He feels he did everything within the rules and he’s right: Ponting on ‘same page’ with Ashwin regarding ‘mankad'

He feels he did everything within the rules and he's right: Ponting on 'same page' with Ashwin regarding 'mankading'

R Ashwin presented a scenario which Ricky Ponting hasn't been able to look beyond and that it seems has managed to get the former Australia captain's attention regarding 'mankad.'

 
It seems Ravichandran Ashwin has managed to get Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting on the same page as him on the issue of 'mankad'. Ponting who had initially said that he wouldn't allow anyone in his team, which includes Ashwin, to use the 'mankad' mode of dismissal, it seems has mellowed his stance on the matter.

Ponting said that Ashwin spoke to him and the Australian found logic in the off spinner's thoughts.

"He (Ashwin) made me get on a podcast with him when I first arrived here to have a good open chat about it," Ponting told 'Cricket.com.au'.

"I think we're both on the same page. He feels he did everything in the rules and laws of the game and he's absolutely right," Ponting said.

Ashwin presented a scenario which Ponting hasn't been able to look beyond and that it seems has managed to get the former Australia captain's attention.

"He's saying, 'What if it's the last ball of the IPL, what if I'm bowling and the batting team needs two runs to win and the non-striker is charging halfway down the wicket?

What do you expect me to do'?

"There's an argument there as well, but as I said to him, I would expect that he would hold on to the ball and not Mankad and tell the batsman to stay in his crease next time and see if he's good enough to try and close the game out for us."

Ponting reiterated that batsmen backing up too far are actually cheating and this matter needs to be dealt with by those who govern the sport.

"It shouldn't get to that stage anyway, batsmen shouldn't be cheating. That's what batsmen are doing, batsmen are actually cheating by trying to steal a yard or two here or there. It's something that needs to be addressed.

"I think something has to happen with the laws of the game to make sure batsmen can't cheat and there certainly shouldn't be the ........ rule the way it is," he said.

He further suggested that a run penalty could act as a deterrent for batsmen to stop getting out of their crease.

"I think if you bring in some sort of run penalty for the batsman if they're deliberately leaving their crease and pinching ground that might be the way to go about it.

"I'm sure those discussions are happening at the moment because I don't think it's a good look on the game.

"I think something is going to have to change," Ponting signed off.