Know, if you know the No Ball!
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| No Ball Signal |
The NO BALL
was, in effect – 1 delivery bowled and 7 runs scored! This was, for me, the one
of the costliest errors made by CSK bowlers. The No Ball can be this much
harsh. What are the different scenarios in which an umpire can call a ball- No Ball?
What do the rules say? It is simple, is it? Are you sure about the simplicity? Let’s
check it out!
The 7 laws of a NO BALL
1. Right hand – over the wicket!
A.
Oh Yes, the umpire shall make sure whether the
bowler intends to bowl right handed or left handed, over or round the wicket,
and shall so inform the striker. It is unfair if the bowler fails to notify the
umpire of a change in his mode of delivery. In
this case the umpire shall call and signal No ball.
B.
Underarm bowling shall not be permitted except
by special agreement before the match.
2. Don’t throw it baby…
For a delivery
to be fair in respect of the arm the ball must not be thrown (elbow should not
be bent above permissible limit). If, in the opinion of either umpire, the ball
has been thrown, he shall call and signal No ball.
3. Don’t throw it baby, again…!
If the bowler
throws the ball towards the striker’s end before entering his delivery stride,
either umpire shall call and signal No ball.
4. The feet and the crease – this is perhaps the most common form of a NO BALL.
For a delivery
to be fair in respect of the feet, in the delivery stride
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| The foot no ball |
B.
The bowler’s front foot must land with some part
of the foot, whether grounded or raised
a.
on the same side of the imaginary line joining
the two middle stumps as the return crease described in A. above and
b.
behind the popping crease.
If the bowler’s end umpire is not satisfied that all of these three conditions have been met, he shall call and signal No ball.
5. O, you dangerous bowler!
A.
Bowling of fast short pitched balls
a.
If the bowler’s end umpire considers that by taking
into account their length, height and direction they are likely to inflict
physical injury. The relative skill of the striker shall be taken into
consideration.
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| Jack Kallis negotiating a dangerous bouncer. |
B.
Bowling of high full pitched balls
a.
Any delivery, which passes or would have passed
on the full above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping
crease is to be deemed dangerous and unfair, whether or not it is likely to
inflict physical injury on the striker
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| A batsmen facing dangerous beamer |
6. In addition to above basic laws of fairness of delivery, following are further laws with respect to position of fielders
A.
The wicket-keeper shall remain wholly behind the
wicket at the striker’s end from the moment the ball comes into play until
a.
a ball delivered by the bowler either
i.
touches the bat or person of the striker or
ii.
passes the wicket at the striker’s end or
b.
the striker attempts a run.
In the event of the wicket-keeper contravening this Law, the striker’s
end umpire shall call and signal No ball as soon as possible after the delivery
of the ball.
B.
Until the moment the ball comes into play, there
can be 7 players maximum on one side of wicket and minimum of 2 on the other,
excluding bowler and wicketkeeper
C.
At no point while delivering the ball, fielders should
not encroach on pitch
7. NO BALL, what’s your scorecard? Yes, a no ball affects the scorecard in many ways:
A.
A penalty of one run shall be awarded instantly
on the call of No ball. It shall be in addition to any other runs scored, any
boundary allowance and any other runs awarded for penalties.
B.
All runs resulting from a No ball, whether as No
ball extras or credited to the striker, shall be debited against the bowler
C.
A No ball shall not count as one of the over. (In effect, one extra legal ball needs to be bowled by bowler.)
D.
When No ball has been called, neither batsman
shall be out under any of the Laws except Handled the ball, Hit the ball twice,
Obstructing the field or Run out (and poor me thought it’s only Run Out!)
Free hit:
Free hit is relevant in ODIs and T20 matches. When a bowler bowls a foot-fault no ball (front foot or back foot), in the immediate next ball, the batsman cannot be ruled out in any dismissal modes other than; run out, handled the ball, hit the ball twice and obstructing the field. This freedom enables the batsman to play a powerful shot without the fear of getting out caught, bowled, stumped or leg before. For this reason, the delivery immediately after a foot-fault no ball is called a free hit. Free hit is signaled by Umpire by raising his hand and circulating it in air. No change in fielding positions is allowed if same batsmen who faced the no ball is on strike.
And still there are few more but minor laws under which a ball can be called a No Ball. There are provisions under which an Umpire can warn a bowler for bowling unfair, dangerous balls. The provision can be potentially so harsh as to ban a bowler from bowling in that match. Umpiring - a tough job, isn't it? But after this post, I hope you know the No ball! Now, this one is for you, know, if you know the no ball:
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| Which of the above is/ are no ball? |
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