Charlie Dean, the England women’s cricket team allrounder, became one of the subjects of a controversy that ensued after her ‘Mankad‘ dismissal by India’s Deepti Sharma in the third ODI of the recently concluded series between the two countries. The 21-year-old Dean, who came out to bat at number nine, played an impressive knock of 47 runs from 80 deliveries when she was dismissed at the non-striker’s end. 

Although the dismissal was well within the laws of the game, as stated by the commentators, opinions have been divided regarding whether it was in the “spirit of the game”.

Who is Charlie Dean?

Born on December 22, 2000, at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England, Charlotte Ellen Dean is the daughter of Steven John Dean, a former English domestic cricketer. A right-handed batter and off-break bowler, Dean played for the Hampshire women’s county team in domestic cricket.

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Dean was influential in getting Hampshire promoted to Division 1 in 2017 when she scored 206 runs, averaging 29.42, and also bagging 13 wickets. She has also played for the Southern Vipers since 2017. In 2021, Dean joined The Hundred side, London Spirit, and ended up captaining them in 2022.

In 2021, Dean was selected for the English Women’s Twenty20 International side in a series against New Zealand. Despite her selection, the youngster could not play in the match because of a possible COVID contact. The very next month, she was selected for the ODI side and made her debut for the same on September 16, 2021. Dean also played for her country in the 2021-22 Women’s Ashes tournament. 

Also Read| Deepti Sharma’s ‘Mankad’ dismissal of Charlie Dean: All about the controversy

Dean’s debut in the T20 side finally came against Australia on January 20, 2022. However, the match was abandoned due to rain. Seven days later, Dean made her debut for the Test side in which she managed to dismiss Beth Mooney for her very first Test wicket. The Staffordshire native was a part of the England squad that lost the final of the 2022 Cricket World Cup to Australia.

Dean has played 19 ODI matches, scoring 172 runs and taking 32 wickets in the process.