'99 percent of players have nicked and not walked': Stuart Broad justifies not walking after slamming Deepti for run out
Stuart Broad took to his official Twitter account to post his justification for not walking after he slammed Deepti Sharma for running Charlotte Dean out.
India's Deepti Sharma drew worldwide attention on Saturday when she ran Charlotte Dean out at the non-striker's end during the third ODI against England at Lord's. The dismissal was the last of 10 wickets in the innings, as India won a thrilling game by 16 runs to seal a 3-0 series clean sweep. Dean, alongside Freya Davis, had forged a 35-run stand for the final wicket in the 170-run chase, but Deepti's brilliant game-awareness ensured an Indian victory at the iconic venue.
Naturally, the dismissal – informally and more commonly known as the ‘Mankad’ – drew mixed reactions. Despite being moved from ‘Unfair Play’ to ‘Run out’ section by the Marylebone Cricket Club and further legalized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), a host of English cricketers, former and active, criticised Deepti for the tactic. England's leading fast bowler Stuart Broad was one of them.
In an ICC tweet that referred to the dismissal as ‘run out’, Broad wrote, “A run out? Terrible way to finish the game.”
Furthermore, Broad also wrote, “I find the debate of the Mankad really interesting. So many views from either side. I personally wouldn’t like to win a match like that, also, very happy for others to feel differently.”
Following his tweet, a number of fans posted a video of Broad not walking despite nicking the ball during an Ashes Test in 2013. Despite an edge that was caught at first slip, Broad had refused to walk.
To this, Broad explained his reasoning. “I’d say 99% of players I’ve played with have nicked the ball & not walked. I’d say 1% of players I’ve played with would use the Mankad as a mode of dismissal. All The Best,” he wrote.
Broad's reply didn't go down quite well with the fans:
Earlier in the game, Deepti Sharma had also remained unbeaten on 68 that proved key to India reaching a respectable score at Lord's. With the ball, Renuka Singh led the bowling attack with four wickets while Jhulan Goswami, who played her last international match, took two. Rajeshwari Gayakwad also picked two wickets while Deepti had one dismissal to her name.