In a dramatic conclusion to the 3rd ODI at Lord's, India's Deepti Sharma ran out England's Charlotte Dean at the non-striker's end as Dean backed up too far before the ball was bowled. Dean was batting on 47 and England needed 17 more runs to win, making the dismissal a match-deciding moment. India won by 16 runs.
The dismissal, commonly known as a "Mankad" after Indian cricketer Vinoo Mankad who first employed it in 1947, divided the cricketing world. England players and fans were furious, with many calling it against the spirit of cricket. The MCC, custodians of the Laws of Cricket, had to issue a statement clarifying that the dismissal was entirely legitimate and within the laws.
Former cricketers lined up on both sides. Some, like Ricky Ponting and Stuart Broad, felt it was unsportsmanlike. Others, like R. Ashwin and many Indian fans, argued that the batter was cheating by gaining an unfair advantage and that the bowler was well within her rights. The ICC had already moved the Mankad dismissal from "unfair play" to the "run out" section of the laws, signalling their view that it was a legitimate form of dismissal.
The incident accelerated a broader conversation about non-striker backing up. Within months, the ICC formally codified the dismissal as a standard run-out, removing any ambiguity and effectively ending the "spirit of cricket" debate from a legal standpoint.