted, “Outstanding.”
An account that appeared to belong to an India fan concluded: ‘This is the spirit of cricket’, featuring a fire emoji.
Fans quickly took to social media to praise Dean for responding to the incident in good spirits
England had struggled in their 170 chase to win the third ODI but were rebuilding well with a 10th-wicket partnership of 35 between Dean and Freya Davies.
With the duo doing well and 39 balls remaining, it looked like England could recover and take an impressive win over an Indian side that had already won the series.
But with Davies on strike, Sharma rushed in like she wanted to bowl before stopping on her run to controversially chase Dean away. The action resulted in booing on the ground and Dean was left in tears as India celebrated.
Several cricket stars expressed their views on the matter, including England bowler Stuart Broad, who tweeted: ‘I personally wouldn’t want to win a match like that.’
Dean was left in tears and had to be comforted by teammate Freya Davies (right) on the pitch
Dean was finally all smiles again and was comforted again by head coach Lisa Keightley
His opinion was shared by wicketkeeper Sam Billings, who wrote: ‘There is certainly no person who has played the game who thinks this is acceptable. Just no cricket.’
Billings then posted a still image of the controversial moment, with the caption: “Not even looking the other way in delivery step.”
England’s leading wicket taker in Test cricket James Anderson replied to Billings’ first comment: ‘Spot on. Not going to bowl the ball.’
However, Alex Hales, who was recently recalled to the England squad after a three-year hiatus, said: “It shouldn’t be difficult for the non-striker to stay in their fold until the ball has left the hand.”
England wicketkeeper Sam Billings claimed it wasn’t true, saying it was ‘just not cricket’
His England teammates Jimmy Anderson and Alex Hales responded to Billings’ social media post
Sharma’s teammate Harmanpreet Kaur said in a post-match interview: “It’s part of the game. We haven’t done anything new.
“It’s part of the ICC rules and it just shows your awareness. I will support my players and in the end a win is a win.”
There was seemingly no warning from Sharma or the referee that Dean left the crease early. Images also show Dean in her stride until moments before bail was removed, seemingly not in an attempt to gain an advantage.
The laws recently changed to state the bowler was required to be in the lead-up to perform a non-striker before the ball was thrown, following several controversial incidents.