The controversial “Run Out” by Senanayake of Butler is Cricket!

It is important to understand the implications of the ethics of the incident that took place at Birmingham, UK at the final One day international between England and Sri Lanka which Sri Lanka won and so with it the Series, on June 3,2014.

New rules have been introduced in ICC in 2011 with regard to batsman NOT being in the crease at the bowlers end when the bowler walks up/runs up to bowl. Anyone who plays cricket knows, how annoying it is if the batsman has left the crease when the bowler comes up to bowl. Technically then the batsman may as well have gone all the way to the batsman’s end!

We always leave the bat at the crease when the bowler bowls as a matter of habit and only move out of the crease once the bowler has crossed the line and bowled! So Sachithra Senanayake, who had already warned the batsman twice in this match AND at the previous game at Lords, was well within his remit to run out the batsman Butler, who was a yard or more out of the crease. It is a no brainer, and there should be NO controversy here. It is sour grapes of the British, Public or the Press to question the ethics or justification of such a behavior as it is not only within the rules of the game, but we did the decent thing in warning the batsman that we were going to take this action if he did not play ball!!!

The British as sore losers, may say it is NOT Cricket to do so, but I contend it is NOT Cricket for Butler NOT to heed the warning he was given, and so in the spirit of the game the right action was taken. SO it is Cricket to run him out. He is just being a silly boy, with youthful impertinence who HAD TO BE TAUGHT a lesson. He should know better that being out of the crease is just NOT CRICKET!

Ironically Sachithra the bowler is the one under scrutiny for possible illegal action and so had the last laugh at the incident socking it the critics that he was no push over. I admire his guts for so doing. This Butler fellow should know that Cricket has been played for over 100 years, and we always played by the spirit of the game, where you don’t try your luck too much being out of the crease, as it is both annoying for the bowler, but also gives unfair advantage, when compared with others who do not transgress.

It was time that someone tested this rule and I trust that batsman in future will NOT try their luck being out of the crease, knowing that if the bowler so feels can have him run out. Personally, I wholly disapprove of any batsman being out of the crease, at least not having the bat inside the crease, when the bowler is about to!