Berkshire Cricket League

Welcome to another edition of "Howazee?" , the monthly newsletter about the Laws of cricket. Last month I promised a look at the Laws which directly relate to captains. Most club captains have a good deal more to do than just lead the side on the park. However, as these duties will vary from club to club, I will only be concentrating on what the Laws have to say on the subject. Equally, as most of us are only humble cricketers, more likely to play in the local park than Lord's, I shall not get involved with things that only relate to the professional game such as enforcing the follow-on, taking the second new ball or having the pitch rolled on the fifth day! Let's begin by taking a look at who can act as captain.

Law 1.1 states that "A match is played between two sides, each of eleven players, one of whom shall be captain." So, from this it is clear that the captain MUST be one of the players in the team, any of them. That may sound pretty obvious, but the point of this Law is to state that a non-playing team manager (for example) cannot be considered as the captain. Clearly, this is unlikely to be the case in most senior cricket, but this situation might arise in junior cricket where the colts manager or a schoolteacher might be in overall charge of the team. However, he does not automatically get the same rights and privileges as the captain does.

Before the match.
Before the game begins the Laws provide for a number of things that a captain must do. Firstly, under Law 11.1 the captains have the right to inspect the pitch BEFORE they nominate their teams (more of that later). Although this is unlikely to be a major factor in most club games, it could be that the state of the pitch may affect who the captain wants in his team. For example, it could be that he may want to play an extra spinner in the place of a seam bowler. Unless he has the chance to inspect the wicket such an informed choice would be impossible. There are, of course, certain limits to his inspection process. He cannot do anything that might have any effect on the playing surface whatsoever, such as sticking a knife into the pitch on a length. One notable TV commentator (no names, but he used to play for Yorkshire) found himself banned from the square by the ground authorities after using such methods in his pre-match discussion on the pitch surface!

Secondly, Law 3.3 says that BOTH captains must agree with the umpires:

1. The hours of play.
2. The balls which are to be used for the match.
3. Any special conditions that will affect the match.
4. The time and duration of any intervals (tea or drinks intervals for example).
5. The boundary markings and the agreed run allowances.
6. Which timepieces will be used to govern play.

Thirdly, the captain HAS to nominate his team in writing BEFORE the toss for innings (Law 1.2). Once he has done so no player can be changed without the express permission of the opposing captain and the umpires should be informed of the change. Imagine the case where a captain turns up with only 10 men because 1 guy had to drop out at short notice (sound familiar?). After an hour or so someone turns up at the ground to watch the match and the captain runs over to talk him into playing to make up the XI. This new player would NOT be entitled to take any part in the match (except perhaps to act as a fielding substitute for an injured nominated player) unless the opposition captain agrees to letting him play. Many captains might give their permission, but they do not have to do so. After all, it was the failure on the part of the team that is short not to have a full side and the captain may not be prepared to give up the advantage of playing against only 10 men and who could blame him? As we now have the swanky new ECB team cards, it would be best to use these for the job of nominating teams. They will also serve the dual purpose of giving the umpires all the required details about any junior players too.

Finally, the toss for innings which is covered in Law 12.4 and states that "The captains shall toss for the choice of innings on the field of play not earlier than 30 minutes, nor later than 15 minutes, before the scheduled or any rescheduled time for the match to start." The two points to note here are:

1. The toss should take place on the field of play (don't ask me why it can't be done in the pavilion, it just can't OK!). It does not have to be on the pitch, or even the central square, the edge of the outfield will do.
2. The toss must be done between 30 minutes and 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the match or, if it is already clear that play will not start on time, before the rescheduled start of play.

Also we have to look at Law 12.5 which states "The captain of the side winning the toss shall notify the opposing captain of his decision to bat or to field, not later than 10 minutes before the scheduled or any rescheduled time for the match to start. Once notified the decision may not be altered." The two important points here are:

1. The captain can delay giving his decision to bat or bowl first until 10 minutes before the start of play (to get advice from his players for example).
2. Once he has made his decision and informed the other captain the decision shall stand and CANNOT be changed. As so many TV quiz shows say, I can only accept your first answer!

But, what happens if the captain isn't available for some reason to perform any or all of the above? Well, Law 1.3 holds they key. It says that a deputy must act on the captain's behalf to agree playing conditions, to swap the team sheets, and to take the toss. Any or all of this can be done by any agreed deputy (a non-playing team manager for example) but, once the toss is done, any deputy acting on behalf of the captain MUST be a nominated playing member of the team.

During the game
With all the paperwork and preparation done, the captain can now turn his mind to more mundane matters like actually playing the game! Probably the most important duty is to see that the game is played according to the Spirit of Cricket (introduced into the Laws in 2000). I would strongly suggest that all players, especially captains, make themselves fully conversant with this section of the Laws. They really are core to reason that we all love this quirky old game.

Law 1.4 spells out exactly who is responsible for ensuring that the players behave themselves. It says: "The captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the spirit and traditions of the game as well as within the Laws." And Law 42.1 goes on to say that "The responsibility lies with the captains for ensuring that play is conducted within the spirit and traditions of the game, as described in The Preamble - The Spirit of Cricket, as well as within the Laws."

And if you are still in any doubt, Law 42.18 states: "If there is any breach of the Spirit of the game by a player failing to comply with the instructions of an umpire, or criticising his decisions by word or action, or showing dissent, or generally behaving in a manner which might bring the game into disrepute, the umpire concerned shall immediately report the matter to the other umpire. The umpires together shall

1. inform the player's captain of the occurrence, instructing the latter to take action.
2. warn him of the gravity of the offence, and tell him that it will be reported to higher authority.
3. report the occurrence as soon as possible to the Executive of the player's team and any Governing Body responsible for the match, who shall take such action as is considered appropriate against the captain and player or players, and, if appropriate, the team concerned."

Notice in particular the final part of point iii. The first person mentioned for potential punishment is the captain. He is expected to be able to control his players. If any player behaves in an unacceptable manner (which includes failing to comply with the instructions of the umpires or criticising their decisions IN ANY WAY) and the captain does not take appropriate steps then he has offended too and is likely to receive equal, if not greater, penalty then the original miscreant himself.

In a similar vein, the captain is required to remove a bowler from the attack when requested to do so by the umpires should he transgress Law 24.2c(ii) (throwing), 42.3e(ii) (Unfairly changing the condition of the match ball), 42.7 (dangerous bowling), 42.12c (running on the pitch) or 42.9b(ii) (time wasting by the fielding side!).

Changing the ball.
That's dealt with the less tasteful side of the game so let's move on. The fielding captain has the right to be informed if the umpires change the ball for any reason. This might be because the ball has been lost in a nearby field (usual when I'm bowling!), or has become damaged or misshapen. Equally, the batsmen at the crease should be informed also. However, neither the fielding captain, nor the batsmen have any right to decide on what replacement ball shall be used. This is a matter for the umpires, and the umpires alone to decide. The captain can give his opinion, but the final decision rests solely with the umpires.

Declarations
The batting captain may declare the innings closed at any time provided that the ball is dead. For example, if he is batting and skies a ball to long on he can't announce his declaration whilst the ball is in mid air just to avoid getting out (and perhaps giving the opposition an additional bowling point)! Whenever he does declare he must inform both the umpires and the opposing captain. In practice it is common for the batting captain to merely wave his players in from the pavilion, but he must be sure that he does so in a manner that is clear for all to see. He can't start shouting when a wicket has fallen (for another bowling point perhaps) and state that he actually declared before the ball was bowled but nobody looked at him! If it isn't clear to ALL concerned, especially the umpires, it isn't good enough!

Warnings.
Both captains also have the right to be informed, as soon as reasonably practicable, about any warning issued by the umpires (for dangerous bowling for example). This is especially true in the case of any unfair play. The reason for this is that the captain of the offending player should be aware of the transgressions of his players (for who he is responsible remember) so that he can take any necessary action, and the other captain needs to know that action has been taken against an offender. This way he can inform his players that justice has been done (hopefully avoiding any unwanted form of reprisal), and he can make sure his players don't commit the same crime.

Intervals.
Under Law 15.10, the captains can also agree to forego any drinks intervals and the tea interval if they so choose (the batsmen at the crease can deputise for the batting captain in the case of foregoing a drinks interval). A point in question might be when fading light is threatening to cause an early end to the day and the captains agree to do without drinks intervals to save wasting time. The important point is that both captains must agree and inform the umpires accordingly. If they can't agree then the status quo is maintained. Interestingly, the Laws make no provision for the captains to agree to do the same with a luncheon interval. However, they are allowed to change the time of the interval, in conjunction with the umpires, to minimise the loss of playing time in adverse weather conditions (see Law 15.5).

Bad weather.
That's leads me nicely onto the matter of unfit playing conditions. Captains are entitled to agree to play on in weather conditions that the umpires consider unsuitable for play. In this case the batsmen at the wicket may deputise for the captain. In the same way, the captains can also agree to start play or restart play in poor conditions (see Law 3.9b). In the case of bad light, it is only the batting side that has the option on whether to continue play or not. If it is agreed that play will continued in unsuitable conditions either captain can appeal at any time afterwards (except in the case of bad light when only the batting side can appeal), but the umpires will only uphold the appeal and stop play if the conditions have deteriorated from the point that both captains agreed to continue.

However, it must be remembered that the umpires still have a duty of care to both themselves and the players. Law 3.9d goes on to say that "If at any time the umpires together agree that the conditions of ground, weather or light are so bad that there is obvious and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player or umpire, so that it would be unreasonable or dangerous for play to take place" then the game MUST be halted. This Law goes on to qualify this statement and says that "If the umpires consider the ground is so wet or slippery as to deprive the bowler of a reasonable foothold, the fielders of the power of free movement, or the batsmen of the ability to play their strokes or to run between the wickets, then these conditions shall be regarded as so bad that it would be unreasonable for play to take place."

Sportsmanship or Gamesmanship?
Law 27.8 says "The captain of the fielding side may withdraw an appeal only with the consent of the umpire within whose jurisdiction the appeal falls and before the outgoing batsman has left the field of play. If such consent is given the umpire concerned shall, if applicable, revoke his decision and recall the batsman." This supreme sporting gesture means that a fielding captain can attempt to undo what he considers to be a wrong done against the batting side. It could be that a fielder might quietly admit to the captain that a catch didn't quite carry but the umpire mistakenly gave the batsman out. Although the laws do say that the captain has to get the umpires permission to withdraw an appeal, it would usually be a very hard umpire to refuse such a request. However, there are times when an umpire might legitimately choose NOT to give a captain permission to withdraw an appeal. Such cases often come under the general title of "gamesmanship." For example, we have all come across cases when a team are chasing quick runs, but a usually competent batsman just can't get the ball off the square. In such cases it might actually be detrimental to the fielding side to get him out! This Law does not give the captain the right to withdraw an appeal just because he considers advantageous to keep him there. Equally, it could be that a captain wishes to withdraw an appeal because he thinks that the umpire has made a mistake or doesn't understand the laws! Such action would not be a million miles away from showing open dissent and should be treated in the same way as any other form of dissent. However, that said, thankfully such gamesmanship is rare and long may it remain so.

And now, it's over to Uncle Strigidae for the second of his sidelong glances at some of cricket's more peculiar Laws.

We Don't Make the Laws….
Justice for all?
We all know that a batsman handling the ball can result in the miscreant taking the lonely hike back to the pavilion, but this may not be the case when the intervention deprives a member of the fielding side the opportunity of taking a catch. In this instance, irrespective of which batsman causes the obstruction, it is the striker who is given out. This makes good sense, since it would have been the striker who would have been dismissed had the catch been taken and this ruling thus prevents a tail-ender from unfairly protecting a better batsman by sacrificing his own wicket unfairly. However, it does leave the actual offender unpunished. Whilst this is fortunately a rare occurrence, is there not a case for stamping it out completely by dismissing both batsmen on those rare occasions when this illicit piece of teamwork does arise? Answers on a postcard … (Note: The non-striker might not be completely free of punishment if he is reported for bringing the game into disrepute under Law 32.18! BB)

Well, I've burbled on enough for this month. On behalf of Uncle Strigidae and myself, may I wish you all a successful season where your biggest worries will be getting sunburnt!

Regards, The Bearded Burbler

"Howazee?"
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©Viper Productions May 2004