Room for innovation

UMPIRE`S POST

Cricket has always allowed room for innovation. There was no provision of declaring an innings until 1899. A team had to keep batting until the last man was out. This led to a most outrageous incident in which a Surrey batsman kicked down his wickets to get out.

Playing Sussex, Surrey had a big lead and wanted to make the opponents bat. Determined to avoid this, Sussex tried not to take wickets. The wicketkeeper refused to stump a batsman, who wanted to get out. By the time the stumps were kicked down, it was kind of late and Sussex managed to eke out a draw.

Until Ranji began to play the leg glance, leg-side half volleys were respectfully patted back. Dennis Lillee once walked out to the crease with an aluminium bat. The list is long.

The latest to join it is Kevin Pietersen's switch-hitting, or reverse slog. Against New Zealand, he twice changed his grip and stance to that of a left-hander while the bowler was running and smote sixes on the off side.

Or, was that the leg side? That is the first question and the most harmless. The others are serious. Curiously, MCC has ruled in Pietersen's favour, dubbing the switch-hit "fair to both batsman and bowlers".

That appears baffling. It is a risky shot and increases the chances of the batsman losing his wicket. But the issue ought to be looked at beyond probabilities.

The line of the bowling is determined by the position of the stumps. If the off stump becomes the leg stump while a bowler is midway through his run-up, it does change things for him.

Can the bowler be allowed to switch from one arm to the other while bowling without having to inform the umpire? Not many bowlers may want to do that, but nearly all of them would enjoy the right to switch from over-the-wicket to round-the-wicket at will.

Legitimising the switch-hit warrants a review of the LBW and wide laws. A batsman cannot be given out LBW if the ball pitches outside the leg stump.

But in a switch-hit, he should be given out even if the ball pitches outside the leg since the leg has become the off. There is no margin for error to bowlers straying outside the leg. Every umpire perfunctorily declares it a wide. But in a switch-hit, the leg-side wide should be treated on a par with the off-side wide.

MCC's haste in backing Pietersen is alarming, but can be easily explained. English cricket has for long longed for a hero and Pietersen promises just that, albeit one borrowed from South Africa.