Drama in Jaipur as Jos Buttler mankaded by R Ashwin

R Ashwin has reignited the spirit-of-cricket debate by running out non-striker Jos Buttler without bowling the ball. It turns out the dismissal was touch and go when it comes to being within the laws of the game.

Running in to deliver the penultimate delivery of his final over, Ashwin stopped after entering his delivery stride. Buttler didn't have his eye on the bowler and slipped out of the crease. As soon as he saw that, Ashwin simply turned around and broke the stumps at the non-strikers' end with the batsman out of his crease. The decision was sent up to the third umpire, who didn't need much time to send Buttler on his way.

Rajasthan Royals' Buttler had an unpleasant exchange with Ashwin, the Kings XI Punjab captain, while the third umpire made his decision. He walked off angry, and was seen shouting in the general direction of one of the dugouts.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ashwin said of the incident: "Look, it was very instinctive. On my part, it was very instinctive. It was not planned or anything like that. It's there within the rules of the game. I don't understand where the spirit of the game comes, naturally if it's there in the rules it's there."

Responding to a comparison drawn between this incident and the 1987 World Cup match between West Indies and Pakistan - where Courtney Walsh did not run non-striker Saleem Jaffar out in the last over of the match, despite the latter being well out of his crease - Ashwin said the question of 'sporting' didn't arise when it came to rules.

"I don't understand the point of sporting or sportive in that point because it's rules. What applies for one man does not apply for everyone else. Neither was Jos Buttler playing there nor was I played so it's very pertinent to just not compare two people..."

This was not the first time Buttler had been run out backing up too far. On air in host broadcaster Star Sports' "Dugout", Kumar Sangakkara pointed out how, in a game against Sri Lanka in 2014, Buttler was run out in a similar fashion after two warnings by Sachithra Senanayake. Ashwin, too, had attempted dismissing a batsman in similar fashion a few years ago. During an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2012, Ashwin had run out Lahiru Thirimanne for backing up too much. The appeal was withdrawn by then India captain Virender Sehwag, who stated that Ashwin had warned Thirimanne before attempting the dismissal.

The question here, though, was whether Buttler would have been inside his crease had Ashwin not stopped at the point of delivery. The updated Law 41.16 says: "If the non-striker is out of his/her ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him/her out."

The wording "expected to release the ball" leaves room for subjectivity, which is where Ashwin's assertion that he hadn't even loaded becomes critical. If the bowler hadn't even loaded, as Ashwin said, is it possible to estimate a time when he was "expected to release the ball"?

Royals' coach Paddy Upton, though, didn't bother about the technicalities. He was miffed, and it showed in the press conference. "I think R Ashwin's actions tonight speak for him and represent him, when I looked at his team-mates," Upton said, "and I'm not sure it represented his team-mates. I think we'll leave it up to the IPL fans to decide if that's the kind of things they want to see, and we'll leave it up to the cricket world to judge R Ashwin's actions tonight. But for us, we're certainly here to play cricket and entertain the fans and be good role models for people who love the game."

Buttler was looking in control of the chase of 185 at that time, having scored 69 off 43. His wicket, though, triggered a collapse as hosts Rajasthan Royals lost seven wickets for 16 runs to lose by 14 runs. Every wicket brought about loud boos from the Sawai Mansingh Stadium crowd.

At the end of the match, Buttler shook Ashwin's hand, but refused to look his way. Just behind Buttler, Upton seemed to have said something to Ashwin while shaking his hand, which made Ashwin stop in his tracks and give them a bemused look.

"Part and parcel," Royals' captain Ajinkya Rahane said at the post-match presentation. "Sadly we are not allowed to comment on controversial issues. I am sure the match referee will take a call. We take these decisions sportingly."

Chris Jordan hopes his World Cup ship 'hasn't sailed'

He may have been all but pigeon-holed as a 20-over specialist but, having done everything he could to thrust his name to the forefront of selectors' minds in England's opening T20I win over West Indies, Chris Jordan hopes his ODI World Cup ship has not sailed.

With the T20 World Cup more than 18 months away, the three-match T20I series in the Caribbean represents little more than bonus entertainment for a fan base already spoiled by the excitement of the preceding three Tests and four ODIs, and a chance for both nations to hone their thinking about the ODI World Cup starting at the end of May - West Indies have even retained their ODI squad and captain for the T20I series.

Jordan has not played an ODI in more than two years and his latest feats did come in the shorter format, but they reminded interested onlookers of his value with the ball and in the field.

For his part, Jordan said it was all about "enjoyment" and it was easy to see why. He removed Chris Gayle cheaply for the first time since the ODI Player of the Series returned to the fold for West Indies' limited-overs campaigns against England, and dismissed Darren Bravo with a brilliant a caught-and-bowled to finish with 2-16 off three overs.

"The Caribbean is a lovely place to play cricket, my family will be here watching most games, just enjoy it and let results take care of themselves," the Barbadian-born Jordan said, adding that he remained hopeful of securing a World Cup berth. "I hope the ship hasn't sailed. I can't get too far ahead in my thinking, I'm not that type of character. One game at a time and let the outcomes take care of themselves."

Jordan revealed he had spoken about his one-day prospects with national selector Ed Smith.

"I've had conversations with Ed when squads are being picked and he's always said I'm there or thereabouts, in the discussions," Jordan said. "That gives me encouragement. T20 cricket is what I'm involved with at the minute, anything past that I'll leave to the selectors and the captain."

Jordan was also hoping for the best for Jofra Archer, who was also born in Barbados and is expected to qualify for England under ECB residency rules in time for the World Cup, should he be selected.

"I speak to him every day, literally every day, he's like my little brother," Jordan said of 23-year-old Archer. "One of the things I admire about Jofra, for a kid so young he's got a good head on his shoulders. There is noise about him potentially playing in the series... if it happens I'm more than certain he'll rise to the occasion because he's that type of person and that type of character."

Jordan said he continued to work hard on his bowling and fielding, which was sharply in focus when he tempted Bravo with a newly developed slower ball and then changed direction on his follow through to take that spectacular one-handed catch sprawling to his right.

"That was good," Jordan said. "When I bowled the slower ball initially I wasn't sure if I was getting there. Then, the closer I got I realised I was getting there and it stuck in my hand.

"Not many catches are that easy, to be honest, you see them go down in games. You try to practice as much as possible, practice slip catching and outfield catching and when you get into game time when moments like that come you've almost played it over in your head already. I'm just glad it came off. I pride myself on my fielding in general. I do work hard on it."

And of the slower ball, he said: "Yeah, I have been adding a couple of slower balls to my arsenal. I don't want to give away too much on it given I got a wicket with it, but it's a new one."

Jordan had no qualms about not bowling at the death in the T20I series opener, which England won by four wickets with seven balls remaining. That role went to Tom Curran, who ended the match as the pick of the England bowlers, claiming 4-36 off his four overs.

"It's normally my role in the team, one or two (overs) in the Powerplay and two at the death, but my role is also to adapt and be versatile, be ready whenever the captain calls on me," Jordan said. "TC did a brilliant job, took four wickets and bowled a brilliant last over, but next time it might be me. That's the type of team we're in, we're not selfish characters and we just keep everyone improving.

Chris Jordan, England's forgotten World Cup option?

While all the talk in recent months has been of Jofra Archer's chances of forcing his way into England's World Cup squad, there is another Barbadian-born bowler who might be worth further consideration.

Chris Jordan has not played an ODI since September 2016. He does not bowl quite as fast as Archer and, aged 30, does not possess quite the same amount of long-term promise as his 23-year-old protégé.

But, as he showed in the first T20I of the series against West Indies, Jordan remains a highly skilled and experienced cricketer who might just be at the peak of his powers.

His key contribution in this game was taking the wicket of Chris Gayle. That was a feat that proved beyond his England colleagues for much of the ODI series (to be fair, they dismissed him in every innings but not before he had thrashed them into the stands a few times) and the manner in which he did so - a well-directed yorker just wide of off stump - suggested he had some skills which could prove valuable. Remember, England's seamers appeared either reluctant or unable to bowl the delivery on demand in the ODI series so Jordan's demonstration may have been timely. He had also hurried Gayle with a well-directed bouncer.

But the wicket of Darren Bravo was just as impressive. So bamboozled by Jordan's well-disguised slower delivery was Bravo, an experienced player, that he could only spoon the ball into the air. Jordan, demonstrating another part of his game that might give him an edge, made good ground and clung on to a one-handed diving catch. It was a reminder, if any were required, that he may be the best fielder available to England. Having such a man in the squad - even if they don't make the XI - must be useful.

In all, he delivered 10 dot balls from the 18 he bowled. He was hit for two boundaries; both from the hugely talented Nicholas Pooran.

It's perhaps worth comparing Jordan's performance with some of his apparent rivals for a spot in the World Cup squad. David Willey used the new ball well here, generating just enough movement to prevent Gayle from sizing him up, and came in at No. 7 to see England over the line. He didn't bowl after the third over of the innings, though, and by then Gayle had struck two of his final four deliveries for six.

What can we read into that? Perhaps that, unless Willey takes one of the new balls, he is of limited use to the ODI side. He rarely bowls at the death and only twice in his last 25 ODIs has he delivered his full allocation of 10 overs. One of those occasions was in the defeat to Scotland in which he conceded 72.

And while his left-arm variation would be welcome, it seems unlikely he will dispossess the likes of Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and, perhaps, Archer in the tussle for that new-ball role.

Might it be relevant that Jordan didn't bowl at the death? Could it be that he was instead being given an opportunity to show what he could do in the middle-over period (he bowled the fourth, sixth and 14th overs) in which Liam Plunkett has been so proficient in recent years?

It's possible. Plunkett does seem to be in gentle decline and was England's most expensive bowler here. It would make sense if England were at least mindful of the need to consider alternatives, though it would be a surprise if he didn't make the squad.

It seems more likely that England simply had more trust in Tom Curran than Jordan at the death and view him as the more likely part of their World Cup plans. Eoin Morgan, the captain, later explained that, with Pooran recently dismissed, Curran's slower balls to a pair of new batsmen were simply the better option available to him.

Curran ended up with four wickets, too, as reward for his control and variations. Plunkett and Jordan do not offer quite the same package of skills, either, with Plunkett's height and back-of-a-length cutters having a proven track record. Jordan's variations are impressive, though, and he probably could offer England options in all portions of an ODI innings.

We probably have to be careful about making assumptions regarding ODI suitability from a T20 match. Jordan bowled only three overs, after all. But some of the skills - the control, the variation, the ability to perform under pressure - are clearly transferable.

It's certainly not a simple case of Archer and Jordan competing for one place in the World Cup squad. There could, in theory, be room for both or indeed, neither. As things stand, England are considering the likes of Liam Dawson and Joe Denly as spin-bowling all-rounder.

But is there really any need for a third spinner in a 15-man squad? With Joe Root capable of supporting Adil Rashid - who bowled beautifully here and would not have conceded a boundary had Curran not made a fearful hash on the fence - and Moeen Ali in the spin bowling positions and Alex Hales having the batting reserve spot all sewn up, it is a position that could instead go to another seamer. Jordan remains an outsider for that spot, but he didn't do himself any harm here.