How Mankading got its name from Indian cricketer Vinoo Mankad

Vinoo Mankad, a former player for India, was named into the ICC Hall of Fame in June 2021. Mankad was one of the ten inductees who were chosen by the ICC in a special edition intake to commemorate the illustrious past of Test cricket and to line up with the first World Test Championship final.

Since his debut in 1946, Mankad appeared in 44 Test matches for India. His most illustrious performance was against England in 1952, when he scored 72 and 184 while bowling 97 overs in a single game.

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Vinoo Mankad is also known for Mankading, which is the practise of backing up and running out the non-striking batter. Mankading, or when a bowler runs out a non-striking batter if they leave their crease before the ball is launched, has replaced the word Mankad as the most common kind of run-out.

Let’s examine the circumstances surrounding the naming of Mankading after Vinoo Mankad.

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What is Mankading?

When a non-striking batter leaves the crease before the ball is released by an in-action bowler, the bowler can mankad him out. Although it is legal under cricket’s rules for bowlers to run out a batsman in this way, many fans and experts feel that it goes against the spirit of the sport.

The first instance of mankading was witnessed in an 1850 game between Eton and Harrow. Opinions on a number of recent Mankading occurrences have been mixed, mostly in favour of the batting team.

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How Mankading got its name from Mankad?   

Mankad executed two run-outs in a similar manner on two separate occasions while on the 1947–1948 tour of Australia. During a match between India and Australia XI, Mankad first run-out batsman Bill Brown while the latter was backing up. For backing up during the second Test match in Sydney, Mankad once more ran out the same batsman.

Despite it being deemed against the spirit of the game, Mankad’s move to run out Brown again in a similar manner received harsh criticism from the Australian press. The run-outs were referred to as Mankading in the Australian media. Since the occurrence, the run-out technique has gained the moniker Mankading throughout the entire world.