Sachin Tendulkar welcomes move to remove run-out at non-striker's end from unfair play laws
New Delhi, Mar 9: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday hailed the Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) decision to remove run-out at non-striker's end from unfair play laws even as veteran England pacer Stuart Broad termed the move as "unfair".
Custodian of cricket laws, the MCC has decided to move the law relating to run-outs at non-striker's end from its "unfair play" section.
It relates to run-outs at non-striker's end when batters back up too far and have often triggered heated debates on spirit of the game.
Several players like India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have advocated for it as a fair mode of dismissal.
Tendulkar said he was always averse to the term used for this dismissal as "Mankaded".
"New rules have been introduced in cricket by MCC committee and I am quite supportive of couple of them. The first one being Mankading dismissal. I was always uncomfortable with that particular dismissal being called Mankaded," Tendulkar said in a video message.
"I am really happy that it's been changed to run out. It always should have been run out according to me. So this is one good news for all of us. I was not comfortable with it all, but that won't be the case anymore."
However, Broad termed as "unfair" the MCC's decision to legitimise 'Mankading', a run out dismissal at the non-striker's end, saying it requires "zero skill".
"So the Mankad is no longer unfair & is now a legitimate dismissal. Hasn't it always been a legitimate dismissal & whether it is unfair is subjective? I think it is unfair & wouldn't consider it, as IMO, dismissing a batter is about skill & the Mankad requires zero skill," Broad tweeted.
The other change in cricket rules which Tendulkar liked was related to a new batter taking the strike in case of a catch dismissal.
"And the second one where the batter is dismissed, being caught, the new batter has to come and face the ball. The new batter takes the strike.
"It's absolutely fair because if a bowler has been successful in picking a wicket it's only fair that a bowler gets a chance to bowl to a new batter. This new rule is a good one and well done on that," he said.
Beside, the MCC also said that using saliva to shine the ball would be treated as an unfair practice.
Saliva application was barred by the ICC in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and MCC said its research found that applying saliva had no impact on the ball's movement.
The amendments will not come into force until October.
Cricket is a beautiful sport. It allows us to challenge existing norms and help refine laws of the game. Some of the changes introduced by MCC are praiseworthy.#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/bet0pakGQM
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 9, 2022
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
