India’s Punam Raut has joined an exclusive club of batters to walk during an international cricket match in the women’s Test against Australia on the Gold Coast.
Raut had made a patient 36 off 165 deliveries in India’s first innings at Metricon Stadium when a delivery from spinner Sophie Molineux flashed past her outside edge and into the gloves of Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy.
Despite a half-hearted appeal and umpire Phillip Gillespie shaking his head and saying “not out”, Raut turned on her heel and walked off.
Her sporting action was greeted with a standing ovation from her teammates as she crossed the boundary rope.
“Firstly, we were like ‘oh, why did you do that?’” century-maker Smriti Mandhana said after play.
“But then of course, yeah it’s something that we all respect a lot.
“I think she’s earned a lot of respect from all the teammates that she actually walked and I don’t know how many people would actually do that in cricket at the moment, men’s or women.”
Raut’s action also earned praise from ex-Australian captain Lisa Sthalekar in commentary for the Seven Network.
“Talk about spirit of cricket,” Sthalekar said.
“You don’t get an opportunity to play Test cricket very often and Punam Raut says, ‘I’m going because I know I hit it’.
“Extraordinary scenes out here.”
Walking remains rare in international cricket, with Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry saying the hosts were surprised by Raut’s decision.
“That’s very much at her discretion whether or not she wanted to walk,” Perry said.
“She did, so I suppose from our point of view, it was just acknowledging that but beside that there wasn’t
too much conversation about it.”
Former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was famous for walking throughout his career but was very much in the minority with that policy.
Given this week’s Test is a rare opportunity to play the longest form of the game in women’s cricket, with India and Australia playing a Test against each other for the first time in 15 years, Raut’s decision appears even more laudable.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Some top umpires that I knew would suggest that player-management was actually more important than a knowledge of rarely-needed Laws and Playing Conditions ! Especially given that usually it was sufficient for just one (not both) to know the PCs, and even then the third and fourth umpires were on the two-way radio if there was a query. Some umpires/ex-players eg Dickie Bird were great player-managers and hugely-respected on the field, but actually made lots of errors and hated replays and referrals when first introduced.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
I think Walter Hammond was much of the same ilk.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
It doesn’t you know Rosie. I have long since been in the unobtrusive groove as an umpire that if a batsman nicks it, I wait and see if he walks. If he doesn’t walk then I just nod and start towards the fielding side and holding up my hand for the ball. If he still doesn’t walk then I raise the index finger to about waist height, and if he still doesn’t get the obvious message, I raise it the full height. This works well for the rare situations when I miss a very faint nick that can’t be heard from the distance I am standing away. If the batsman walks, then nobody on the fielding side has noticed that I missed it and I simply do the step of heading towards the fielding side to hold my hand up asking for the ball.
Micko
Roar Rookie
The convention that baffles me is the bowlers' reluctance to mankad at the first opportunity. The batsman deserve no warning!
Kim Hughes 1980
Roar Rookie
No. If you know you are out and are given not out, then you do the right thing if you are honest. Sure everyone has the decision to make. The issue is do people make the right decision?
Ian
Roar Rookie
That was the quickest way to climb the QCA ladder back then.Give everything not out.As was explained to me by an ex First Class umpire, if you give everything not out, you are at least consistent and that’s all anyone asks. I found that pathetic and wasn’t surprised that we, the umpires, were generally held in total contempt by far too many of the clubs.
Tony
Roar Guru
:laughing:
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
A criticism by some one-eyed captains is that umpires refuse to make a decision, just giving not outs. Overlooking of course that not out is in fact a decision. And that an umpire only needs to make a decision, when a player makes an error.
Ian
Roar Rookie
Sadly in my experience, some umpires are really stupid.One of my first games umpiring in the QCA, I was allocated a 4th grade game with an old guy who'd been umpiring for 20+ seasons.He proudly announced to me that he hadn't given a batsman ( Sorry Batter!!!! ) out LBW for the last 5 seasons as he hated to spoil their day.When I asked about him spoiling the bowlers day, he cracked the wotsits and didn't speak to me for the rest of the game! I found out that that was the attitude of far too many of the umpires back then.Keep a low profile and whatever you do, never give either captain out.
Paul
Roar Guru
Thanks for reminding me!!!! :crying: The same bloke had done something like that earlier in the season. He gave me out lbw, when the ball pitched a couple of feet outside leg stump. I still get steamed when I think about it
Ian
Roar Rookie
Gilchrist has always really annoyed me with his holier than thou attitude.Ok, he played the high moral card when he was batting but it didn't stop him appealing like a banshee when he was keeping, even when it was clear the batsman wasn't out. The game would be far better off if everyone just respected the umpires decision.Once the finger goes up, get off the ground asap. Colin Cowdrey was the worst offender in that regard.He was renowned as a walker but if it was a feather or a doubtful one, he'd would wait and the umpires would invariably give him the benefit of the doubt.It used to drive the opposition mad.
Paul
Roar Guru
Completely agree but there are plenty who are happy to take the win at any cost. I think there’s aword for them which starts with an “f” and ends with “wit”
Ian
Roar Rookie
'Lovely guy, just too old and a poor decision maker' Thanks mate,if I'd known you felt that way I'd have fired you out LBW first ball!
Oliver
Roar Rookie
Lol in my dreams :laughing:
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
The one I really hated was when the ball was seaming a lot and you played the best defensive play possible with bat close to, but behind, the pad just outside the line of off stump and the ball goes past the bat but you've kept it away from the line of the moving ball, but there's a sound of bat touching pad, and you're given out caught behind. But for those that you actually play and miss - my take is that there isn't much difference in intent and execution between a hit and miss and getting an edge. It should even out over time, even though it usually doesn't in the course of a game. So not walking seems defensible from that point of view.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Nice one, except it would be turning yourself in, even though you've been framed by the sheriff a few times previously!
JGK
Roar Guru
Yes, those sort of things.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Does it go into things like conventions such as not running an overthrow if the ball hits the batsperson and ricochets, as happened the other day in IPL with Ashwin, causing controversy? I saw on Twitter that criticism of Ashwin was greeted with knee-jerk defensiveness by Indian fans, and even people like Dizzy Gillespie were saying anything within the rules is fair. To me, it's good to have conventions that you don't legislate for as well as enforceable laws - like don't queue-jump - but that seems to be going the way of the dodo. Not walking however is a different kettle of fish, or at least a grey area.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
If you hadn't given it out and were sure it wasn't out you should have stopped the batsman leaving.
JGK
Roar Guru
One of my favourite books ever is "Cricket and the Law" written by a US law lecturer - David Fraser - in the 90s when he was doing a few year lecturing at Sydney Uni. I discovered at the old UTS Library in Lindfield when I was on uni stu vac in the early 90s and pretty much read it all in a week when I should have been studying for actual law exams. https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/cricket-and-the-law-by-david-fraser-and-david-fraser-9780714682853