Weighing in on the divisive subject of running out a backing-up non-striker – controversially called ‘Mankading’ – Muttiah Muralitharan, the Sri Lankan great, has proposed a five-run penalty to be imposed on the batting team.

The issue was re-ignited recently, when Ricky Ponting, the head coach of the IPL side Delhi Capitals, warned R Ashwin against using the mode of dismissal. Ashwin, one of the foremost voices in support for the mode of dismissal, remained firm in his stance, even though the two publicly revealed that they had had an open conversation on the topic.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Muralitharan, who is Sunrisers Hyderabad’s spin-bowling consultant, echoed Ponting’s take on the issue, and suggested a run-penalty for the batting team, which he feels should be imposed after a warning.

“If the bowler should not have the unfair advantage of running out the batsman,” Muralitharan said, “the latter too should not have the unfair advantage of proceeding too ahead in the pitch in order to take a run.

“I believe warnings should be given. Rather than giving the batsman out, five penalty runs should be added to the erring team if an umpire feels that the non-striker or the bowler is taking unfair advantage.”

“I refuse to have someone in my side who does ‘Mankads’."https://t.co/WgoFIRA3sL

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 30, 2020

Last month, Ponting proposed a ten-run penalty from the team total for players who were caught “cheating”.

“So if a batsman is cheating and trying to pinch a couple of yards,” Ponting said, “then, honestly, we’ve got to try and find a way to stop the batsman cheating. We’ve had this conversation already, I don’t want to see anyone running two or three yards down the wicket. That basically is cheating.”