DHAKA: West Indies coach Dwain Gill on Friday defended a controversial run-out at the ICC U-19 World Cup which sparked a furore on social media, saying the “Mankad” was well within the rules.

Zimbabwe needed only three runs in the final over with one wicket in hand in Tuesday’s game in Chittagong when Keemo Paul ran Richard Ngarava out without entering his delivery stride, scuppering the African minnows’ hopes of a surprise place in the quarter-finals.

The umpires, who initially did not give the decision, asked the West Indies players if they wanted to uphold the appeal and after receiving confirmation, the matter was referred to the third umpire which confirmed that Ngarava’s bat was not behind the line.

Such a dismissal is popularly known as “Mankading” in cricket referring to Indian left-arm spinner Vinoo Mankad, who dismissed Australian batsman Bill Brown twice in such a fashion in 1947.

“I mean, a law is a law, right?” Gill told AFP when asked for a comment on the controversy ahead of his team’s quarter-final clash against Pakistan on Monday.

But Australian coach Darren Lehmann, England ODI captain Eoin Morgan and former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming led a chorus of outrage against the dismissal, labelling the West Indies’ actions “disgraceful “on Twitter.

“This is not a good look. absolutely disgraceful behaviour!!” Fleming posted on the microblogging site.

“Disgraceful behaviour in the U19CWC. WI’s should be embarrassed!!” Morgan tweeted.

But some former players and coaches defended the “Mankad”.

“If it is in the rule book it is all about personal decision making,”

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe told AFP on Friday.

The International Cricket Council refused to make any comment on dismissal but referred to a statement its cricket committee.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2016