Cricket 2007 Commentary

[Autumn Pitz]

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Baseball fielding positions are fairly standard. There are precisely eight of them, one for each player other than the pitcher. The outfield players might move in and out a little, infield players might shift left or right, but essentially the players keep to their positions throughout the game. This is not so in cricket. Because the action takes place in the centre of the field, and all directions are live, there is vastly more territory for the fielders to cover. Also fielding positions can vary wildly depending on whether the fielding side is attacking (i.e. trying to get the batsman out) or defending (trying to stop him from scoring runs). As a result, names for the various fielding positions are essential.

Why is this important? Well, baseball field placings are generally very symmetrical (except when Barry is at the plate), but in cricket field positions depend very much on their relation to the batsman. It is therefore no help to talk about the right or left side of the field, you must talk about field positions in relation to whether the batsman is right- or left-handed. The on side is always the on side, regardless of which way around the batsman stands.

I explained in the previous article that there are different types of bowlers: fast, swing and spin. But bowlers can also vary their tactics in terms of the length and line of the delivery.

Slower bowlers tend to concentrate on bowling what is called a good length. This means pitching the ball in such a way as it will reach the batsman on the half-volley. However, note that the batsman has a say in proceedings too. He can reduce the length of a ball by playing back (i.e. stepping back as far as he dare without risking treading on his stumps) and he can increase the length by playing forward (i.e. striding forward out of his crease, though if he misses the ball he risks being stumped).

For a swing bowler the very best line of attack is just outside the off stump. The batsman can then never be quite sure if the ball is going to swing in, in which case he has to defend his stumps, or swing out, in which case the ball may catch the edge of the bat and be caught, or just carry straight on. This region is sometimes known as the corridor of uncertainty.

Finally with respect to line, note that a bowler cannot bowl absolutely straight because there is a set of stumps at his end of the pitch too (not to mention an umpire) and he has to run around them when delivering the ball. He has a choice whether to run to the right or the left of the stumps. Again this depends on whether he is right- or left-handed, so the official terms are hand-neutral. The bowler is said to be bowling over the wicket if his bowling arm is adjacent to the stumps (for a right-handed bowler, he is passing to the left of the stumps) and around the wicket is his bowling arm is on the far side of his body from the stumps. Note that a delivery bowled around the wicket will necessarily be more slanted diagonally across the pitch than one bowled over the wicket.

The bowler can also vary the angle of his line by choosing to bowl from close in to the stumps or from wider out. However, if he chooses to bowl from close in he must be careful where he treads after delivering the ball. It would be very advantageous to the bowling side to create scuff marks on the pitch on a good length (i.e. where the ball is likely to pitch). If a bowler treads in this area he may be warned by the umpire for running on the pitch. If he persists in offending he can be banned from bowling for the rest of the innings.

As I have already noted, a batsman has the option of playing forward or playing back. Before the ball is delivered he will generally be stood side-on with his weight evenly distributed between both feet. As soon as he takes a stride, he will be moving the majority of his weight onto either his front or back foot. In is important that in doing so he remains balanced, because if he is off-balance he will probably play a poor shot.

Cross-batted (horizontal bat) shots are more like baseball shots, but they have different names depending on the line of the ball and how it is hit. They are generally only played off the back foot to short-pitched bowling where the batsman has plenty of time to judge the height of the ball. A ball short and wide outside the off stump can be cut, a slashing stroke into the off side reminiscent of trying to decapitate someone with a two-handed sword. If the line of the ball is more on the stumps or body it can be pulled (if it is below the shoulders) or hooked (if it is above the shoulders). Both of these shots direct the ball to the leg side. A good length ball on leg stump is vulnerable to a cross-batted shot called a sweep. This involves playing forward, going down on one knee, and paddling the ball around to leg. It is generally only played against slower deliveries because if you get the shot wrong you risk getting a mouth full of ball. Cross-batted shots are almost always attacking shots; it is hard to defend with a horizontal bat. Cricketers do not bunt.

Just like a baseball player might take a pitch or two before attempting to make a scoring play, cricket batsmen may take a while to get their eye in before trying to score heavily. Indeed, because they will get only one or two innings, it is much more important that they do so. Typically they will either leave the ball (if it is wide) or play a defensive shot (if the line is on the stumps). As they get more of a sense of the pace and bounce of the pitch, and any tricks the bowlers may be pulling, they will start to play more aggressive shots. Batsmen who have such a good eye that they can come out and play aggressively from the start, such as Adam Gilchrist of Australia, or Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka, are highly valued in shorter forms of cricket. Likewise batsmen who are masters of defensive play, such as the legendary Geoffrey Boycott who seemed happy to stay at the crease all day without scoring and saved England from many an embarrassing defeat, can be of great use to a team trying to salvage a draw.

When one day cricket was first introduced captains tended to play very defensively, figuring that if they just prevented batsmen from scoring they could win the game. Therefore the rules were changed to force fielding sides to have a certain number of infield fielders early in the inning. A ring is painted on the field to define that infield area. The number of fielders that must be inside the ring, and the number of overs for which the restriction is in place, depends on the exact format of the game.

Field placings for spin bowlers are very different to those for faster bowlers. Because the ball travels more slowly, the catchers need to be closer in. The wicket keeper will stand immediately behind the stumps rather than well back. The slips and gully will move up with him. Fielders will be stationed at leg slip, short leg, and two new positions in front of square called silly mid on and silly mid off. The batsmen, of course, will play aggressive shots hoping to drive the close fielders away. If they succeed, silly mid on and silly mid off will drop right back to their equivalent deep positions in the hope of catching a lofted drive.

In baseball the glamour position on the field is short stop. The cricket equivalent is point, a position that is square on the off side. A fielder at point feels a bit like a goalkeeper in soccer. Batsmen making cut shots will fire balls at him at great speed at all heights and to his left and right. He has to stop them all, preferably by making a spectacular diving catch.

In general, fielding has been an ignored art in cricket for far too long. Particularly in the longer form of the game, it has been possible for teams to get away with sloppy fielding. The introduction of one-day and Twenty20 cricket has sharpened up fielding skills no end, but most cricket players, even at international level, are well behind MLB stars in their ability to field the ball, set and throw with pin-point accuracy.

Another important duty of the umpires is ensuring that conditions are safe. If it begins to rain, or the light gets bad, then the risk of injuries increases and play may have to be suspended. In the case of bad light the umpires will generally consult the batsmen because they may be prepared to take the risk and stay out there rather than suffer a break in their concentration and/or waste valuable batting time. Sometimes negotiation takes place, in that the fielding captain offers to use only his slower bowlers if the batsmen and umpires will agree to keep playing.

The late and much-loved John Arlott, for example, was known for the elegance and poetry of his match descriptions. He also sounded drunk much of the time, and quite likely was. When not commentating on cricket, Arlott had a successful career as a wine critic.

A number of famous players have had a second career as writers or commentators. However, many commentators never played the game at a professional level, yet they have gone on to become famous names associated with the game. The following is a list of the cricket commentators, including name, nationality, Broadcaster/Publication and other careers.

My hope is that commentators will realise that their voice quality, mode, pace, cricket insights, and use of language in their presentation, have a great impact on listeners. It can generate enthusiasm, excitement or disappointment, anger, frustration, boredom. Applying all of what I have just written, I hope for some level of change.

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