R Ashwin has become the first batter to be tactically retired out in the IPL, by Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday evening. Promoted to No. 6 in the tenth over, presumably to allow the regular No. 6 Riyan Parag a more suitable point of entry, Ashwin walked off after two balls of the 19th over, having scored 28 runs off 23 balls. Parag ended up scoring eight off four balls. The move bumped up Royals’ projected score from 152 to 159 on ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster, but thanks to a finishing kick from Shimron Hetmyer, they ended with 165.
Hetmyer told Star Sports in the mid-match interview that he had no clue about the move, which does explain the shocked expression on his face when Ashwin walked off during Avesh Khan‘s over. It wasn’t yet clear who initiated the move: Ashwin or the dugout.
This was arguably the first tactical retired-out dismissal in high-profile T20 cricket, but it wasn’t the first in T20 international cricket. In 2019, in the South Asian Games, Bhutan’s Sonam Togbay retired out at the end of the 19th over against Maldives.
This mode of dismissal has long been anticipated as the next innovation in T20 cricket because the innings in T20 cricket are so short teams want to maximise each ball, and can’t afford a less-than-ideal batter batting in situations suited to other batters. However, some coaches have felt it is a step too far.
“Nah, that’s part of the battle, isn’t it?” Stephen Fleming had told ESPNcricinfo when asked about it. “Even if you are not hitting it well, that constant battle to come right. Some guys have started terribly and ended up with the best hundreds you can see. I like that battle.
“That’s the beauty of it, isn’t it? Not let someone get away with it just because they can tap out – ‘Not my day today, I am out’.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo