What is a Mankad in Cricket?

A Mankad is a reference to running out the non-striking batter during the bowler’s run up. It is lawful to do so, though relatively rare as many players consider it against the spirit of the game. Such incidents are often extremely controversial.

A Mankad is possible if the non-striking batter (the one at the same end as the bowler) begins walking forward during the bowler’s run up and passes their batting crease. They would do this to get a head start if the batters decide to attempt a run. Confusingly, this forward movement is usually referred to as “backing up”.

The rules of cricket specifically say the bowler is allowed to run out the batter in these circumstances as long as it happens between the point the ball is in play (when the bowler starts their runup) and the point the bowler would “normally have been expected to release the ball.”

(Until 2017, it was only allowable to run out a batter in this way before the bowler entered their delivery stride. This means when they were taking the final step before they released the ball.)

Many players believe it is unsporting to run out a batter in this way. Others argue that it should only be done if the bowler has spotted the batter repeatedly “backing up” and warned them that if they continue doing so, they will run them out. Neither of these beliefs have any force in the rules.

The Mankad gets its name from Vinoo Mankad, the first bowler to do such a runout in a test match. Some writers believe it is unfair to use this term as it associates his entire career with one controversial moment. They prefer to simply describe the nature of the runout, though this can be unwieldy. Other writers have suggested a compromise of describing such incidents as a “mankad” and only using “Mankad” to refer to the player.