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Ashwin wants technological intervention for non-strikers backing up

by Wisden Staff 2 minute read

R Ashwin, in a series of tweets, has called for technological intervention to track non-strikers backing up before a ball is bowled.

After ICC’s decision to monitor all front-foot no-balls through TV umpires in the upcoming Cricket World Cup Super League, Ashwin wants the same technology to be used to track non-strikers backing up as well.

Ashwin, who Mankaded Jos Buttler during IPL 2019, asked for runs to be disallowed for the deliveries on which a non-striker is caught leaving his crease before the ball is bowled.

“Just hope that technology will see if a batsmen [sic] is backing up before the bowler bowls a ball and disallow the runs of that ball every time the batter does so!!” Ashwin wrote on Twitter. “Thus, parity will be restored as far as the front line is concerned.”

The India off-spinner explained the thought process behind his suggestion, saying “it is time to restore the balance in what is an increasingly tough environement [sic] for the bowlers” and that the umpires can “use the same tech that we are proposing for a no-ball check”.

“Many of you will not be able to see the grave disparity [sic] here,” he continued, “so let me take some time out to clarify to the best of my abilities. If the non striker backs up 2 feet and manages to come back for a 2, he will put the same batsmen on strike for the next ball.

“Putting the same batsmen on strike might cost me a 4 or a 6 from the next ball and eventually cost me 7 more runs instead of may be a 1 and a dot ball possibility at a different batsmen [sic]. The same will mean massively for a batter wanting to get off strike even in a test match.”

Ashwin’s dismissal of Buttler at the non-striker’s end caused a huge uproar and reignited the debate over the mode of dismissal, but the off-spinner has stood firmly by his decision, asking the authorities to bring in stricter rules to stop the non-strikers from leaving the crease early.

The new front-foot no-ball regulation will be used in both the limited-overs formats and will debut in the ICC World Cup Super League, which starts with the three-ODI series between England and Ireland on July 30.

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