R Ashwin calls for parity between batsmen and bowlers, suggests disallowing run if non-striker backs up before ball release

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has suggested the use of technology to prevent the non-striker from backing up before the bowler delivers the ball. Ashwin’s comments come after the introduction of ICC’s new law that states technology will be used to monitor front-foot no-balls during the inaugural ICC World Cup Super League, which starts on 30 July with the England-Ireland ODIs. He went onto elaborate on the issue in a series of tweets he posted on Tuesday, saying that there was a ‘grave disparity’ between batsmen and bowlers. “Just hope that technology will see if a batsmen is backing up before the bowler bowls a ball and disallow the runs of that ball every time the batter does so!!Thus, parity will be restored as far as the front line is concerned,” he first tweeted.

Just hope that technology will see if a batsmen is backing up before the bowler bowls a ball and disallow the runs of that ball every time the batter does so!!Thus, parity will be restored as far as the front line is concerned. #noball #dontbackup

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) July 28, 2020

He followed it up with this: “Many of you will not be able to see the grave disparity here, so let me take some time out to clarify to the best of my abilities. If the non striker backs up 2 feet and manages to come back for a 2, he will put the same batsmen on strike for the next ball.”

Many of you will not be able to see the grave disaparity here, so let me take some time out to clarify to the best of my abilities. If the non striker backs up 2 feet and manages to come back for a 2, he will put the same batsmen on strike for the next ball.

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) July 28, 2020

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He then called for ‘restoring the balance’ amid a tough environment for the bowlers. “Putting the same batsmen on strike might cost me a 4 or a 6 from the next ball and eventually cost me 7 more runs instead of may be a 1 and a dot ball possibility at a different batsmen. The same will mean massively for a batter wanting to get off strike even in a test match.

Putting the same batsmen on strike might cost me a 4 or a 6 from the next ball and eventually cost me 7 more runs instead of may be a 1 and a dot ball possibility at a different batsmen. The same will mean massively for a batter wanting to get off strike even in a test match.

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) July 28, 2020

“It is time to restore the balance in what is an increasingly tough environement for the bowlers. #thefrontcrease #belongs to #bothparties @bhogleharsha we can use the same tech that we are proposing for a no ball check 120 balls in a T20 game,” he concluded in his tweets.

It is time to restore the balance in what is an increasingly tough environement for the bowlers. #thefrontcrease #belongs to #bothparties @bhogleharsha we can use the same tech that we are proposing for a no ball check 120 balls in a T 20 game.

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) July 28, 2020

Ashwin has been a vocal defender of running out the non-striker trying to back up before the ball is bowled, infamously known as ‘Mankading’. And during the 2019 IPL, while playing for Kings XI Punjab, he was in the headlines for ‘Mankading’ Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler, as he ran-out the England batsman, who had stepped out of the crease at the non-striker’s end. This had divided the cricketing fraternity, questioning the ‘spirit of cricket’. The no-ball technology, which will be implemented in both ODIs and T20s, was trailed during the India-West Indies limited-overs series in 2019, as well as the West Indies-Ireland series earlier this year.