Leg Before Wicket
If there is one single issue that raises its head more often and provokes more debate, discussion, dialogue in cricket circles than Leg Before Wicket, then I am unaware of it. Decisions given, decisions not given, each causes its own arguments. Either the batsman or the bowler is going to disagree with the decision. ‘You can’t keep all of the people happy all of the time’ definitely applies to appeals for LBW.
Law 36[1] states...
1. Out LBW
The striker is out LBW in the circumstances set out below.
(a) The bowler delivers a ball, not being a No ball,
and (b) the ball, if it is not intercepted full pitch, pitches in line between wicket and wicket or on the off side of the striker’s wicket,
and (c) the ball not having previously touched his bat, the striker intercepts the ball, either full pitch or after pitching, with any part of his person,
and (d) the point of impact, even if above the level of the bails,
either (i) is between wicket and wicket,
or (ii) if the striker has made no genuine attempt to play the ball with his bat, is either between wicket and wicket or outside the line of the off stump.
and (e) but for the interception, the ball would have hit the wicket.
2. Interception of the ball
(a) In assessing points (c), (d) and (e) in 1 above, only the first interception is to be considered.
(b) In assessing point (e) in 1 above, it is to be assumed that the path of the ball before interception would have continued after interception, irrespective of whether the ball might have pitched subsequently or not.
3. Off side of wicket
The off side of the striker’s wicket shall be determined by the striker’s stance at the moment the ball comes into play for that delivery. See Appendix D.
© Marylebone Cricket Club 2013
Now did you all get that? Easy, isn’t it? Now we can all take our place as umpires and confidently provide correct decisions to appeals for L.B.W. If only it were that easy. If only we could all get all decisions right all of the time. It rarely happens though. Hardly a game would go past without an appeal from someone, somewhere. Sometimes it is the bowler who appeals, with a degree of certainty reflected in the volume and length of his appeal. Sometimes, whilst umpiring, you will get an appeal from the most unlikely of fielding positions. Slips, Mid-on, mid-off and wicket-keeper are fielders that have a decent position to decide whether to join an appeal. Some fielders will join an appeal merely to add to the appeal’s volume. However there are times when a solitary appeal will come from square leg, long leg, cover boundary or third man which sometimes is just enthusiasm and occasionally just mistimed.
Some bowlers will appeal every time the ball hits the pad. The view tends to be, well the umpire is there and it is his job to make the decision and so I shall ask him every time. This applies to deliveries that have no chance of a dismissal, pitching outside leg, hitting outside leg and missing leg stump as well as ones that are more marginal or even definitely out.
Umpires in Leinster cricket provide a great variation in their performances. In the higher divisions, neutral umpires are kindly supplied by the LCUS&A and occasionally we see these gentlemen, and ladies, in the lower leagues, but mainly at cup semi-finals and finals. At other times, both teams supply the officials, that is the batting team will umpire their own innings and it may mean that the bowling team might see 8 or more umpires during the course of an innings. Some of these players/umpires might be officially qualified umpires having undertaken one of the LCUS&A courses, whilst others will rely on the knowledge gleaned from years of garden cricket and the sky commentary team; the majority will be from somewhere between these levels of knowledge and experience.
There has developed over the years a preconceived idea about various teams and grounds and the chances of getting an LBW decision in your favour. Whether these rumours have any basis in fact is not yet examined as there are so many variables that would affect the amount of decisions. It may be that a whole game can pass without one delivery causing an appeal from anyone. Whereas there can be other games where it appears the pads are being hit by the delivery more often than the bat is hitting the ball. Many post-games chats can end in a Scooby-doo fashion, that is, ‘We would have won if it hadn’t been for those pesky kids umpires’.
Player / Umpires have to differentiate between their two roles. As a player they will do whatever is needed to win the game (within the rules and within the spirit of the game of course); but as an Umpire they have to become impartial and act as a neutral umpire would. Not to be biased in favour of your own team can be difficult, after all you will have to return to your team later on and talk to those whom you dispatched. I have seen umpires replaced by the batting team after a decision has been given to the bowler, but rarely replaced for turning an appeal down.
So as an umpire what do you do when the ball strikes the pads and the bowler, keeper and everyone else, usually including a few spectators on the sidelines (usually square of the wicket) go with a loud and long and often multiple appeals for Leg Before Wicket. Firstly no umpire should be rushed into a decision. Take a breath; replay the delivery in your mind. Even if you know your decision immediately, always give yourself this time for consideration. If you give one decision quickly, but hesitate over the next, the fielding team will probably assume you are looking for a way, any way, not to give it. So be consistent with your decision process. It gives off an air of confidence, gives the impression you know what you are checking each time. Thorough and professional is the impression you wish to give., not furtive and suspicious.
Whilst you are taking your time, try and ask yourself some questions. It is a form of checklist if you will.
Was it a legitimate delivery?
If no, it was not then it can not be out and no-ball is the signal?
If yes, then onto the next question.
Where did the ball pitch?
If outside leg stump then it can not be L.B.W. and the appeal can be turned down.
If it pitched outside off-stump or in line with the stumps, then proceed to the next question.
Did the ball hit the batsman before hitting the bat or gloves?
For a delivery to be considered for LBW it must hit the batsman before any contact with the bat. Any part of the batsman counts, not just his pads. Pads are a protection not a marker. And although the Law is called Leg Before Wicket, it does not only include the leg.
Was there a genuine attempt to hit the ball?
This is especially relevant for a delivery that pitches outside the line of off stump and hits the batsman outside the line of off-stump but would have hit the stumps without his intervention. If he has genuinely played a shot then he will be not out, but if no genuine shot has been played then he could be out.
Would the ball have gone on to hit the stumps without intervention?
This is, as with most decisions a judgement call. Umpires get better and better making this judgement with more experience.
Leg Before Wicket first entered the game in 1744, so you’d think we’d know it by now. However, the law has evolved and changed over the years with the latest change taking place in 1972, forty-four years ago. Since the Laws introduction the numbers of batsmen falling LBW has been steadily rising and now with the establishment of DRS, ball tracking, ‘snicko’, and other wonderful technological advances, LBW decisions are becoming more notable and more frequent. Without delving into the store of figures that the LCU have since 2011 to back up this assertion, it is possible to show that in English County Cricket, the percentage of dismissal by LBW has been rising since the First World War[2]. In the 1920’s, a golden age for cricket, LBW was the cause of dismissal for 11% of all wickets. Ten years later, after a law amendment, this rose to 14%. From the resumption of cricket after ‘The Emergency’ or World War 2 as others know it, until the 1970’s, the percentage fell back towards 11%, but from 2000 to 2010., this being the period with the assistance of DRS and other technology including third umpires and even neutral umpires, the figure has risen to 19%, the equivalent of two LBWs per innings.
In Leinster cricket, with the collection of e-scorecards and all of the information contained therein, it is now possible to see which teams, which grounds and which Clubs have the most LBWs given about them. I owe many thanks to my new stats guru, Niall Walsh, who has taken over from Paul Reynolds, for providing the following information and support.
As far as Clubs are concerned, the percentage of LBWs suffered ranges from 3% to 20% for the Evening Herald Taverners, but most other teams are under the County Championship average of 19%. The teams with the lowest percentages and the ones which will provoke the most debate are:
| Garda | 3% |
| Ringcommons | 3% |
| Lucan | 5% |
| Walnut Taverners | 6% |
| Cabinteely | 6% |
| Longford | 6% |
| Halverstown | 7% |
| Ballaghaderreen | 7% |
| AIB | 7% |
| North County | 7% |
| Terenure | 7% |
| Bells Academy | 7% |
| Slieve Bloom | 7% |
| Wexford Wanderers | 7% |
The teams with the highest percentages are:
| Mullingar | 10% |
| YMCA | 10% |
| Ashbourne | 10% |
| Swords | 10% |
| Castleknock | 10% |
| Dublin Fire Brigade | 10% |
| Malahide | 10% |
| Dublin University | 10% |
| Dundalk | 11% |
| Merrion | 11% |
| Tyrrelstown | 13% |
| Cork County | 14% |
| Evening Herald Taverners | 20% |
Then there is the perception that some grounds are more difficult to get an LBW dismissal than others. It may have an element of truth, but the sample used is possibly too small and there are many other factors in play meaning this table is not definitive, but rather a general overview.
Two of the 60 grounds listed have not seen even one LBW. Carlow RFC has seen 19 individual innings and no LBWs given. Kilcormac is the other without an LBW in 11 innings.
| Carlow RFC | 0% |
| Kilcormac | 0% |
| Kilbogget Park | 3% |
| Terenure College | 4% |
| Ballyeighan | 4% |
| Mount Temple | 4% |
| Dromiskin | 5% |
| Ringcommons | 5% |
| Aravon School | 5% |
| Marlay Park | 5% |
| St Andrew's College | 5% |
| St Columba's Coll 2 | 5% |
The grounds with the most LBW dismissals are:
| College Park | 11% |
| Phoenix | 11% |
| Ashbourne | 11% |
| The Mardyke | 11% |
| Civil Service | 11% |
| Kenilworth Square | 12% |
| Malahide 1 | 12% |
| Anglesea Road | 12% |
| High School | 13% |
| Sydney Parade 2 | 13% |
| Clongowes Wood | 15% |
| Wesley College 2 | 19% |
These discrepancies can not be merely explained by a poor standard of umpiring, by both official LCUS&A umpires and playing umpires, despite what a lot of players would say. Some grounds are more conducive to LBW appeals from variable bounce, to no sightscreens, to many other factors.
We all have our favourite stories relating to LBW appeals, usually ones turned down. ‘Going down leg’ is a common reason for a not out decision, but one of my favourites had the umpire telling the bowler that the delivery was missing leg, and telling the captain it was missing off. We deduced that if it was missing off and missing leg, the only other place for it to go was to hit middle. And yet the decision stood, although the umpire didn’t and was replaced shortly after.
I have had umpires explain to me, as a bowler, that although my delivery would have hit leg stump it wouldn’t have hit middle and therefore was not out.
DRS is carving out its niche in international cricket, but as technology advances, there is a market and a pretty big one at that, for a club edition. One that will provide the right decisions in real time, but without the need for four high speed cameras and the rest of the expensive technology. Already the “Club” edition of snicko is available, but at this time unproven and we await the future and the end of the arguments, debates and discussions.
Leg before Wicket decisions will continue to frustrate, annoy and upset players and fans, from all sides. Many batsmen can not believe when they are given out and many bowlers can not believe an umpire thinks their delivery was missing the stumps. It will not be solved in one article or in one season, but only when such judgement calls are handed over to technology that is proven and accurate will we finally accept that maybe, just maybe, the umpire was right disagreeing with us.
[1] www.lords.com
[2] Wikipedia, ‘Leg before wicket’