Introduction
Many cricket umpires find a bat / pad decision one of the hardest appeals to answer and have a perception that they don’t get enough of these decisions correct. The simple fact is, they’re right! It is one of the hardest decisions to get right all the time out on the field, BUT below there are some tips that might help go some of the way to getting more of these right and helping you to progress towards excellence. These are some guiding rules to bat / pad decisions but like all rules - there is an exception in all cases. To make a correct bat / pad decision, the umpire really needs to have a ‘commitment to excellence and good pre deliveryp reparation…
Stand closer to the stumps at the bowler’s end to get as close to the action as you can (it also helps improve the perception that you’re‘in the game’)
to be on top of their game by focusing really hard on the ball (watch the ball closely)and be able to notice small and subtle deflections / movement
to be listening for the different sounds
observe the batting technique of the striker(bat out in front or behind the pad)
to give yourself time, consider all the facts (sight and sounds) and not be influenced by the appeal or reactions of the batsman
Be firm,consistent and confident (do not guess). Use positive self-talk in pre delivery preparation to ensure that your head and focus is where your body is.
Rule 1 - Two sounds With many bat / pad decisions, the umpire will not be able to actually“see” the deflection or contact of the ball with the bat or glove. In essence, the umpire is listening for two clear distinctsounds that representat least one of them beingthe ball hitting the bat or glove. The umpire in these cases must learn to TRUST his hearing judgement over and above what he/she sees rather than what they see or don’t see. The umpire must not be afraid to give a batsman out bat / pad just because they didn’t see the ball come off the bat or glove - therefore you have to be listening and confident. Of course, the umpire must acknowledge that the bat must be very close to the ball in order to help decide that the ball has been struck. When making the decision, give yourself a little more time as the information on what you see travels faster to the brain than the sound of what you hear - this is a most important strategyand technique. Rule 2 - Bat out in front of pad As part of your decision, the umpire should be aware of how the batsman has played at the ball. Are his bat and hands in front or behind his pad? This has a bearing on if the ball can actually hit the “bat” and if so, what direction it is likely to go after contact.
Should the batsman play the ball with his “bat” out in front of his pad, then any edge is likely to go square of him - the reason for this is because after the ball hits the edge of the bat, the ball is more likely to hit the outside edges of the pad and then shoot out towards a fielder.
Should the ball not make contact with the bat (that is played with the bat out in front of the pad),the ball is likely to go forward of the batsman or back towards the umpire at the bowler’s end.
Rule 3 - Bat behind the pad When the striker plays with his “bat” behind his front pad - the appeal has to be considered on the basis that it is a likely pad / bat decision. This is a harder decision to make in many cases as it can be hard to distinguish what the second noise may be. So, here are a couple of tips….
Watch for how the ball comes out of the striker’s area…if it shoots out, it is likely that the batsman has hit the ball. If it balloons out, then it is unlikely that he has made contact with the ball.
Watch for a deflection or change of height after the ball leaves the batsman as it may have hit his glove on the way up. A change in direction means that the batsman has likely hit the ball.
If there is no change of direction of the ball in terms of height off the pad, and the ball goes straight back towards the bowler’s end umpire, then it is likely that the batsman has not hit the ball.
Rule 4 - What was the type of sound? Not only does the umpire have to give themselves some extra time to hear the extra sound, but they also need time to process it and decide what type of sound it was. Was it a “paddy” sound, a ‘fleshy’ sound, a‘woody’ sound, bat hitting ground or bat hitting pad? Sometimes the umpire will see a deflection and heara second, third or fourth noise. The task is to make sure that one of the sounds was the ball hitting the “bat”. To try and get this one right, the umpire needs to make sure that the “bat” was very close to the ball first. Then try to eliminate other possibilities from the equation- could it have been bat hittingground (for a ‘woody’ sound),was it body or arm (for a fleshy sound) or was it just all pad? For this type of judgement, the umpire will need to use other factors in making a correct decision….
Where did the ball go?
How fast did it get there?(shoot or balloon)
Where was the “bat” in relation to the ball?
Rule 5 - Trusting your eyes Often in noisy or windy environments the umpire does not always get to hear what he needs to hear. Under these conditions, the umpire has to learn to TRUST his eyesight implicitly which is very challenging for a decision that requires the use of sight and sound. For this to work, the umpire really has to be focusing on the ball - where it pitches, what it hit and where it was going. The only way that you can effectively do this is by telling yourself as it happens(in your mind).
The umpire must be looking for a deflection off bat or glove and this can only be achieved if you are really focusing your attention on the ball.
Rule 6 - Don’t switch off
Just because you are convinced that the batsman has hit the ball, it is very easy to switch off and forget that you still may have to rule on the ball carrying and being fairly caught!
Watch the ball all the way and make sure that the catch has been affected completely. You may need to use teamwork strategies with your square leg partner to establish that the ball carried or if it was a bump ball. Again, take your time to consider all the facts before making a decision.
Rule 7 - Call it as you see it, be firm and confident
It is vital that the umpire makes up his/her own mind based on what they have “seen” or “heard” and not be influenced by….
- the bowler running down and celebrating with the fielder
- the keeper running up and appealing from in front of the stumps
- the batsman shaking his head
- the batsman holding his bat away from his body.
Be firm, confident and strong in your decision and above all, don’t guess (or appear to guess
by making your decision too quickly or too slowly).
Conclusion
I have always likened making a bat / pad decision to putting a jigsaw puzzle together! Often you have to complete the picture or task with one or two pieces missing and so it is with a bat /pad decision - often the umpire will not hear or see all that he/she needs to, so they have to decide using all the other available facts.
If you could not hear the second noise, was there a deflection? If you could not see the deflection, was there a second noise and if so, what did it sound like?Then, other factors like, was the bat in front of the pad or behind? How did the ball come out towards the fielder - did it shoot out or balloon?
The training tips in this presentation are to be used and adopted as a guide only, as things that are likely to point the umpire in the direction of making a correct decision. Above all, it is important for every umpire to note that every situation is unique in its own way and the umpireshould make their best decisionpossible on the facts before them (with a littlebit of extra knowledge).
The words trust and confidence have been used a couple of times in this paper - for good reason. Umpiring, like playing is a confidence game and if you can have trust in your ability and confidence (self-belief) that you will make the right decision, then you probably will
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