"The etiquette of the game is that you don’t run if you’ve caused the deflection" - James Neesham extends his support to Eoin Morgan
Kiwi and Mumbai Indians all-rounder James Neesham extended support to KKR skipper Eoin Morgan over his on-field spat with Ravichandran Ashwin. The duo had an altercation during the afternoon game on Tuesday after Morgan was displeased to see Ashwin trying to sneak out a run when the ball got deflected by the batter at the other end.
Interestingly, a similar incident occurred during the 2019 ODI final between New Zealand and England. The Eoin Morgan-led side received four runs after the ball hit Ben Stokes' bat while the all-rounder dived to avoid a run-out. It proved to be one of the pivotal moments as England eventually won the World Cup via the 'boundary count' rule. James Neesham was on the receiving end that day.
When one of his Twitter followers asked him about his opinion on the issue between Ashwin and Morgan, James Neesham put his weight behind the English skipper and said:
"Because they’re runs if the ball crosses the boundary. But the etiquette of the game is that you don’t run if you’ve caused the deflection. It’s just one of those unspoken spirit of the game things."
"They do not have the right to take a moral high ground" - Ashwin on his on-field altercation with Morgan and Southee
Ashwin recently opened up about the incident with Eoin Morgan and explained his thought process. The off-spinner revealed that he was just trying to stand up for himself after being on the receiving end of some derogatory words.
On Twitter, Ravichandran Ashwin disclosed his side of the story and said:
"Did I fight? No, I stood up for myself and that’s what my teachers and parents taught me to do and pls teach your children to stand up for themselves. In Morgan or Southee’s world of cricket they can choose and stick to what they believe is right or wrong but do not have the right to take a moral high ground and use words that are derogatory."
"What’s even more surprising is the fact that people are discussing this and also trying to talk about who is the good and bad person here! To all the ‘Cricket is a gentleman’s game’ fans in the house’:⬇️⬇️⬇️
Even after Ashwin was dismissed in the first innings, Morgan and Tim Southee gave Ashwin a send-off with some not-so-pleasant words. But Ravichandran Ashwin had the last laugh as he dismissed Eoin Morgan for a 2-ball duck in the second innings and proceeded to give him a send-off.