Message to Pakistan cricketers

[DaveB]

Excuse me? Art of the Bowler? You mean art to damage the ball or to scratch or to polish it in a way that is nothing else but cheating?

How many runs in a single day, say 1000? Well get 1000 balls, use them once only then sell to people who attend the game - if they sold 100000+ tickets, then they will surely sell these once used balls at a profit.

Actually polishing the ball *is* perfectly legal.

[lORD lUCAN]

I tend to agree with you, but then I only go for the beer and a suntan...

This can be achieved in other places. My good friend has the right idea though. He's off to watch the test in Oz later this year. If your gonna waste time watching it, may aswell go somewhere nice.

[Paddy]

I think the ball tampering was quite innocent, he was merely poring the hydrogen peroxide into the ball to make it up to correct weight and squeezing the toothpaste tube to clean the ball, and it wasn’t a real fuse connected to the ball it was a piece of string that accidentally stuck to it, but I wasn’t too sure about him shouting Ala Akbar when he was bowling.

[AtW]

Actually polishing the ball *is* perfectly legal.

Make it illegal then - _any_ attempt to do anything with the ball apart from using it for its designed purpose should be banned, this would prevent cheats from tampering with the ball as well as providing new revenue stream by selling many balls to those who want, for a reasonable price they would fly off after the game.

[djfoot]

This can be achieved in other places. My good friend has the right idea though. He's off to watch the test in Oz later this year. If your gonna waste time watching it, may aswell go somewhere nice.

Barmy Army! Barmy Army! Actually Rose Bowl is fantastic. Only 30 minute walk from home, and pass KFC/Burger King/McD/Pub on the way.

[foritisme]

Don't feed the trolls...........

Its probally too deep for your limited attention span

your right, weeks to play one series that ends in a draw - riveting !

[wendigo100]

Excuse me? Art of the Bowler? You mean art to damage the ball or to scratch or to polish it in a way that is nothing else but cheating?

How many runs in a single day, say 1000? Well get 1000 balls, use them once only then sell to people who attend the game - if they sold 100000+ tickets, then they will surely sell these once used balls at a profit.

Alexei, I have a lot of problems with your idea.

Mainly, it is more far more complicated and unfair than the current system, which actually works quite well.

Secondly, why change with every run? Why not every over, or every ball? What is your logic?

Thirdly, tests usually see about 300 runs a day, at about 100 scoring shots (I assume you wouldn't change the ball four times after a boundary, and I assume you don't include runs given for extras). That is about 100 new balls, each of which needs to be brought onto the field, which will waste of time.

Fourthly, and most importantly, batsmen don't want to face a new ball throughout the innings, they want to see it off. The older ball's seam flattens and softens, stopping it moving off the pitch so much, and the ball itself gets softer making it easier to play.

BTW you implied that polishing one side of the ball is cheating. It is perfectly legal.

[AtW]

That is about 100 new balls, each of which needs to be brought onto the field, which will waste of time.

Put a bin with lots of balls.

Polishing the ball seems to me an attempt to make it behave differently - if that's legal then similar attempts should also be legal, sounds like a rather serious inconsistency.

[shaunbhoy]

how can it be possible to cheat in such situation

You are Russian alexei. I am sure you can work it out!

[Fleetwood]

Put a bin with lots of balls.

Polishing the ball seems to me an attempt to make it behave differently - if that's legal then similar attempts should also be legal, sounds like a rather serious inconsistency.

The rule is that you can shine the ball, but not do anything else to it. That's a rule and it has to be obeyed.

Cricket also has another rule about legs being in front of the wicket :

1. Out LBW

The striker is out LBW in the circumstances set out below.

(a) The bowler delivers a ball, not being a No ball

and (b) the ball, if it is not intercepted full pitch, pitches in line between

wicket and wicket or on the off side of the striker’s wicket

and (c) the ball not having previously touched his bat, the striker intercepts

the ball, either full-pitch or after pitching, with any part of his

person

and (d) the point of impact, even if above the level of the bails,

either (i) is between wicket and wicket

or (ii) is either between wicket and wicket or outside the line

of the off stump, if the striker has made no genuine

attempt to play the ball with his bat

and (e) but for the interception, the ball would have hit the wicket.


2. Interception of the ball

(a) In assessing points (c), (d) and (e) in 1 above, only the first interception is to

be considered.

(b) In assessing point (e) in 1 above, it is to be assumed that the path of the ball

before interception would have continued after interception, irrespective of

whether the ball might have pitched subsequently or not.



3. Off side of wicket

The off side of the striker’s wicket shall be determined by the striker’s stance at

the moment the ball comes into play for that delivery.


More esoteric rules next week, pals !!!!