WATCH: Dwayne Bravo stops to mankad Mohammad Hafeez, instead hugs and shares a laugh
A strange incident in the Caribbean Premier League game between Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots has grabbed eyeballs on social media.
In the final over of Guyana’s innings, Mohammad Hafeez was caught taking an early advantage at the non-striker’s end. Dwayne Bravo, the bowler for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, stopped in his tracks to turn around and glance at Hafeez.
While a run out at the non-striker’s end was the expected move, Bravo showed an act of sportsmanship, instead fist bumping Hafeez and sharing a hug and a laugh with the veteran Pakistan all-rounder.
Hafeez had indeed been backing up too far and was way out of his crease when Bravo stopped in his tracks to give a warning, but instead ended up sharing a lighter moment with the overseas star.
There was no mercy shown with the bat by Hafeez, though, once he got on strike, bashing Bravo for back-to-back boundaries off the fourth and fifth balls of the over.
Watch the Bravo Hafeez mankad incident here:
Definition of great sportsmanship
@DJBravo47 @MHafeez22 @sknpatriots @GYAmazonWarrior #GAWvSKNP #CPL21 #CricketPlayedLouder #BiggestPartyInSport pic.twitter.com/4XI4zBeGS0
— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 28, 2021
Guyana Amazon Warriors made 146/8 batting first with Hafeez, who walked in at No.6, unbeaten on 38 off 31 balls. 10 of those runs came after Bravo caught him backing up too far at the non-striker’s end.
WATCH: Pant casually shadow bats at non-striker’s end while Anderson bowls to the striker
Notably, in 2019, Hafeez had declined an opportunity to mankad Joe Root in an ODI, asking the non-striker to slide his bat in and stay grounded as a warning.
Bravo, on the other hand, was caught trying to steal more than a fair share of inches at the non-striker’s end for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL earlier in the 2021 season in April.
The bowler overstepping by a few inches is penalised, but a batsman backing up a few yards isn’t.
The bowler has every right to run out a batsman backing up so far. PERIOD.Calling it against the spirit of the game is a joke @ICC .#CSKvRR pic.twitter.com/vIHqbe6fWU
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) April 20, 2021
Luckily for Hafeez here, Bravo seems to be of the opinion that mankad is a dismissal mode that is against the spirit of the game.