Thread by @PeterDellaPenna

Went back to the full match replay. Charlie Dean was leaving her crease early starting with her 2nd ball at the non-striker's end in the 18th over. Ball still in bowler's hand. Dean is never looking at the bowler to see if/when the ball has been released. Basic lack of awareness.

Here's an even more egregious example a few overs later in the 21st. Dean doesn't even have her bat grounded. She's left her crease early, at least six inches outside, with the bat dangling in the air, before the bowler has the ball even close to delivery.

What's also interesting to note is the contrast with Amy Jones. I'm up to the 24th over of the chase replay (partnership between Dean & Jones began at start of the 18th). So far there is not a single instance of Jones leaving non striker's end early. Dean has done it 14 times.

Here's Amy Jones backing up to both spinners and pace bowlers from a side angle. Her bat is inside the crease at the non-striker's end on every single delivery, no matter pace or spin.

First ball after the drinks break to begin the 29th over, Dean is eager to leave. Bat is in the air, everything out of the crease well before Deepti is anywhere close to getting the ball to the top of her delivery arc. This is the 24th instance of Dean leaving her crease early.

A few balls later in the 29th, Dean takes an even bigger head start. Comfortably a foot outside the crease with bat dangling off the ground/in the air well before Deepti is close to her natural release point /delivery arc. Dean's 27th instance of leaving the crease early.

Last ball of the 29th over, Dean actually has her bat behind the crease. Not only that, it's the first time in 30+ opportunities that she's stood at the non-striker's end that she is actually looking at the bowlers hand to see how the ball is coming out trying to detect cues.

This is the wicket of Amy Jones in 30th over. Dean is at least a foot out of the crease before Renuka is close to her release point. It's the 30th instance of Dean leaving the crease early. Deepti is looking at Renuka for release of ball but also has to notice Dean leaving early.

First 2 balls Kate Cross is at the crease, Dean's starts at the non-striker's end get noticeably even bigger than at any point to this stage, 18-24 inches out. 32nd instance leaving early. Reasonable to believe she is trying to do so to get a tight single so Cross is off strike.

First two balls Cross is at the non-striker's end, no issues keeping her bat behind the line. Reasonable to believe she is comfy not leaving early because she wants Dean to have as much strike as possible.

Here's the first time is Dean at NS end with Goswami bowling to Cross in the 32nd. It's noteworthy that when Jones was at the crease, Dean was generally leaving NS end 3-6 inches early at release point. Now with No. 10 at crease, she's got an 18-24 inch head start every ball.

First 2 balls of 35th by Deepti, Cross on strike. Ball 34.1, Dean is fractionally out of crease, paying attention to release of ball. She misses out tight single to mid off is turned back. Next 2 balls, 34.2 and 34.3, Dean takes a much bigger head start (18 inches). Single taken.

Freya Davies comes in for 1st ball at No. 11. Dean takes one of her biggest head starts of the day, the 46th time she's left her crease early at the non-striker's end. This time by about 2 feet. No interest in seeing bowlee release. Sole focus on a quick single to get strike.

Goswami balls 9.3, 9.4, 9.5 in the 36th over to No. 11 Freya Davies, Dean takes minimum 2 foot head start each ball trying to get quick single to get Davies off strike. Last ball of over though (pic, right) Dean head start is less than 6 inches. Not as interest in 1 off last ball

Next over, 37th, bowled by Deepti. Davies begins off strike, Never leaves her crease early, even if trying to run a quick 2 to keep Dean on strike. Is keenly watching Deepti's release for any cues.

Same 37th over that Davies is keenly watching Deepti release the ball and staying well in the crease before delivery, Dean pays no attention. Head start of at least 12 inches again looking for quick single. This is her 50th instance of leaving non-striker's end before delivery.

Boundary struck by Davies in the 37th off Deepti. Dean is more than a foot early out of the crease before ball is delivered. If you're Deepti Sharma, wouldn't you rather run out Charlie Dean at the non-striker's end to finish the match than give up a boundary to the No. 11?

Final sequences leading up to Dean dismissal. Deepti's prior over in 39th, Dean routinely gets a 12-18 inch head start, never looks at bowler hand. Contrast that with Davies off strike down the stretch, who never leaves crease early. Eyes keenly on bowler's hand until ball is out

Start of the final over by Deepti. Dean on strike. Davies eyes ball until it leaves Deepti's hand. Single taken. Next ball, Dean leaves the crease with at least a 12 inch head start before ball is released. It's the 71st time she has left her crease early at non-striker's end.

Before the next ball is bowled. Deepti and Harmanpreet have a chat, ostensibly to bring in deep square leg into the ring. Was Deepti also alerting her captain to what she was about to do and to get the green light that the captain would back her?

Final ball bowled to striker Davies before the runout. Dean is once again at least a foot out of the crease well before the ball is at Deepti release point. It's the 72nd time that Dean has left her crease early. Jones & Davies did not leave early a single time, Cross just once.

Deepti breaks the bails before the 4th ball is delivered. Indian huddle looks pretty content with the decision to appeal on field while it is sent to the third umpire. No ambivalence whatsoever from Harmanpreet.

Final notes on this thread. Dean left her crease early 73 times from non-striker's end, including the ball she got out to. That accounted for more than 85% of all balls she started at the non-striker's end. Basically 5 out of every 6 balls in an over, there was an opportunity.

When she batted with Amy Jones, she generally got a head start of 3-6 inches. But batting with Cross & Davies, the No 10 & 11, her starts were much bigger, typically at least a foot early, and when both were new to the crease, it was as much as 2 feet early to try to get strike.

When she missed out on a quick 1 by only taking a short start at NS end, almost every time on the subsequent delivery Dean would take a more exaggerated head start in effort to get a 1. But if she was at NS end last ball of an over, her head start was usually less than 6 inches.

So to repeat, balls 1-5 of the over if Dean was at non-striker's end, Dean's head start while batting with No. 10 & 11 was anywhere from 1-2 feet. But if she was at non-striker's end for last ball of an over, her head start was typically less than 6 inches.

None of Dean's partners had the same issue staying in the crease. No. 11 Davies in particular was always with a keen eye on the bowler's hand until the ball was released. With a few exceptions, Dean never looked at bowler's hand to see the ball released and carelessly took off.

But based on Dean's tendencies on balls 1-5 of an over vs tendency on ball 6 of an over, the indication is that consciously or subconsciously, she knows exactly what she's doing trying to get as much of a jump as possible to get started on a run to get back on strike.

Lastly, I don't consider leaving non-striker's end early as cheating, just as leaving striker's crease early or batting outside the crease entirely is not cheating. But just as a striker accepts the risks and consequences of leaving the crease early, so must the non-striker.