Making the Call – Round 4
Hi everyone,
I am happy to say that it looks like the weather on the weekend will be great for cricket, with little chance of rain. As the weather starts to warm up, it is important to make sure that you take a water bottle along with you to your game.
This week I want to go into a bit more detail about judging run outs and also calling no balls for short pitched balls above shoulder height and full tosses above waist height.
Bowler’s end umpire judging run outs
I touched on this topic in my week 2 “Making the Call” umpiring notes but would like to go into slightly more detail as this is an area that a lot of new umpires need to work on.
If a ball is hit into the field, after making a decision on any appeal, you should generally move to the opposite side of the pitch to where the ball has been hit.
The aim is to be in line with the popping crease if a runout attempt is made. Sometimes you can walk into position, but sometimes you need to run if the batters are trying to take a quick run. Part of this is about being aware of the match situation, as this is more likely to happen at the end of an innings.
If there is an appeal before the run out attempt, you should answer the appeal before moving off into position.
If the ball is in play and there is no appeal you should start moving off to the opposite side of the field to where the ball has been hit. When moving into position, there are two key factors to considered in this order:
Your safety
By moving to the opposite side of the field of play, this allows you to monitor where the ball is, whilst also allowing your field of vision to start taking in the popping crease. By being on the opposite side, if a poor throw comes in, you will have a much better chance of avoiding being hit than if you were standing on the same side that the ball went to.
Being in the best position to judge run outs and short runs
The best place to judge runouts and short runs is by standing in line with the popping crease.
If you are in line with the popping crease when you judge a run out or a short run, you are giving yourself the best chance of making the correct decision.
Being in the best position to judge run outs and short runs
If the batters are trying for a quick single, you really need to try to get yourself in line with the popping crease to the side of the wicket as soon as possible. In this scenario, I would be running backwards out to the side of the pitch whilst monitoring where the ball is.
If the ball is coming in as part of a run out attempt and you won’t have time to get in line with the popping crease, you should stand still just before the ball comes in and observe what happens. If you are in line with the popping crease and have a bit more time, you can take a few steps backward so that you can have a better view of the popping crease and the stumps.
With run outs, some umpires watch the popping crease and say to themselves “out, out, out, in” as they wait for the bat to cross the popping crease. Some umpires watch the popping crease to judge the run out.
Judging run outs can be extremely difficult as you also need to judge whether the wicket has been broken correctly and if the batter is in or out of their crease at that time. In Community cricket, fielders may be more likely to fumble the ball than in senior cricket. As a result, I tend to watch the crease and take a quick glance to where the stumps are from time to time to give myself the best chance of getting the decision right.
As with lots of umpiring skills, you will need to work out what works best for you and this will develop as your experience increases.
No-balls: Bouncers and waist high no-balls
Community cricket is about allowing kids to enjoy the game of cricket in a safe and supportive environment. In community cricket there will often be a wide range in terms of the ability and skill levels of participants.
Calling no-balls from the bowler’s end for short pitched balls and waist high full tosses is not ideal, but when you are umpiring by yourself, sometimes you need to back your judgement.
If you are umpiring by yourself, it is a good idea to say to the coaches before the game starts that if you see a ball that you think is clearly a no ball, that you will make the call from the bowler’s end, but you still expect whoever is at square leg acting as an umpire to make the call if they think that a no ball should be called, especially for very close decisions that might be too hard to call from the non-striker’s end.
The coaches will generally be supportive of you making the call. Remember, as well as being coaches, they are most likely parents as well and I can guarantee that every parent of a community cricket player wants their child to be playing the game in a safe environment.
The calling (and non-calling) of short pitched or waist high no balls is an issue that can potentially cause a lot of stress in a game. These laws were created in the interest of player safety.
Some confusion may arise when premier cricket rules are confused for community cricket rules. In premier cricket, bowlers are allowed one bouncer above shoulder height per over. There will sometimes be a wide range of heights within a team and so a ball that might be legal for a taller player will be a no ball for a shorter player.
No balls - Short pitched balls above shoulder height
Key points:
Ball must be passing above shoulder height of the batter when standing upright at the crease. (Hint: When the batter comes out to bat or is just standing upright between balls you can have a look at where their shoulders are. See if you can find something in the background at the same height that you can use as a reference point. You can also give this advice to a parent filling in at square leg)
Be aware that if the batter advances down the wicket, it becomes very difficult for the umpire at the bowler’s end to determine whether the ball would have passed above the batter’s shoulders if they had stayed in their normal batting position on the crease. In this situation, if you think it is a borderline call because the batter has advanced down the pitch, I would give the benefit of the doubt to the bowler and not call a no-ball.
Either umpire can call no-ball. Sometimes if the square leg umpire is inexperienced or from the fielding side, they might be reluctant or lack confidence in making close calls. If you make the call, be confident and call it out loudly and clearly as soon as the ball reaches the batter. It is best if you make the call early. If it is too close for you to call, you will need to rely on square leg.
If a parent is at square leg, I would ask the coaches to make sure that the square leg umpires understand the rules about bouncers (short-pitched deliveries) and non-pitching deliveries. Before the start of each innings, you can also have a quick chat to whoever will be standing at square leg and go over what constitutes a no ball.
If a bowler bowls a bouncer that is not quite high enough to be called a no-ball, I would consider having a word to the bowler as they walk back to their bowling mark and say something like “that was close to a no-ball” or “that was close to a no-ball but I gave you the benefit of the doubt. If you bowl another one any higher it will be called a no-ball”. The bowler will appreciate that they know where they stand.
Another thing that I would think about is the skill level of the batter. Particularly if you have a fast bowler who perhaps is playing district cricket, and they are bowling to a player who is clearly a poor batter and who might only be playing their first season of cricket. In this scenario I would talk to the bowler and say that “I am worried about the safety of the batter if you are going to bowl short pitched deliveries” and remind them that this is Community cricket and not district cricket.
In Premier cricket, umpires are encouraged to “call the marginals”. If the batter is a weak batter who is clearly unsettled by the short pitched ball that is around shoulder height, I would be much more likely to call a bouncer as a no-ball in the hope that it would deter the bowler from bowling short pitched balls.
It is up to you as the bowler’s end umpire to decide if the ball was dangerous. If you consider it to be dangerous, then you need to give a first and final warning to the bowler. If you issue a first and final warning, make a note of it in your note pad and make sure that you notify:
the bowler,
the captain of the fielding team,
the batters at the wicket, and
the square leg umpire.
Note:
If it happens again and you have to remove the bowler from the attack, again you should make a note of the ball in your notebook and inform all of the above parties again.
No balls - Non-pitching delivery above waist height
Key points:
A ball must be passing above waist height of a batter when standing upright at the crease to be called as a no ball. (Note: the waist height of a batter in a batting position will normally be a bit lower than if they were standing upright) (Hint: when the batter comes out to bat or is just standing upright between balls you can have a look at where their waist is and see if you can find something in the distance at that height that you can use for reference. I like to give this tip to the square leg umpire as well to help them before the start of the innings and after the drinks break if the square leg umpire changes)
Be aware that if the batter advances down the wicket, it becomes very difficult for the umpire at the bowler’s end to determine whether the ball would have passed above the batter’s waist if they had stayed in their normal batting position on the crease. Unless there is no doubt, I would leave this call to square leg umpire, particularly if it is a slow bowler.
Either umpire can call no-ball. Sometimes if the square leg umpire is inexperienced or from the fielding side, they might be reluctant or lack confidence in making close calls. If you make the call be confident and call it out loudly and clearly as soon as the ball reaches the batter. It is best if you make the call early. If it is too close for you to call, you will need to rely on square leg. (Again, you can also mention that to the coaches before the game if you wish).
It is up to you as the bowler’s end umpire to decide if the ball was dangerous. (If the ball was from a spin bowler or a slow bowler do not issue a warning).
If the ball was not a slow ball and you consider it to be dangerous, then you need to give a first and final warning to the bowler. (If you issue a first and final warning, take a moment to make a note of it in your note pad, e.g. “Alex Smith - 1st warning: 3.4 overs”. If it happens again and you have to remove the bowler from the attack, again make a note of the ball in your notebook. This is a very good habit to get into!)
Remember if the ball was high enough to be a no ball but was very wide of where the batter is batting, it should not be considered to be a dangerous ball and so no warning should be given.
Remember: These laws are designed to make the game safer to play and to reduce the chance of the batter being injured.
If a bowler bowls a dangerous full toss above waist height and is called for a no-ball, it is critical that you issue them with a first and final warning and I would normally say something like “So that means if you do it again, that I will need to call another no ball and you will not be able to bowl for the rest of the match”. This will make it clear to the bowler what will happen if they repeat the delivery in the future.
I hope that this is of assistance to you in your umpiring.
If there are any other issues that you would like me to cover, please let the team at WA Cricket (comp.admin@wacricket.com.au) know so that they can pass the questions on to me.
Good luck on the weekend!
Paul Henwood
MJCC Umpire Co-Ordinator