Pitch, wickets and creases

The cricket pitch dimensions

The pitch is 22 yards (20 m) long between the wickets and is 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. It is a flat surface and has very short grass that tends to be worn away as the game progresses. The “condition” of the pitch has a significant bearing on the match and team tactics are always determined with the state of the pitch, both current and anticipated, as a deciding factor.

Each wicket consists of three wooden stumps placed in a straight line and surmounted by two wooden crosspieces called bails; the total height of the wicket including bails is 28.5 inches (720 mm) and the combined width of the three stumps is 9 inches (230 mm).

Four lines (aka creases) are painted onto the pitch around the wicket areas to define the batsman’s “safe territory” and to determine the limit of the bowler’s approach. These are called the “popping” (or batting) crease, the bowling crease and two “return” creases.

A wicket consists of three stumps that are hammered into the ground, and topped with two bails.

Bat and ball

The bat is made of wood and has the shape of a blade topped by a cylindrical handle. The blade must not be more than 4.25 inches (108 mm) wide and the total length of the bat not more than 38 inches (970 mm).

The ball is a hard leather-seamed spheroid projectile with a circumference limit of 9 inches (230 mm).

Umpires and scorers

The game on the field is regulated by two umpires, one of whom stands behind the wicket at the bowler’s end, the other in a position called “square leg” which is several yards behind the batsman on strike.

Off the field and in televised matches, there is often a third umpire who can make decisions on certain incidents with the aid of video evidence.

Innings

The innings (always used in the plural form) is the term used for the collective performance of the batting side. In theory, all eleven members of the batting side take a turn to bat but, for various reasons, an “innings” can end before they all do so (see below).

Overs

The bowler bowls the ball in sets of six deliveries (or “balls”) and each set of six balls is called an over. This name came about because the umpire calls “Over!” when six balls have been bowled. At this point, another bowler is deployed at the other end and the fielding side changes ends. A bowler cannot bowl two successive overs, although a bowler can bowl unchanged at the same end for several overs. The batsmen do not change ends and so the one who was non-striker is now the striker and vice-versa. The umpires also change positions so that the one who was at square leg now stands behind the wicket at the non-striker’s end and vice-versa.

Bowling

After approval from the 10 Test nations, bowlers will be allowed to straighten their arms to 15 degrees All bowlers are classified according to their pace or style.

The classifications, as with much cricket terminology, can be very confusing. Hence, a bowler could be classified as LF, meaning he is a left arm fast bowler; or as LBG, meaning he is a right arm spin bowler who bowls deliveries that are called a “leg break” and a “googly”.
During the bowling action the elbow may be held at any angle and may bend further, but may not straighten out. If the elbow straightens illegally then the square-leg umpire may call no-ball. The current laws allow a bowler to straighten his arm 15 degrees or less.

Batting

At any one time, there are two batsmen in the playing area. One takes station at the striker’s end to defend the wicket as above and to score runs if possible. His partner, the non-striker, is at the end where the bowler is operating.

Batsmen come in to bat in a batting order, decided by the team captain. The first two batsmen - the “openers” - usually face the most hostile bowling, from fresh fast bowlers with a new ball. The top batting positions are usually given to the most competent batsmen in the team, and the non-batsmen typically bat last. The pre-announced batting order is not mandatory and when a wicket falls any player who has not yet batted may be sent in next.
If a batsman “retires” (usually due to injury) and cannot return, he is actually “not out” and his retirement does not count as a dismissal, though in effect he has been dismissed because his innings is over. Substitute batsmen are not allowed, although substitute fielders are.

A skilled batsman can use a wide array of “shots” or “strokes” in both defensive and attacking mode. The idea is to hit the ball to best effect with the flat surface of the bat’s blade. If the ball touches the side of the bat it is called an “edge”. Batsmen do not always seek to hit the ball as hard as possible and a good player can score runs just by making a deft stroke with a turn of the wrists or by simply “blocking” the ball but directing it away from fielders so that he has time to take a run.

There is a wide variety of shots played in cricket. The batsman’s repertoire includes strokes named according to the style of swing and the direction aimed: e.g., “cut”, “drive”, “hook”, “pull”, etc.

Note that a batsman does not have to play a shot and can “leave” the ball to go through to the wicketkeeper, providing he thinks it will not hit his wicket. Equally, he does not have to attempt a run when he hits the ball with his bat. He can deliberately use his leg to block the ball and thereby “pad it away” but this is risky because of the lbw rule.

In the event of an injured batsman being fit to bat but not to run, the umpires and the fielding captain may allow another member of the batting side to be a runner. If possible, the runner must already have batted. The runner’s only task is to run between the wickets instead of the injured batsman. The runner is required to wear and carry exactly the same equipment as the incapacitated batsman. It is possible for both batsmen to have runners.

Runs

The primary concern of the batsman on strike (i.e., the “striker”) is to prevent the ball hitting the wicket and secondarily to score runs by hitting the ball with his bat so that he and his partner have time to run from one end of the pitch to the other before the fielding side can return the ball. To register a run, both runners must touch the ground behind the crease with either their bats or their bodies (the batsmen carry their bats as they run). Each completed run increments the score.

More than one run can be scored from a single hit but, while hits worth one to three runs are common, the size of the field is such that it is usually difficult to run four or more. To compensate for this, hits that reach the boundary of the field are automatically awarded four runs if the ball touches the ground en route to the boundary or six runs if the ball clears the boundary on the full. The batsmen do not need to run if the ball reaches or crosses the boundary.

Hits for five are unusual and generally rely on the help of “overthrows” by a fielder returning the ball. If an odd number of runs is scored by the striker, the two batsmen have changed ends and the one who was non-striker is now the striker. Only the striker can score individual runs but all runs are added to the team’s total.

The decision to attempt a run is ideally made by the batsman who has the better view of the ball’s progress and this is communicated by calling: “yes”, “no” and “wait” are often heard.

Running is a calculated risk because if a fielder breaks the wicket with the ball while no part of the batsman or his bat is grounded behind the popping crease, the batsman nearest the broken wicket is run out.

Extras

Additional runs can be gained by the batting team as extras (called “sundries” in Australia) by courtesy of the fielding side. This is achieved in four ways:

1. No ball – a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he breaks the rules of bowling either by (a) using an inappropriate arm action; (b) overstepping the popping crease; (c) having a foot outside the return crease; besides, the bowler has to re-bowl the ball. In the Twenty20 and ODI formats of the game, according to present rules, the re-bowled ball is a free-hit, meaning the batsman cannot get out in that ball in any form other than being run-out.
2. Wide – a penalty of one extra that is conceded by the bowler if he bowls so that the ball is out of the batsman’s reach >
3. Bye – extra(s) awarded if the batsman misses the ball and it goes past the wicketkeeper to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way (note that the mark of a good wicketkeeper is one who restricts the tally of byes to a minimum)
4. Leg bye – extra(s) awarded if the ball hits the batsman’s body, but not his bat, and it goes away from the fielders to give the batsmen time to run in the conventional way.
5. When the bowler has bowled a no ball or a wide, his team incurs an additional penalty because that ball (i.e., delivery) has to be bowled again and hence the batting side has the opportunity to score more runs from this extra ball. The batsmen have to run (i.e., unless the ball goes to the boundary for four) to claim byes and leg byes but these only count towards the team total, not to the striker’s individual total for which runs must be scored off the bat.

Dismissals

There are ten ways in which a batsman can be dismissed and some are so unusual that only a few instances of them exist in the whole history of the game.

1. Bowled – the bowler has hit the wicket with the ball and the wicket has “broken” with at least one bail being dislodged (note that if the ball hits the wicket without dislodging a bail it is not out)
2. Caught – the batsman has hit the ball with his bat or with his hand and the ball has been caught on the full by a member of the fielding side
3. Leg before wicket (lbw) – is complex but basically means that the batsman would have been bowled if the ball had not hit his leg first
4. Run out – a member of the fielding side has broken or “put down” the wicket with the ball while a batsman was out of his ground; this usually occurs by means of an accurate throw to the wicket while the batsmen are attempting a run
5. Stumped – is similar except that it is done by the wicketkeeper after the batsman has missed the bowled ball and has stepped out of his ground; the keeper must break the wicket with the ball in his hand for a stumping (if the keeper throws the ball at the wicket, it is a run out)
6. Hit wicket – a batsman is out Hit Wicket, if he dislodges one or both bails with his bat, person, clothing or equipment in the act of hitting the ball, or when setting off for a run
7. Hit the ball twice – is very unusual and was introduced as a safety measure to counter dangerous play and protect the fielders. The batsman may legally play the ball a second time only to stop the ball hitting the wicket after he has already played it
8. Obstructed the field – another unusual dismissal which tends to involve a batsman deliberately getting in the way of a fielder
9. Handled the ball – a batsman must not deliberately use his hand to protect his wicket (note that the bowled ball often hits the batsman’s hand but this is not intentional by the batsman and so is not out; though he can of course be caught off his hand)
10. Timed out – usually means that the next batsman did not arrive at the wicket within two minutes of the previous one being dismissed

A batsman may leave the field without being dismissed. If injured or taken ill the batsman may temporarily retire, and be replaced by the next batsman. This is recorded as retired hurt or retired ill. The retiring batsman is not out, and may resume the innings later. An unimpaired batsman may retire, and this is treated as being dismissed retired out; no player is credited with the dismissal. Batsmen cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, stumped or hit wicket off a no ball. They cannot be out bowled, caught, leg before wicket, or hit the ball twice off a wide. Some of these modes of dismissal can occur without the bowler bowling a delivery. The batsman who is not on strike may be run out by the bowler if he leaves his crease before the bowler bowls, and a batsman can be out obstructing the field or retired out at any time. Timed out is, by its nature, a dismissal without a delivery. With all other modes of dismissal, only one batsman can be dismissed per ball bowled.

Innings closed

An innings is closed when:

1. Ten of the eleven batsmen are out (have been dismissed); in this case, the team is said to be “all out”
2. The team has only one batsman left who can bat, one or more of the remaining players being unavailable owing to injury, illness or absence; again, the team is said to be “all out”
3. The team batting last reaches the score required to win the match
4. The predetermined number of overs has been bowled (in a one-day match only, most commonly 50 overs; or 20 in Twenty20)
5. A captain declares his team’s innings closed while at least two of his batsmen are not out (this does not apply in one-day limited over matches)

Results

If the team that bats last is all out having scored fewer runs than their opponents, the team is said to have “lost by n runs” (where n is the difference between the number of runs scored by the teams). If the team that bats last scores enough runs to win, it is said to have “won by n wickets”, where n is the number of wickets left to fall. For instance a team that passes its opponents’ score having only lost six wickets would have won “by four wickets”.

In a two-innings-a-side match, one team’s combined first and second innings total may be less than the other side’s first innings total. The team with the greater score is then said to have won by an innings and n runs, and does not need to bat again: n is the difference between the two teams’ aggregate scores.

If the team batting last is all out, and both sides have scored the same number of runs, then the match is a tie; this result is quite rare in matches of two innings a side. In the traditional form of the game, if the time allotted for the match expires before either side can win, then the game is declared a draw.

If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of deliveries for each innings is often imposed. Such a match is called a “limited overs” or “one-day” match, and the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula, known as the Duckworth-Lewis method after its developers, is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can also be declared a “no-result” if fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team, in circumstances that make normal resumption of play impossible; for example, wet weather.

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Cricket does not allow full substitutions though it is a long game, whereas Soccer or Hockey or even Basketball allow substitutions. Being a team game, it is a game of strategy, and being long it depends on continual physical endurance of all eleven players. A new rule was experimented in 2006 however, it is presently not in play. It allowed for a Captain to name a super-substitute before the toss and call the super-susbtitute in the second innings. This rule favours the team winning the toss, which gives a second advantage to the team winning the toss, besides the toss itself.

Cricket does allow for a fielder to come in for another player but in that case both the players are handicapped, the player coming in cannot bat or bowl or keep wickets, whereas the player going out cannot also do the same immediately on coming back. This affects the ability of Captain to really strategize and make unique game plans.

Also, in cricket players need an excuse to go out, and it becomes a matter of debate whereas running substitutions in hockey allow for the coach to strategize and keep important players back to allow them to gain strength for the finish.

What then could be the possible recourse?

There are many possiblities:

1. Allow captains to name super-substitutes after the toss and decision.
2. Allow players to go in and out of a team of 14 and only 11 take field. Captains would need to name the batsmen at the start of batting (an interesting angle would be to restrict the total number of batsmen to 8), and declare bowlers at the start of bowling (again the number of bowlers to be restricted to 6)
3. Like bowlers, batsmen could be called midway of his innings and sent back later. This would allow captains to seed stablizers if there is a sudden collapse and to seed blasters if there is no acceleration happening. This would make for interest strategy, though it’d be a statistician’s nightmare (but games are made for spectators not statisticians)
4. Coaches can be allowed access to Captains (and vice versa) midways so that strategizing makes the game more attractive. It may be recalled that Bob Woolmer presumed that this is perfectly ok before Hansie Cronje’s ear piece was discovered!

I would like more comments on the possibility of handling substitutions in a better manner.

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Laura and George Go to Pakistan to Watch Cricket Match

Weve got hot news today in Idaho. I dont know where to start.

First, we are missing two hundred head of elk. I think their bodies, legs, and tails are missing too. Some think the wolves have eaten them all up.

The state wants to kill wolves to stop them from eating the elk. They already kill them to stop them from killing sheep and cattle. I think the elk are just running from the wolves.

The reason the wolf population got low in this country was because they kill livestock so they were trapped, poisoned, and shot on sight.

There is quite a killing frenzy when wolves train there pups to kill.

There is a myth that wolves only kill to eat. No! They also kill to train their pups or just to have one heck of a good time with a flock of sheep. Sheep are easy prey for wolves that can bring down a bull elk.

My father had lots of wolf stories. He lived in northern Utah and Idaho before World War I. In the winter they traveled by horse-drawn sleigh to the school house at Sage Creek, Utah. Dad packed a 30-06 rifle to keep his sisters and younger brother from messing themselves when the wolves got too close to the sleigh.

Dad was a hunter. During the depression he wrote an article entitled, Will a Coyote Commit Suicide? That bought me milk when he sold the article to the Rocky Mountain News.

I still have a copy of that article. Dad shot a coyote for bounty but it got away by falling or jumping down into a crater up at Ten Mile Pass, near Soda Springs Idaho.

I dont buy too many paintings because then where would I hang mine? But I did buy a painting from a Payson, Arizona artist I knew because it “looked like” that very same coyote.

My wife and I drove up to Ten Mile Pass where I slid off the road when the gravel embankment gave way. I had seen a sign mentioning the Oregon Trail so I stopped and backed off the road. I actually had to drive down into the flat and drive out on the Oregon Trail. There is an article on that somewhere in my list.

I didnt find the crater where the coyote committed suicide but I did learn that my dad and my grandpa had no chance to raise cattle on their homestead. The rancher that rescued me had 500 head (along with bodies, legs, and tails) of furry Black Angus that he had to truck to American Falls every winter to keep them from freezing to death.

I dont know where he moved his family.

I hope he moved them.

The local rag said that the Buffalo herd in Yellowstone is diminishing in size. Thats good. There are too many and they wonder off the park and spread disease to cattle. The main reason there are fewer Buffalo is that they trap them and send them off to the slaughter house. That is called game management.

We have game management here in Idaho. It is called hunting.

I think hunting should be allowed in Yellowstone Park. Only Native Americans would be able to hunt. They could use or sell the meat to keep themselves from starving during the winter.

The Indians would hunt the buffalo using bows and arrows while riding bareback on wild stallions.

That would be a great tourist attraction that could attract more millions to Yellowstone.

Hunting would be during October when I’m not there.

I read that Bomb Building 101: Atomic Weapons is being taught at Georgetown University by Charles D. Ferguson. That way the terrorist will not have to import a bomb all the way from Russia. They can build it right in D.C.

Down in Florida, the Boy Scouts are in a dilemma. Their 165 acre camp along the Manatee River is worth tons of money and it may be sold. Maybe they need the money to pay attorneys to fight lawsuits about the Boy Scouts.

My question is this: Where are the scouts going to camp?

Last night we had a fish fry at the church to raise money for our scout troop. We have it every year.

My wife and I were elected last year to be the money and ticket collectors. I didnt know it was for life but there we were last night.

We also set up a table offering flagpoles to help raise additional funds. Any profits from TopFlight flagpole sales at my site during March 2006 will be donated to the Boy Scouts. The site is http://www.aaaflagpoles.com.

I thought this was funny. The Catholics are not much for tithing. Their parishes are 10 times as large as Protestant parishes and folks feel that they do not have to tithe because they dont own the parishes, the clergy does.

Here is what Msgr. Carl Bell, pastor of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, said he once heard a bishop describe the state of giving in the Catholic Church:

If you have $50, you go out to dinner.

If you have $20, you go to a movie.

If you have $10, you get fast food.

But, if you have $1, you go to church.

I thought we Mormons might be mentioned in the article because even tiny children pay tithing, but we were not.

Our rag said that they are going to return the AC-130 gunships to Iraq. General Frank Gorenc said, Its got tons of guns and all kinds of stuff on it that can be applied to the problems we have.

Now that will calm everyone down when they start blowing the hell out of garbage cans on the streets of Baghdad.

“All kinds of stuff.”

What kind of general talk is that?

Here is an understatement by our State Department: Days of bloodshed between religious sects in Iraq show that the United States still has work to do to achieve a new, broadly representative Iraqi government.

Right on!

The work should consist of this: Bring Our Troops Home this Year.

Did you read about that guy in Spokane that hijacked a bus to take him to a bar? When he got to the bar he shot up the place.

Fortunately, he was a lousy shot.

He was about the same age as Dick Cheney.

Well, Cheney is four years younger and a better shot.

I dont know how the President and his beautiful wife, Laura, got tricked into going to that cricket match in Pakistan.

I guess the Pakistanis dont like Bush that much.

They must hate him.

I use to have my British friends tell me the rules of cricket whenever I visited England. At one period of time, I went to England every quarter to a research meeting. I always asked to hear those cricket rules just one more time.

I think the game can be compared to curling.

It’s a stupid game. (Well, most good games are.)

The bowler does not bowl like we do.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_T_Jones,_Ph.D.

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