Umpire & Laws Of The Game

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someblokecalleddave

someblokecalleddave

Well-Known Member
I've just stumbled upon this which I felt was quite useful and looking through it I've noticed a couple of things I never knew. http://www.nzcusa.org.nz/uploadGallery/Cricket Umpiring - Trainers Officers Companion Level 2.pdf
Additionally I have questions about the rules and laws and so thought a thread like this might be useful.

Looking through the document above I saw that it is illegal to move from your fielding position once you've taken it up, which something I've done in the past, fielding at square leg, once the bat had taken a look at the legside and seen me he then looked around the off-side field layout and then took guard, at which point I stepped sideways knowing that several of his earlier shots had gone past me at backward of square leg, lo and behold his shot was backward of square leg and there I was ready and waiting having moved several yards. Apparently that's against the laws of the game.
 
someblokecalleddave said:
I've just stumbled upon this which I felt was quite useful and looking through it I've noticed a couple of things I never knew. http://www.nzcusa.org.nz/uploadGallery/Cricket Umpiring - Trainers Officers Companion Level 2.pdf
Additionally I have questions about the rules and laws and so thought a thread like this might be useful.

Looking through the document above I saw that it is illegal to move from your fielding position once you've taken it up, which something I've done in the past, fielding at square leg, once the bat had taken a look at the legside and seen me he then looked around the off-side field layout and then took guard, at which point I stepped sideways knowing that several of his earlier shots had gone past me at backward of square leg, lo and behold his shot was backward of square leg and there I was ready and waiting having moved several yards. Apparently that's against the laws of the game.
Click to expand...

This is NZ cricket though, in my grade we have all these new laws that change from game to game. :p
 
someblokecalleddave said:
...Apparently that's against the laws of the game.
Click to expand...

I am afraid it is Dave. Not only against the laws but against the Spirit of Cricket! Once the batsman has taken guard the umpire signals that the ball is in play.

LAW 41 THE FIELDER...
...
7. Movement by fielders
Any significant movement by any fielder after the ball comes into play, and before the ball
reaches the striker, is unfair. In the event of such unfair movement, either umpire shall call
and signal Dead ball. Note also the provisions of Law 42.4 (Deliberate attempt to distract
striker).
8. Definition of significant movement
(a) For close fielders anything other than minor adjustments to stance or position in relation
to the striker is significant.
(b) In the outfield, fielders are permitted to move towards the striker or the striker’s wicket,
provided that 5* is not contravened. Anything other than slight movement off line
or away from the striker is to be considered significant.

*5. Limitation of on side fielders
At the instant of the bowler’s delivery there shall not be more than two fielders, other than the
wicket-keeper, behind the popping crease on the on side. A fielder will be considered to be
behind the popping crease unless the whole of his person whether grounded or in the air is in
front of this line.
In the event of infringement of this Law by any fielder, the striker’s end umpire shall call and
signal No ball.

If you have an 'on the ball' umpire, you will receive a warning... could go on to possible 5 penalty runs and reporting the incident to the Executive of the fielding side and to any Governing Body responsible for the match, who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and the player or players concerned.
 
Liz Ward said:
I am afraid it is Dave. Not only against the laws but against the Spirit of Cricket! Once the batsman has taken guard the umpire signals that the ball is in play.

LAW 41 THE FIELDER...
...
7. Movement by fielders
Any significant movement by any fielder after the ball comes into play, and before the ball
reaches the striker, is unfair. In the event of such unfair movement, either umpire shall call
and signal Dead ball. Note also the provisions of Law 42.4 (Deliberate attempt to distract
striker).
8. Definition of significant movement
(a) For close fielders anything other than minor adjustments to stance or position in relation
to the striker is significant.
(b) In the outfield, fielders are permitted to move towards the striker or the striker’s wicket,
provided that 5* is not contravened. Anything other than slight movement off line
or away from the striker is to be considered significant.

*5. Limitation of on side fielders
At the instant of the bowler’s delivery there shall not be more than two fielders, other than the
wicket-keeper, behind the popping crease on the on side. A fielder will be considered to be
behind the popping crease unless the whole of his person whether grounded or in the air is in
front of this line.
In the event of infringement of this Law by any fielder, the striker’s end umpire shall call and
signal No ball.

If you have an 'on the ball' umpire, you will receive a warning... could go on to possible 5 penalty runs and reporting the incident to the Executive of the fielding side and to any Governing Body responsible for the match, who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and the player or players concerned.
Click to expand...

Blimey! I wont be doing that again then, I thought it was a bit sneaky at the time and wondered why other people didn't do it, other people have seen me do it,but no-one has ever said anything to me.
 
Here's another one. When you read about Grimmett and some of the other well known spinners I'm sure they're known for the fact that they get through their overs really quickly - to the point where they hurry the batsmen and don't give then a chance to get ready. I'm sure too that I read somewhere recently or heard from someone (Michael Holding - on SKY)? That given the amount of time it takes a fast bowler to walk back to his mark and gather himself and turn, that's more than enough time for a batsman to be ready to face the bowler. Does anyone know what the rules are regarding this - I asked a few people tonight, but they see the world from a 'Bat-centric' view and were of the opinion that the bowler has to wait irrespective of whether the he deems the bat ready. Having said that though isn't it the umpires decision - they hold their arm out till the bats ready?
 
Dave - the batsman should be ready as soon as the bowler gets to the end of his mark. Hence why Trott gets so much stick! Haha
 
Liz Ward said:
I am afraid it is Dave. Not only against the laws but against the Spirit of Cricket! Once the batsman has taken guard the umpire signals that the ball is in play.

LAW 41 THE FIELDER...
...
7. Movement by fielders
Any significant movement by any fielder after the ball comes into play,
Click to expand...

I'm confused here. According to Law 23 ("Dead Ball"):

5. Ball ceases to be dead
The ball ceases to be dead - that is, it comes into play - when the bowler starts his run up or, if he has no run up, his bowling action.
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I've always understood Law 41 to mean that a fielder cannot be changing fielding positions when the bowler is in his run-up or delivery. Such movement would distract the batsman. However, if the bowler has not yet begun his run-up, it is legal to change positions.

Your "spirit of cricket" point is a good one, though. :)

Curt
 
This is one of those rules that every cricketer bends. Half the time people are still wandering back to their position as the bowler runs the ball in anyway.

In my experience, it only gets picked up on by the umpires if you flat out run to a completely new position as the bowler is coming in. You can "walk in" at 45 degrees - eg from in front of square to behind square - and no-one will notice.

Quite often if I'm on the legside boundary I will adjust my position between deliveries quite dramatically based on how the batsman looks to be shaping up. You find that most batsmen look around at the start of the over and then don't bother unless there is obvious signalling going on.

Another sneaky tactic is for the bowler to give his mid off and mid on a wink to say a slower ball is coming, and instead of walking in they just walk backwards ready to catch a lofted drive.
 
I would say the key word is "significant" movement. A couple of paces forwards, backwards or sideways is perfectly fine. You have not actually changed your position. I would not even say it's sneaky, you are just standing where you think the ball will go and no batsman has that much control to hit it 2 yards to the right!

However, say you were at slip and as the bowler was running in you ran around the keeper to go to leg slip, you would have significantly moved (that actually happened on a England tour match some years back; the umpire stopped it right away).
 
I've been reading "You are the umpire" Paul Trevillion & John Holder. There's a scenario in there where they describe the ball splitting in half, one half is caught at slips and the other half is hit back down the ground and hits the stump while the off-strike bat is out of his ground. The ball that is caught at slips counts and the batsman is out and then there's some waffle about only one bloke can be dismissed in any instance. I then thought about this a bit more and thought what if the part of the ball at the off-strike end was physically bigger and the fielding side took issue over which part of the ball constituted the ball? Extrapolate that further still and say the section of the ball at the non-strike end was obviously much larger and the bit in the slips had was just a part of the ball? At what point does the ball constitute being not actually being a ball if we're saying that bits of the ball count as a ball?
 
someblokecalleddave said:
Looking through the document above I saw that it is illegal to move from your fielding position once you've taken it up, which something I've done in the past, fielding at square leg, once the bat had taken a look at the legside and seen me he then looked around the off-side field layout and then took guard, at which point I stepped sideways knowing that several of his earlier shots had gone past me at backward of square leg, lo and behold his shot was backward of square leg and there I was ready and waiting having moved several yards. Apparently that's against the laws of the game.
Click to expand...


This issue sort of came up recently with this Steve Smith catch.
 
Kram81 said:


This issue sort of came up recently with this Steve Smith catch.
Click to expand...

Yeah that looks fair to me, he's seen that the batsman is going to hit it legside and he sets off in anticipation of the shot that's going to be played. It's not like the batsman has looked round, seen where Smith is and then before the ball leaves the hand he's moved to leg-slip. The ball's in the air when Smith sets off. Other than that they need to clarify the rules even further. But looking at the law according to the books it looks like it would have been illegal.
 
Last night watched that Kamindu Mendis bloke in the U19's comp and noticed how wide he was on the crease and the fact that he pivots outside of the return crease line (Image on right).Looking around I think I've sussed it, but can someone confirm that the rule is that the back foot has to land inside the inner return crease line, but the pivot foot can be outside the inner return crease line as in the image on the right? Which then begs the further question how wide can the pivot foot be?

_88069988_mm_cri_u19_mendis.png
 
Yes, its the backfoot that has to be within the return crease but there isn't anything to stop your front foot being outside that line, other than having a big cross over of your front leg, would be interested to Liz's view of both actions

Just for info -
 
What about this one. A fielder is going for a run out and takes a shy at the stump, but is a little slow. The batsman initially make his ground and steps over the line safely with the ball well short of the stumps, but his momentum taking him forwards into the next step means, in the next stride running past his tumps he's got no feet on the ground at all as the ball hits the stump (Bats in the air as well). Is that out?
 
1. When out of his ground(a) A batsman shall be considered to be out of his ground unless his bat or some part of his person is grounded behind the popping crease at that end.

(b) Notwithstanding (a) above, if a running batsman, having grounded some part of his foot behind the popping crease, continues running further towards the wicket at that end and beyond, then any subsequent total loss of contact with the ground of both his person and his bat during his continuing forward momentum shall not be interpreted as being out of his ground.
 
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