From: ABEGLEY@ccmail.sunysb.edu (Anthony M. Begley)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket
Subject: How to be out LBW real easy
Date: 22 Jul 1992 11:11:48 -0500
Organization: State University of New York, Stony Brook
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu
X-Unparseable-Date: 22 Jul 1992 12:10:50 -0400 (EDT)


               State University of New York at Stony Brook
                       Stony Brook, NY 11794-2275

                                            Anthony M. Begley
                                            Materials Science
                                            516 632-8516
                                            22-Jul-1992 12:09pm EDT
FROM:  ABEGLEY
TO:    Remote Addressee                     ( _rec-sport-cricket@cs.utexas.edu )

SUBJECT: How to be out LBW real easy                                  



Dear All,
Im always glad to discuss the LBW rule as most players (esp bowlers) when 
pressed into umpiring duty (as we all are) always seem to get it wrong, vis
I get given out !

|> 
|>      A succinct summary (or "umpire's guide to the LBW :-) ) was posted a
|>      few months ago - I've found it very useful for adjudicating:
|> 
|>      1) did the ball pitch outside leg stump?  If YES then NOTOUT, else 2)
|> 
|>      2) did the ball pitch outside off stump?  If YES then (i), else 3)
|> 	   (i) did the batsman play a shot?  If YES then NOTOUT else 3)
|> 
|>      3) would the ball have hit the stumps?  If YES then OUT else NOTOUT.
|> 


> 	What about balls pitching outside the off stump, moving in and hitting
>	the batsman in the line of the wickets, that would have hit the wicket?
>	I always thought that was out but the system says it isn't if the batsman
>	was playing a shot?

>	Nalin

Our Australian friend seems to have omitted one third of the law whic is
why Nalin is so confused. 
Im sure others have already pointed this out before this gets out ... but ...

IT DOESNT MATTER IF THE BALL PITCHES OUTSIDE THE OFF STUMP FOR SOMEONE TO 
BE GIVEN OUT !

It is only balls pitched outside the leg stump that are automatically not out.

This has been said in the other postings on the rule just before and after 
David Lows erroneous (slightly) one.

David has omitted the important fact that the ball must strike the pad (or body)
IN LINE from wicket to wicket     (except when no-shot is played outside the 
off stump when it doesnt matter if its in line.)

THus when umpiring the 3 main things to remember (again)

1) It must be hitting the wickets .....  

this is where it always falls down. 
If you have ever umpired at square leg  and watched the flight of the ball off 
the pitch u will realise that it has to bounce pretty close to the stumps to 
avoid going over the top of the stunmps ! For this reason any batsmen who
gets hit on the front foot which is advanced even slightly down the wicket
should normally be given the benefit of the doubt.
One MUST be absolutley certain it will hit the stumps.

Notable incidents: The ball hits the batsmen on the full toss on the toe plumb
in front of the wickets. verdict: not out because you cannot be sure the ball 
would not have bounced funnily in the crease (ie off the hollow created by
banging the bat down, e.g.) and missed the stumps. To be out on the fulltoss 
u must establish the ball would have hit the wickets on the full toss.

2) It must be pitching outside or on the wickets, not outside the leg stump.

Notable incidents: various Englishmen (esp IT Botham) preventing Abdul Qadir
from spinning the ball out of the rough outside the leg stump by thrusting 
a pad at the ball without an attempt at a shot at all.

If you bowl right arm round the wicket u will probably always be pitching 
outside the leg stump for it to hit the wickets.

3) It must hit the pad in line with the stumps.

Most off spinners who turn the ball sharply will not get many LBW's cos
for it to be hitting the wickets it will have hit the pad outsode the
off stump.

Notable incidents: people who ``pad'' up outside the off stump without 
playing a shot.

Most famous incident: Mike Gatting vs the W. Indes in England during 
the blackwash. Various times he was very close to being out padding up
and he subsequently was given out. Other tomes he let the ball come back in 
and bowl him. Cant remember the bowler in question. probably Colin Croft
since he used to bowl very wide of the crease and slant them in.

Many English batsmen I played with (inc myself) tend to play with their pads
more than their bats, vis half heartily putting the bat very close to but
 slightly behind the front pad on a forward defensive thereby preventing
a no-shot call from the umpire (it usually has to be pretty blatant for an 
umpire to give you out).

Enough said.
I notice all the English players doing well in the Ciounty Championships.
Gooch, R. Smith, Hick, Lamb getting runs. Gower not but Im not complaining.
Also Tufnell got a few wickets.

Its the day before the test and no team news from England.
Come on chaps youre letting us down.

Tony Begley
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket