[lit-ideas] Re: Panic Attack Rant with Crickets
- From: "Simon Ward" <sedward@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 02:01:31 +0100
"I think I should ask Simon if that's really so."
If I knew what you'd be asking, I'd be glad to assist.
But I was actually considering LBW.
Which is 'leg before wicket', a refinement and one means of being out, in
addition to bowled, caught, stumped and hit wicket.
And also an aside since we're considering the variety of pitches/bowling.
We have, in particular order, fast, medium, slow, seam, swing, leg spin, off
spin...as the principle categories. Bowlers may also consider whehether to
pitch the ball (that is bounce the ball!) short, good, full or perhaps even
not have it bounce at all. And by bouncing the ball there is also the degree
of turn to consider, not to mention to state of the pitch which of course
will depend on the length of the match.
Much depends upon whether a team might be deemed behind or in front of the
opposition run rate, in which case, a defensive or attacking field might be
in order.
Which of course, brings in field positions, which can change (yes change)
depending on the circumstances of the game. You might have a defensive field
(the majority of fielders close to the boundary) or an attacking field (the
majority as close in catchers), or a leg side field (the majority on left of
a right handed batsman) or an offside field (the opposite). A few field
positions to consider - wicket keeper, slip, gulley, leg gulley, mid-on,
silly mid-on, mid-off, silly mid-off, cover, point, fine leg, third man,
sweeper.
Of course, the next variable is the manner of batsman...but then that seems
to be unfair doesn't it since there are no shot varieties in baseball. So
let's be unfair. There's the drive (a straightbat that might be angled to
produce a square drive), a cut (a cross batted shot aimed towards the off),
a pull (cross batted towards the leg), the sweep (on one knee directed fine
on the leg - did I mention that there is no out of bounds inside of the
boundary), the defensive (my favourite - a 'dead bat' that merely pushes the
ball back towards the bowler - that may be played forward or back), the hook
(as close to a baseball shot as you'd get - stand up and hit hard towards
leg), all enabling the batsman to score runs numbering from 0 to 6 with one
shot, and combined to enable one batsman to score an unlimited number of
runs in one innings (the world record is 400 by Brian Lara). Did I mention
that there are two batsmen on the field at any one time?
Interestingly (or not) a test match might last five days. This has
implications. For instance, a test match in India might attract a crowd of
perhaps 80,000 each day. A television audience in the millions, each day.
Not to mention a stack of money. Each day.
And not only is their tea, but there's lunch as well.
But please, Robert, go on...
Simon
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