'Mankad' dismissals no longer deemed unfair, saliva banned, as part of MCC law changes

'Mankad' dismissals will no longer be considered unfair play under a new set of laws announced by the MCC.

The 'Mankad' - where a bowler runs out the non-striking batter in their delivery stride if that batter is backing up - is now deemed a legitimate mode of dismissal.

Fraser Stewart, MCC Laws Manager, told the Times: "The bowler is always painted as the villain but it is a legitimate way to dismiss someone and it is the non-striker who is stealing the ground. It is legitimate, it is a run-out and therefore it should live in the run-out section of the laws."

In other changes announced on Tuesday, using saliva to shine the ball will be banned and considered tampering. The use of saliva was prohibited following the outbreak of Covid-19 and research by the sport's lawmakers found this "had little or no impact on the amount of swing the bowlers were getting", with players using sweat to polish the ball, which was equally effective.

The MCC said the new law, which will come into force from October, "also removes any grey areas of fielders eating sugary sweets to alter their saliva to apply to the ball," with its use treated the same way as "any other unfair methods of changing the condition of the ball".

Elsewhere, a new batter coming to the crease will face the next delivery regardless of whether the previous pair had crossed while the ball was in the air before being caught. This follows a trial used by the England and Wales Cricket Board during the Hundred.

The law around judging a wide has been amended, given batters are now moving laterally around the crease more before the ball is bowled.

There are several changes to the 'dead ball law', the most significant of which is if either side is disadvantaged by a person, such as a pitch invader, an animal or other object within the field of play which has a material impact on the game.

Stewart said: "Since the publication of the 2017 Code of the Laws of Cricket, the game has changed in numerous ways.

The second edition of that code, published in 2019, was mostly clarification and minor amendments, but the 2022 Code makes some rather bigger changes, from the way we talk about cricket to the way it's played.

"It is important that we announce these changes now as part of the club's global commitment to the game, giving officials from all over the world the chance to learn under the new code ahead of the laws coming into force in October."