“Howazee?”

Issue Number 9 – July 2004

Welcome to “Howazee?” . Last month we looked at white lines, this month we will look at some of the equipment. Because this is such a massive subject I have decided to split this over two editions. This month we shall take look at look at the wickets and the ball, and next month we shall explore what the Laws have to say about more personal items of equipment like the bat, helmet and gloves. Over the years the way in which cricket was played changed as styles developed and become adopted by the cricket playing fraternity. Accordingly the Laws changed too to reflect the manner in which the game evolved. Consequently, equipment that was legitimately used in the past is now totally illegal, although there are still times when they make their way out onto the park! Just by way of some background information, I thought I would give a short history of how play in our summer game evolved over the years, and how the Laws reflected these changing techniques.

A brief romp through time

Wickets in the early 17 th Century were made up of two vertical “stumps” with a single “bail” across the top. These wickets could be up to 6 feet wide and often only a foot high! Although this may seem odd to us today, this was because of the way that the game was played at that time. The bowler literally “bowled” the ball underhand along the ground, in pretty much in the same way that a lawn green or ten-pin bowler does today (or as a certain Mr Chappell once did in a one day international!). As very little vertical movement could be achieved there was no need to have any great height to the wickets, although there was a certain amount of bobbling of the ball because the pitches were so rough! The bowler’s main weapon was lateral variation and change of speed rather than anything else. This is why the “ battes ” of the age were shaped more like a large hockey stick, broad and heavy at the bottom with a thin handle. With the ball on the ground this is where the main meat of the bat had to be. It’s around this time that we find our first mention of a manufactured cricket ball being used, made by interlaced strips of hide.

By the mid 1740s, bowlers had discovered “lob bowling” and would lob the ball in a low but distinctly airborne trajectory before bouncing in front of the batsman. This meant that the batsmen had to learn new skills to counter the bounce of the ball, and thus front foot and back foot play was born. Although change of speed was still a major ploy for bowler’s, pitching meant that they discovered another weapon, bounce. In 1744 the pitch was defined as 22 yards long, which corresponded to an agricultural chain, and is still used today. This code also first stated the weight of the ball, and said that “ Ye ball must weigh between 5 and 6 ounces ”. By the mid-1770s lob bowling had pretty much replaced flat bowling and so the wickets were narrowed, heightened and standardised to become 6 inches wide and 22 inches high. Around this time Lamborn of Surrey discovered a new bowling weapon and became the foremost exponent of spin bowling. His huge success was probably helped by the introduction of the first six-seamed cricket ball in 1775. This was manufactured by Dukes of Kent in a manner similar to the way they are made today. The Laws now stated that the ball must weight between 5½ and 5¾ ounces, the same as today. The third (middle) stump is also believed to have been added around this time, although it did not become mandatory until 1785. The advent of two bails came about around 1786 when an “unofficial” version of the Laws was issued in Maidstone, Kent.

The batte was also changing to reflect this new bowling style. The club shape slowly disappeared and something not dissimilar to the shape that we know today was introduced, although it was still a little curved, heavily bottom weighted and made from a single piece of wood. Indeed, bats of the day were much heavier than they are now, with some weighing over 5 pounds! Initially there was no width restriction on bats, but that changed in 1771 when Thomas White of Reigate walked to the wicket with a bat around a foot wide, considerably wider than the wickets! Following this the Hambledon Club, the game’s law makers of the day, restricted the bat to a width of 4½ inches and constructed an iron grid, through which every bat had to pass. The wickets were changing too. In 1798 they had increased to be 24 inches tall and 7 inches wide, by 1798 they had grown to 26 inches and by 1823 they were 27 inches tall and 8 inches wide.

Slowly another bowling innovation came along, round-arm bowling, although many purists fought hard to keep it out of the game because they felt that it would give bowlers an unfair advantage over batsmen (does that make any bowler feel sorry for batsmen? No I thought not!). John Willes of Kent famously became the first person to be no-balled for throwing when he bowled round-arm at Lord’s in 1822. Apparently he was so annoyed that he stormed off, jumped on his horse and never played cricket again! But others followed his lead and perfected the style in “unofficial” matches, notably the famous pair of William Lillywhite and James Broadbridge of Sussex, but it was not until 1835 that the Laws were changed by the Mary-le-bone Cricket Club (the new guardians of the Laws) to allow round arm bowling, followed soon after by stipulating that the ball had to be between 9 and 9¼ inches in diameter and the bat limited to 38 inches in length and 4¼ inches in width (as it is today). Once round arm bowling was accepted, over arm bowling wasn’t far behind and this was officially legalized on 10 th June 1864. Perhaps rather strangely, there was no overnight on-mass change to this new style of bowling. In fact, it wasn’t until the Australians came to England in 1878 that any team employed a completely over arm attack (trust the Aussies to be the first to fully embrace such a devilish form of bowling, and against England too!).

As bowling had become altogether faster with larger variations in bounce being achievable, bats developed into something that we would recognise today. Invented circa 1853, the bat now had a willow blade and a cane handle, layered with strips of rubber and held together by twine and a rubber outer sheath. In 1927 the ball was changed to be 8 13 / 16 to 9 inches in circumference, largely in response to the fact that newer manufacturing processes had meant that smaller, harder balls had crept in without anyone noticing! In 1931, in response to large scores, the MCC attempted to redress the balance and enlarged the wickets to become the 28 by 9 inch version that we know today (does that make any bowler feel sorry for batsmen? No I thought not!).

To end our little ramble down memory lane, here’s an interesting point about bowling styles. Since Mr Chappell’s infamous delivery, the original underarm style of bowling became outlawed, first in the one day game and now in all cricket (unless specifically agreed beforehand). Odd how the Australians were the first to fully embrace over arm bowling, and also the last to abandon under arm bowling in the international game!

The Furniture.

Law 8 deals with the stumps and the bails. Part 1 tells us that “ Two sets of wickets shall be pitched opposite and parallel to each other at a distance of 22 yards/20.12m between the centres of the two middle stumps. “ (remembering, of course, that they are placed on the bowling crease which is the back edge of the marked white line!) “ Each set shall be 9 in/22.8cm wide and shall consist of three wooden stumps with two wooden bails on top. “ This is very much in line with the changes made in 1931. But in part two there is a subtle change from all previous codes, it says that “ The tops of the stumps shall be 28 in/71.1cm above the playing surface and shall be dome shaped except for the bail grooves. The portion of a stump above the playing surface shall be cylindrical, apart from the domed top, with circular section of diameter not less than 1 3 / 8 in/3.49cm nor more than 1 1 / 2 in/3.81cm. “ The big difference is a firm definition of the cross sectional diameter of the stumps. Before the 2000 code the Laws simply stated that the stumps had to be “ Equal and sufficient in size to prevent the ball from passing between them. “ This led to variations in thickness largely depending upon the manufacturer’s whim, as long as they were thick enough to stop a ball going through. Interestingly, this is also the first time that it has been stated that the stumps had to be cylindrical. Before then they could quite legally have been, say, square in cross section! Indeed, when I was a young lad (and Nelson was a cabin boy) I remember playing in an inter-schools tournament where special octagonal shaped stumps made in the school’s own woodworking shop were used!

Standardising the diameter of the stumps may not sound very much, but it can have an important impact on the game. Many clubs use a three-pronged fork to make the initial holes into which the stumps will finally be placed. If these forks are not made specifically for the stumps used it is quite possible that the wickets could be wider than 9 inches if a thicker stump is used, and smaller with thinner stumps! The difference may not be very much, but it could be the difference between a batsman having a close shave and being bowled. I would strongly suggest that each club takes the time to measure the stumps in their possession and discards those which do not conform. Also, please measure the distance between the prongs on any forks used to make the initial holes. The distance between the points of the two outer prongs should be between 7 1 / 2 to 7 5 / 8 inches (or 18.99 to 19.31 cm). If it is not, bin it and get a new one. I’m sure that batsmen will not want the wickets to be any larger than they need to be, and I KNOW that bowler’s will not want them to be any smaller!

Over time the dome shape of the stumps can be crushed or distorted by continually banging them into the ground. This can lead to inadequate grooves which cannot hold the bails in place, especially in windy conditions (note that if the stump holes are wetted before use the stumps can usually be screwed into place without the need to use a mallet, thus preserving the domed top). Stumps can warp over time too. A friend of mine recently related a story of a cup match where one of the stumps was so curved that he had to put it in the middle because it was the only way to get the wicket to 9 inches wide!

The biggest change has come when we take a look at the bails. The 1980 code (and many before it) said that “ The bails shall be each 4 3 / 8 inches (11.1cm) in length and when in position on top of the stumps shall not project more than ½ inch (1.3cm) above them. “ This led to a myriad of designs and sizes for the bails. The 2000 code is far stricter and says in Law 8.3(b) that:

“ Each bail shall conform to the following specifications. See Appendix A.

Overall length:-                    4 5 / 16 in/10.95cm

Length of barrel:-                 2 1 / 8 in/5.40cm

Longer spigot:-                     1 3 / 8 in/3.49cm

Shorter spigot:-                    13 / 16 in/2.06cm “

This means that virtually all bails manufactured before 2000 are now illegal and MUST NOT BE USED. Very few clubs seem to understand this and illegal bails are commonplace. Please, measure the club bails and if they do not conform, GET A NEW SET. They only cost around £5 and are not difficult to find.

One final point, this Law also goes on to say that the umpires can agree to dispense with the use of bails in high winds, providing that they are removed from both ends and replaced as soon as practicable. Another option is to use heavy bails. These are a little harder to find and are usually a little bit more expensive (around £10), but why not get a set of these for the club when you order your new standard bails? If you are having trouble getting hold of bails (heavy or standard) try Acumen Books on www.acumenbooks.co.uk who I know can supply them at a reasonable cost.

The Cherry

Law 5.1 tells us that “ The ball, when new, shall weigh not less than 5½ ounces/155.9g, nor more than 5¾ ounces/163g, and shall measure not less than 8 13 / 16 in/22.4cm, nor more than 9in/22.9cm in circumference. “ Nothing much new there, but there have been some recent changes that affect how it is to be used. Law 5.2(a) states that “ The umpire shall take possession of the ball in use at the fall of each wicket, at the start of any interval and at any interruption of play. “ This is a change from previous years and some players seem very slow to adjust to it. When a wicket falls the fielding side must pass the ball back to an umpire immediately , not spend a long time polishing it before finally having it wrestled out of their grasp! Some players just lob the ball in the general direction of an umpire. Have a little courtesy guys! Don’t make the umpire chase you around for it, or be forced to collect it from some far corner of the field, or even risk being hit by the ball when he’s not looking! Why not just pass it over politely? Incidentally, most players seem to return the ball to the wrong umpire! In itself this is no bad thing as it compels the umpires to meet at the fall of a wicket, even if only to hand over the ball! But it would be nice if occasionally players were aware enough to think where the ball will be needed next!

There should always be a supply of old balls available to the umpires if a replacement is required (Law 5.5). A replacement might not just be needed because the ball is lost, although it is probably fair to say that this is the most common reason, it may require changing if it becomes split, out of shape, damaged in any way or even perhaps tampered with by the fielding side! A fielding team may bring a damaged ball to the umpire’s attention, but it is the umpires, and ONLY the umpires, who decide IF the ball should be changed and WHICH ball is to be used as a replacement. It is not the time for a general discussion involving the world, his wife and his dog! No player has the right to influence the umpires’ choice or appeal against it. The umpires will choose one with comparable wear as the one being replaced, not one that is better for your team than the old one! Once the umpires have made their decision they inform the batsmen and the fielding captain, but not gain their permission!

Law 42.3 gives a list of dos and don’ts when it comes to polishing or cleaning the ball. 42.3(a) says that “ Any fielder may:
(i)         polish the ball provided that no artificial substance is used and that such           polishing wastes no time.

(ii)        remove mud from the ball under the supervision of the umpire.

(iii)       dry a wet ball on a towel. “

and 42.3 (b) goes on to say that “ It is unfair for anyone to rub the ball on the ground for any reason, interfere with any of the seams or the surface of the ball, use any implement, or take any action whatsoever which is likely to alter the condition of the ball, except as permitted in (a) above. “

So, using a little spit and sweat to polish the ball is allowed, providing it doesn’t waste time, but using sun cream or such like is not. In the old days it was not unknown for the ball to travel back to the bowler via several fielders, each having to add their own personal brand of polishing whilst the bowler patiently stood back at his mark waiting for HIS turn to have a rub! Such practices are now not allowed, and by the time the bowler gets back to his mark he should pretty much be ready to turn and deliver the next ball without delay. The only exceptions are for drying the ball (which can occasionally take a little time) and removing mud from the ball (which should be done in front of an umpire anyway). However, even then the umpires will be on the look-out to make sure that time isn’t unnecessarily wasted.

Please note that the sizes given for the wickets and the ball are full size only. The Laws allow for smaller sizes to be used in junior and ladies cricket. Full details are given in the relevant Laws.

Well, that’s it for this month. See you in August.

The Bearded Burbler

The Andy Hatt logo is reproduced by kind permission of

the New Zealand Cricket Umpires Association.

The Laws explored this month can be viewed on the following links:

Law 5 (The Ball)                            http://www.mcc.org.uk/cricket/lw_0000000031.asp

Law 8 (The Wickets)                      http://www.mcc.org.uk/cricket/lw_0000000034.asp

Law 42 (Fair and unfair play)      http://www.mcc.org.uk/cricket/lw_0000000068.asp

Appendix A (The Wickets)          http://www.mcc.org.uk/cricket/lw_0000000074.asp

© Viper Productions   July 2004