IPL 2020 | Need to address the tendency of batsmen to cheat, states Ricky Ponting

Not so long ago, just weeks prior to the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, both Ricky Ponting and Ravichandran Ashwin were all over on the news, owing to their condescending stance on ‘Mankading.’ However, the duo cleared the air on the issue in a video posted by Ashwin on his YouTube channel, where both came to an amicable solution and agreed to the fact that the non-striker under no circumstances should be leaving the crease before the ball is bowled.

In an interview with cricket.com.au, in the aftermath of his chat with Ashwin, Ponting once again reiterated his stance and admitted that batsmen 'cheating' is an issue that needs to be addressed by the ICC.

"It shouldn't get to that stage anyway, batsmen shouldn't be cheating. That's what batsmen are doing, batsmen are actually cheating by trying to steal a yard or two here or there. It's something that needs to be addressed," Ponting told cricket.com.au. 

"I think something has to happen with the laws of the game to make sure batsmen can't cheat and there certainly shouldn't be the ........ rule the way it is. I think if you bring in some sort of run penalty for the batsman if they're deliberately leaving their crease and pinching ground that might be the way to go about it," the Delhi Capitals Head Coach said.

The former Australian skipper also revealed that both him and Ashwin are on the same page when it comes to the issue, with both respecting the rulebook. However, Ponting admitted that he told Ashwin not to mankad the non-striker even if it's the last ball in the IPL final and just, instead, let the batsman go with a warning.

"I think we're (Ashwin and me) both on the same page. He feels he did everything in the rules and laws of the game and he's absolutely right," Ponting said.

"There's an argument there as well, but as I said to him, I would expect that he would hold on to the ball and not Mankad and tell the batsman to stay in his crease next time and see if he's good enough to try and close the game out for us."