India claimed the final wicket of the series in dramatic and controversial fashion with a run out at the non-striker’s end, something England bowler Kate Cross insisted she would not do.
England had looked to be closing in on victory in the final one-day international of the series and summer at Lord’s when Deepti Sharma took the bails off.
The bowler had already entered her delivery stride when she went back to the stumps to run out Charlie Dean for the final wicket of the women’s international summer.
Dean had looked comfortable at the crease and hit a chanceless 47 at number nine as England looked to be closing in on an unlikely victory, before the run out with the hosts 17 runs short of their target of 170 having recovered from 53 for six.
It is a rare form of dismissal but has been used before, including by Indian bowlers Vinoo Mankad – after whom it has traditionally been known – and Ravichandran Ashwin.
There has previously been an unwritten convention to offer the batter a warning, though the relevant law was recently moved by the International Cricket Council from the ‘Unfair play’ section and filed instead under ‘Run out’ – but for Cross it is not a method of dismissal she would use.
“No I wouldn’t,” she said after the game.
“Ultimately it is Deepti’s choice how she goes about that.”
“What we did say in the dressing room is that we didn’t lose that game of cricket because of that last wicket. It was with a lot of the earlier partnerships that weren’t able to be extended.
“I actually don’t know the laws. I know they changed recently, but I don’t actually know what they changed from and to.
“I think it’s a dismissal that’s always going to divide opinion. That’s all that’s ever going to get said about it: some people are going to like it, some people aren’t.
“Deepti chose to dismiss Charlie Dean that way. I’m more disappointed for Charlie Dean that she couldn’t get a fifty at Lord’s today because she looked set to do that.
“If we’re looking at the real positives, then maybe that’s the only way they could have got Deano out today.”
Immediately after the third umpire upheld the decision Dean threw her bat to the ground in tears as boos rang out from the crowd at the manner of India’s victory, before going over to shake the hands of the opposition.
Dean’s reaction, at the age of just 21 and on the cusp of a maiden half-century at Lord’s, earned the praise of her team-mate.
(Getty Images)
“I think that’s professional sport. Everyone is human before they’re a cricketer, (or) whatever sport they play,” Cross said.
“The emotion is always what you get first, and it’s how you react to that. I thought Deano was absolutely brilliant – the way she went over and shook hands immediately. If you’re talking about the spirit of cricket, I thought that was just fantastic from Deano.”
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur insisted her side have committed no “crime” despite the controversial nature of the dismissal and the boos which rang out around the ground after Sharma’s action.
“Today whatever we have done I don’t think it was any crime, it is part of the game and it is an ICC rule and I think we just need to back our player,” Kaur said.
“I’m actually very happy she was aware of that, and the batter is taking too long a stride I think.
“I don’t think (Sharma) has done something wrong and we just need to back her.”