In-form Australian makes mischievous statement, but Ravi Ashwin has last laugh in IPL clash
Warner's cheeky anti-Mankad manoeuvre
If Ravi Ashwin is perusing world cricket for his next high-profile 'Mankad' victim as malevolently as his detractors imagine he is, David Warner won't be it.
Last month’s contentious run-out of Jos Buttler at the bowler's end by Ashwin before he had let go of the ball reignited a fierce debate over the tactic's legitimacy.
And if Warner's reaction to the star spinner's first delivery during Sunrisers Hyderabad's Indian Premier League clash with Kings XI Punjab on Monday is anything to go by, batsmen remain on high alert for a repeat attempt.
In a not-so-subtle reference to the contentious Buttler incident, Warner made a deliberate lurch further back in his crease (which he'd never actually left) right as Ashwin was about to bowl.
The cheeky gesture drew laughter from the back of the commentary box and didn't go unnoticed on social media either.
Ashwin being treated as if he’s a headteacher of a school - look at Warner😃@aaliaaaliya @MazherArshad @mak_asif @iRashidLatif pic.twitter.com/pe81CfCJUb%E2%80%94 Kamran Ali (@Kam007_tweet) April 8, 2019
How Warner backs up at non-striker's end for Mujeeb (head down pitch) vs. how Warner backs up at non-striker's end for Ashwin (head craned back at bowler's hand). pic.twitter.com/diDmlCo6sI%E2%80%94 Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) April 8, 2019
Shane Warne led the outrage over last month’s controversy, labelling Ashwin's action "disgraceful" and a "low act", a view shared by many fans who believe attempting to run-out a non-striker before the ball is bowled is against the spirit of cricket.
But as Ashwin pointed out post-match: "It is there in the rules of the game. I don't know where the understanding of the spirit of the game comes from."
After initially backing Ashwin's action, the Marylebone Cricket Club, who make and update the Laws of Cricket, backflipped and overturned its own interpretation of the incident, ultimately deeming it not "within the spirit of the game".
Ashwin hasn’t attempted another Mankad since the controversy, but his record against Warner when the Australian is stationed at the striker’s end suggests there’s no real need to try.
The off-spinner has dismissed the opener nine times in Tests, the joint-most of any bowler along with England’s Jimmy Anderson.
Warner didn't fall under his spell on Monday, hitting Ashwin for a boundary and continuing his standout IPL form to post an unbeaten 70 from 62 balls.
Yet Ashwin (1-30 from four overs) had the last laugh, not only because Kings XI Punjab chased down Sunrisers' 4-150 with a ball to spare, but also because he ran out Mohammad Nabi at the bowler's end after nimbly parrying a powerful Warner drive.
The 32-year-old Warner has gone from strength to strength in the lucrative tournament as he prepares for an expected return from his year-long international cricket ban at the looming World Cup in England, dominating the IPL scoring list.
He has now amassed 349 runs from six matches - 86 runs more than second-best Jonny Bairstow, his opening partner at the fourth-placed Sunrisers.
Warner wasn't at his fluent best on Monday as he dug in following the early dismissal of fellow big-hitter Bairstow in the first over.
Kings XI's winning runs came from an uncharacteristic misfield from Warner, who slipped on the dewy surface at long-on.
- with AAP