"It's in the rules, so why not?"

Few topics elicit as much passionate debate in the cricket world as the Mankad.

Whether you're for it, or against it, not many people sit on the fence when it comes to the controversial mode of dismissal.

For the uninitiated, the Mankad occurs when the bowler runs out the batter at the non-striker's end because they have left their crease before the ball has been bowled. It is named after former Indian cricketer Vinoo Mankad, who ran out Australian batter Bill Brown at the non-striker's end during a Test match in 1947.

Mankad's actions drew instant criticism from the Australian media and the act has since been viewed as against the spirit of cricket.

This is despite the act of running out a bowler at the non-striker's end falling within the rules for more than a century.

Those rules have steadily been watered down in recent years, triggering an increase in the number of instances bowlers have attempted to utilise the tactic.

From October, the Mankad's place in the laws of cricket was shifted to fall under the run out, rather than unfair play, further legitimising the mode of dismissal.

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There have been a number of high profile examples in recent years, Jos Buttler falling victim to the ploy in the Indian Premier League in 2019.

More recently, England's Charlie Dean was dismissed by Indian bowler Deepti Sharma in a women's one-day international at Lord's.

Despite this, it remains a controversial topic among players and fans.

"It's outside the spirit of the game," Weston Creek Molonglo captain John Rogers said. "If you're not good enough to get them out by actually bowling, you don't deserve to get them out.

"Every now and then you'll cop a howler or get a lucky one. It all balances out, there's no need to try and push the envelope."

The rise in the Mankad at the elite level has triggered a similar growth in park cricket.

It's a situation that has officials across the country increasingly concerned. Given the fierce nature of the debate and the heated nature of grade cricket, there is genuine risk of the act sparking a physical confrontation.

A number of videos have already gone viral this summer, with one in particular sparking a war of words between the two teams.

While there is potential for controversy, ANU captain Nick Groenewegen is confident Canberra's cricketers will continue to play within the spirit of the game.

"It's happening more and more at all levels but with the personalities around Canberra cricket, I can't imagine it becoming something big here," Groenewegen said.

According to many ACT cricketers, the last known incidence of a Mankad in first grade occurred during a Twenty20 clash between ANU and Eastlake on January 5 2019.

It's a day Owen Chivers remembers vividly, having fallen victim to the mode of dismissal in the final over of the game.

With the scores tied, bowler Hayden Page whipped off the bails and Chivers was sent back to the pavilion for a duck without facing a ball.

Remarkably, it was the second time Chivers had been dismissed via Mankad in his cricketing career.

"I was surprised when it happened," Chivers said. "I had only ever been Mankadded once before and that was when I was 13 playing rep cricket in Crookwell.

"Hayden bowled a wide the next ball so it was probably a bit of justice there."

While the incident could have become a flashpoint, it quickly turned into a memorable moment. Chivers is known around the competition as the guy who fell victim to the Mankad.

His old teammates at ANU laugh about it, the Eastlake players often bring it up and even his new club Ginninderra like to remind him about the moment.

Views around the region are slowly starting to shift. Some now pin the blame on the batsman for leaving their crease rather than a bowler for committing an act within the rules of the game.

"I like the idea of warning a player before claiming a dismissal," Wests captain Scott Murn said. "Everyone is pretty aware now that you need to stay in your crease until the ball would have been delivered.

"Anyone who's been given a warning and still gets out Mankad had a chance to learn. In saying that, it's not something I'd want to do. I'd rather get guys out the conventional way."

Tuggeranong Valley skipper Craig Devoy takes that view even further.

Having come from an indoor cricket background, where the move is accepted, but comes with caveats for bowlers unsuccessfully attempting to utilise it, Devoy learnt long ago to remain in his crease before the ball had been bowled.

That should be no different when the game is played outside, he feels.

"Considering I play a lot of indoor cricket, I'm a massive advocate for it," Devoy said.

"It's in the rules and the game's fair as long as you play within the rules. The batter's clearly taking an advantage, why can't you use the rules to your advantage?"

As the public perception of the Mankad shifts, sympathy for batsmen is starting to wane.

Whereas it was never considered okay, many now feel a batter has little to complain about if they receive a warning earlier in the innings.

Already there is a view cricket is weighted too heavily to the batters and the Mankad allows that power balance to return slightly to the bowlers. This is particularly clear in Twenty20 cricket, where every ball and every run is crucial.

So much have things changed that even those who have fallen victim to the ploy now view it as a legitimate means of dismissal.

"My views over time have definitely changed," Chivers said. "I'm all for it now.

"If the batsman's out of the crease, run them out."

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