Despite his multiple transgressions, Warne showed remarkable readiness when it came to judging Ashwin for his run out of Buttler
Melbourne Stars' Shane Warne in a heated exchange with Melbourne Renegades' Marlon Samuels during a Big Bash League at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 6, 2013. Pic/Getty Images
No, we did not expect Shane Warne to support Kings XI Punjab's Ravichandran Ashwin's run out of Rajasthan Royals' Jos Buttler in the Indian Premier League in Jaipur on Monday night. After all, he is the ambassador of the Englishman's Indian Premier League franchise. But what was most stunning about Warne's swift utterances on the controversy was one about how the Indian off-spinner was going to be "remembered for that low act."
Look who's talking! Warne would not want his well-publicised antics in his international and IPL career to stand in the way of his high rating as a leg-spinner -- arguably the best spinner of all-time - so why would he want the Mankading incident to badly smudge Ashwin's sheet?
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In fact, another personality with a Warne-like transgressions record would think hard before judging another player; but Warne can't stop being Warne.
It's astounding that an Australian slams an action which is well within the rules of the game. After all, don't they state often that they've been brought up to play the game hard, but fair?
Let's look at sledging which they may not have pioneered but have indeed perfected. It is well known in cricket circles Down Under that when a player cops verbals the whole day, he is told that whatever happens on the field of play must stay there. In short, you expect the player on the receiving end to work up a memory fade after stumps are drawn and be matey for the rest of the evening. I presume this must be so damn hard.
Those who are taken in by Warne's preaching shouldn't forget that he was never a great advertisement for the noble side of the game. Has Ashwin ever been guilty of accepting money from a bookie to give out pitch and weather information? Or consumed a banned substance which resulted in a one-year ban, thereby missing a World Cup? Or fined for a Twitter spat with an administrator in the IPL? Or, for that matter, getting physical with an opponent in the Big Bash League? With a rap sheet this long, Warne sure has some temerity to get after someone else.
Warne crossed the line (like Buttler) in terms of criticism for Ashwin's action. In one of his tweets, he urged the BCCI not to "condone this sort of behaviour." Warne may have been a master when it came to choosing well from his repertoire of deliveries, but to use the word "behaviour" for someone who chose to play by the rulebook and leave aside the optional spirit of the game book is more than just misplaced.
Courtney Walsh's name cropped up in articles about the latest controversy – how the Jamaican warned Saleem Jaffar before running him out in a tight game against Pakistan during the 1987 World Cup. Walsh received universal praise despite West Indies losing the game. There are other examples of great sportsmanship too and while those great practitioners of nobility should be hailed, praised and never forgotten, those who feel that the spirit of the game need not be applied in a given situation (like Ashwin on Monday) should be spared the whip because they didn't do anything unlawful. They chose to play hard as per the match situation and there shouldn't be anything wrong with that. So, let's throw out all the ladders for those who want to take a moral high ground. Another astounding reaction came from Rajasthan Royals coach Paddy Upton. "I think R Ashwin's actions tonight speak for him and represent him. When I looked in the eyes of his teammates, I'm not sure it represented his teammates," Upton said. With due respect to Upton's abilities (which were vital in India's 2011 World Cup triumph when he was the MS Dhoni-led team's mental conditioning coach), when did the South African make it his business to look into the eyes of opposition players after a loss for his team?
Buttler was trying to gain an unfair advantage by stepping out of his crease. Why should Buttler, who has been run out in that fashion before, deserve any sympathy? Yes, in another age, the bowler would have warned the batsman, but that's a personal choice and there was a game to be won. Whenever there is a run out such as this, Vinoo Mankad appears on the scene. Ditto Bill Brown, who Mankad ran out on the 1947-48 tour of Australia. This is inevitable but it should be remembered that the duo served their country with distinction and the incident involving them is a mere page of history. Both have a great Lord's connection. The India v England 1952 Test there came to be known as Mankad's Test despite India losing. Brown, on the other hand, is the first Australian to score two hundreds at the spiritual home of cricket and no Australian has gone passed his tally there, including Don Bradman.
Ashwin is a strong enough character to put the latest row behind him and concentrate on Kings XI Punjab's quest for their maiden IPL title. He's more used to and better at foxing batsmen with his craft than nailing them for being out of their crease at the non-striker's end.
mid-day's group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
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