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Ellyse Perry's brutal response after 'shameful' act angers cricket world

Ellyse Perry and Deepti Sharma, pictured here on the cricket field.
Ellyse Perry has criticised Deepti Sharma over a controversial dismissal that has angered the cricket world. Image: Getty

Ellyse Perry has criticised the actions of Indian bowler Deepti Sharma after her controversial 'Mankad' against England sparked uproar around the cricket world.

Sharma sparked controversy on Saturday when she ran out Charlie Dean at the non-striker's end for the final wicket of India's ODI win over England.

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England were eyeing a stunning comeback victory in the third ODI at Lord's, needing 17 runs off the final 39 balls with just one wicket in hand.

But Sharma flipped the match on its head when she dismissed Dean at the non-striker's end before bowling the ball - a dismissal commonly known as a 'Mankad' and highly controversial around the world.

While the ICC has recently moved to legitimise the dismissal after years of controversy and confusion over its place in the game, the response to Sharma's actions proved the 'Mankad' is still highly despised.

On Thursday, Aussie star Perry became the latest high-profile name to hit out at Sharma's actions.

In an appearance on The Grade Cricketer podcast, Perry described the dismissal as "the biggest flop of a wicket" but jokingly added: “I think the overall gist is no good, don’t do it, but if you’re going to do it, do it to England."

Perry said: "I don’t like it at all. It just didn’t feel right."

The Aussie all-rounder reiterated the widely-held belief that bowlers should offer a warning to a non-striker if they notice they're leaving the crease early.

Charlie Dean, pictured here in tears after being run out by Deepti Sharma.
Charlie Dean was in tears after being run out by Deepti Sharma. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“If someone is very obviously leading off before the ball has been bowled, by a long margin, you’d probably say something to the umpire,” she said.

“You’d probably bring that up before a game if you knew someone notoriously did that but, no, besides that, I don’t think we’ve ever had a conversation about just chucking the Mankad in.”

Perry said she was particularly surprised considering she'd played with Sharma in The Hundred recently.

“It’s layered. I actually spent a good month with Deepti Sharma just recently in the UK at The Hundred, we were both involved with Birmingham Phoenix, and I can honestly tell you she is the sweetest human being on the planet,” Perry said.

“So quietly spoken. Butter wouldn’t melt.

“And then comes out on the field with a bit of white line fever, some technical rules ... it’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it?”

Charlie Dean, pictured here leaving the filed after England's ODI loss to India.
Charlie Dean leaves the filed after England's ODI loss to India. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) (Ryan Pierse via Getty Images)

England captain accuses India of lying

Sharma defended her actions on Monday and claimed Dean was warned about leaving her crease early.

“That was our plan because she was repeatedly doing it and we had warned them too,” she said.

“We had also informed the umpires. But still she was right there so there wasn’t much we could do. We did everything according to the rules and guidelines.”

But England captain Heather Knight refuted that claim, accusing India of 'lying'.

“The game is over, Charlie was dismissed legitimately. India were deserved winners of the match and the series,” Knight wrote on Twitter.

“But no warnings were given. They don’t need to be given, so it hasn’t made the dismissal any less legitimate...

“But if they’re comfortable with the decision to affect the run out, India shouldn’t feel the need to justify it by lying about warnings.”

Dean was left in tears on the field after the dismissal was confirmed, sparking a wave of criticism from players, pundits and fans alike.

England greats Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson were among the many to lash out.

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