Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Wicket Keeping => Topic started by: HallamKeeper on June 05, 2015, 11:00:59 AM
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I know this isn't equipment based but thought it was the best place.
I've seen a lot of stuff on TV where the keeper is described as the engine room of the fielding team etc. I am not playing at a very high level (decent village cricket) so I really dislike any form of sledging or the general annoying comments made about a batsman missing the ball.
I will always encourage the bowler and fielders but I don't do it every single ball. Usually more when it goes quiet from everyone else. The only thing I say to the batsman other than general small talk is 'good shot' or something similar when they deserve it. I see my Saturday cricket as a bit of fun and assume the batsman is the same.
Am I being too nice or does the level of chat just increase with the standard? Or is it just a personality thing?
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I'm exactly the same. I ignore any comments made to me when I'm batting and I only make general chit chat and the odd good shot comment to the batsman when I'm keeping.
That said, if someone nicks one and doesn't walk I become their worst nightmare.
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Whatever level you play at there seems to be plenty of 'chirp' these days, certainly more than there was in the past.
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It's got to just be personal, hasn't it?
The alternative you've not mentioned is getting in the batsman's ear and letting him know you're after him without being nasty about it, the sly remarks only you and him can hear taking the mickey out something a fielder has said or an umpire. If a keeper makes me laugh that's normally harder to put out of my mind than a predictable insult, and so is him making me stop and wonder "What's his agenda? Is he trying to get in my head in some roundabout way or is he just chatting?".
I know you're not after a way to distract the opposition but I quite enjoy that aspect of the game. As an opening batsman that's part of the challenge, I've had to learn to ignore fielders and stay focussed as much as I've had to learn where to put my feet, and it's part of the challenge I enjoy.
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Yup! Most of it from the younger members of the team, who really aren't very good at it!!
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make the batsman do something stupid.
You could go down the amateur route of ......
Challenge him to smack a 6, tell him he cant get it off the square. Tell him his bat is a plank. Tell him shoes are so clean it looks like he has never spent more than 6 balls at the crease.......
its mostly a waste with a good batsman, but with them you can
TELL HIM ABOUT BEING UNDER PRESSURE, TELL HIM IF HE DOESNT MAKE RUNS THEN HIS TEAM WILL LOSE ... put some pressure on him mentally and never let up and keep on at it.
Although sometimes complete silence is the best policy, i hate batting in silence, i thrive on the comments. I like to make bowlers, fielders and keepers cry ........
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If people could play as well as they talked it would be more useful....
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I've found that being in full agreement with the comments seems to make them drop off.
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make the batsman do something stupid.
You could go down the amateur route of ......
Challenge him to smack a 6, tell him he cant get it off the square. Tell him his bat is a plank. Tell him shoes are so clean it looks like he has never spent more than 6 balls at the crease.......
its mostly a waste with a good batsman, but with them you can
TELL HIM ABOUT BEING UNDER PRESSURE, TELL HIM IF HE DOESNT MAKE RUNS THEN HIS TEAM WILL LOSE ... put some pressure on him mentally and never let up and keep on at it.
Although sometimes complete silence is the best policy, i hate batting in silence, i thrive on the comments. I like to make bowlers, fielders and keepers cry ........
Best policy is to not sledge decent players. Far more useful to try and frustrate them and stop them scoring runs. Making them take singles instead of boundaries (sweepers out) helps build pressure more effectively on a good player. Also gets them off strike, which they don't like either. Nothing worse than hitting the first ball of the over to the cover boundary, only getting 1 for it and then watching your team mate playing and miss the next 5 balls. Repeat that 3 or 4 times and eventually a chance comes.
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I've found that being in full agreement with the comments seems to make them drop off.
yep, gives them nothing to work with. Even funnier when you start laying into yourself while scoring runs - "sorry that was a rubbish shot", "don't know how I'm still here", "can't believe I'm not out yet", etc etc. They can't do anything but agree and it all goes quiet.
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I've found that being in full agreement with the comments seems to make them drop off.
Yes - it's not really a classic sledge to tell me I can't bat for toffee. In fact if I am sledged it usually makes me giggle back at them as it is so pointless.
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I rarely say anything directly. I am pretty loud when it comes to keeping my own teams spirits up, and this can vary between genuine encouragement to ripping my own team mates to shreds to keep everyone else laughing and bouncing.
I aim general comments at the entire oppo loud enough for most to hear if necessary. Example being a recent game, we had our clubs beer festival on at the time which i used to put together a nice little narrative about the way the oppo were batting.
They won the toss and batted on an absolute road of a deck. Runs were easy to come by you just had to bat time and get bat on ball. They were all taking huge heaves from ball one, honestly not even having a look at their first ball or a new bowlers first ball. It was like a conveyor belt with batsmen coming and going. I started to announce that there must be one hell of a beer festival back at their club, and that our beer festival obviously isn't good enough etc.
'Our ales are good ales guys, I promise.'
'The way these chaps are batting this beer festival they need to get back to must be special, i might need to get myself a ticket'
'road. win toss. bat. badly. lose. back home. beer festival. good day out chaps'
etc, various variations on the theme. It was mainly to keep our guys laughing but it was curious to see not one of the oppo decided to prove me wrong and bat sensibly. They finished about 150 shy of a par score and we knocked it off easily.
I fully expect return fire from any comment i make, be it general or aimed at a player directly. When i strode out to open the batting a couple of them made everyone aware that i was very chatty when they batted, so i best have a world class cover drive. I of course got a duck and trudged back to the pavilion with a hefty send off.
The personal nonsense can go a bit far and sometimes i deem it way too aggressive with lots of personal insults and swearing. It all goes over my head and i usually respond with silence, a nod or as an early attempt to put it to bed - 'why don't you say that to someone who gives a *$!* mate?'
I've seen minor counties players get stuck in to young lads batting at 9 and 10 with the game all but over, i have no idea why someone who plays at such a level deems it necessary to behave like that especially when everyone can see the game will be done in a matter of balls.
Theres the other side of the coin of course. You get batsmen who want to be chatty, some who even seem like they want to instigate a bit of back and forth, i tend to blank them completely in an attempt to throw them a curve ball, as GarretJ mentioned, it can put some players off.
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I'm exactly the same. I ignore any comments made to me when I'm batting and I only make general chit chat and the odd good shot comment to the batsman when I'm keeping.
That said, if someone nicks one and doesn't walk I become their worst nightmare.
Oh yeah, forgot about the non-walkers. I wouldn't say all bets are off but I would certainly start making snide remarks to the slips for a while. Usually pretty standard 'did he hit that one' after one out of the middle etc. but hopefully a little more clever or humorous. Only if I'm absolutely sure they hit it mind. I generally trust a batsman's word if they say they didn't hit it for tiny edges.
I have found myself saying the same words like 'mate' a lot when encouraging the fielders. It does seem odd when you catch yourself doing it, then I wince when I use it again.
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Yeah if someone hits it and doesn't walk then I see it is anything I do short of physical abuse is fair game. They want to cheat, they can live with it.
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Only if I'm absolutely sure they hit it mind. I generally trust a batsman's word if they say they didn't hit it for tiny edges.
This isn't regularly remembered, last month I was called a liar, a cheat, sledged, sworn at and abused for 2 hours because I didn't walk for an edge I genuinely didn't hear or feel, which the umpire didn't see or hear but which two gobby slips were convinced of. I didn't get into an argument or even say anything to them, but a glance across the room at tea at the two of them seemed to let them know what I thought.
What people like @GarrettJ were talking about was trying to say something to get an advantage, what's the point of giving someone hell who didn't walk? Because you hate them? Justice? Seems a bit childish to me.
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Personal favourite is when someones going well / finding the boundary regularly, just a quiet word in their ear about whether they breathe in or out when hitting the ball. Seen that throw a couple of rhythms off occasionally.
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Personal favourite is when someones going well / finding the boundary regularly, just a quiet word in their ear about whether they breathe in or out when hitting the ball. Seen that throw a couple of rhythms off occasionally.
That falls into the category of clever chirps and something that should be part of the game, if you want to play mind games. Why waste 100 pointless words when a subtle comment can do far more damage.
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2 weeks ago the oppo said whilst I was batting
"This lad easily looks their best player"
Next ball I snicked off! Complementing obviously works too
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I like when 1 batsman is scoring, and the other is blocking dots to put the pressure on the scoring batsman. Mention to our team how he's got to do all the work if he wants to chase down the total etc.
Did it once, next ball batsman had an absolute mow straight to mid on. Who then dropped it. :(
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This isn't regularly remembered, last month I was called a liar, a cheat, sledged, sworn at and abused for 2 hours because I didn't walk for an edge I genuinely didn't hear or feel, which the umpire didn't see or hear but which two gobby slips were convinced of. I didn't get into an argument or even say anything to them, but a glance across the room at tea at the two of them seemed to let them know what I thought.
What people like @GarrettJ were talking about was trying to say something to get an advantage, what's the point of giving someone hell who didn't walk? Because you hate them? Justice? Seems a bit childish to me.
I haven't walked on a couple of occasions, been happy to let the umpire decide. I figure you get so many rough decisions that if you get away with the odd one then so be it. @Maverick79 got a shocker last Saturday, smashed onto the pad off the inside edge and our ump at square leg heard it. Yet the oppo aren't going to call him back and say it's not fair are they? It was there ump as well and it's the only thing he gave all day. 2 weeks before I was flashing at a lifting delivery, got a faint glove on it and the oppo's ump didn't give it so I stayed. Oppo had one word with me but were ok, it was their umpire after all!.
It's double standards really, they'll call you every name under the sun if you don't walk but expect you to walk off when they know you have hit it on an LBW.
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Personal favourite is when someones going well / finding the boundary regularly, just a quiet word in their ear about whether they breathe in or out when hitting the ball. Seen that throw a couple of rhythms off occasionally.
Was used successfully by Eric Bristow when he asked fellow darters if they inhaled or exhaled on the release of each dart.
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I haven't walked on a couple of occasions, been happy to let the umpire decide. I figure you get so many rough decisions that if you get away with the odd one then so be it. @Maverick79 got a shocker last Saturday, smashed onto the pad off the inside edge and our ump at square leg heard it. Yet the oppo aren't going to call him back and say it's not fair are they? It was there ump as well and it's the only thing he gave all day. 2 weeks before I was flashing at a lifting delivery, got a faint glove on it and the oppo's ump didn't give it so I stayed. Oppo had one word with me but were ok, it was their umpire after all!.
It's double standards really, they'll call you every name under the sun if you don't walk but expect you to walk off when they know you have hit it on an LBW.
I was actually talking about not walking because I really didn't believe I'd hit it. But I can see your point as well. Especially when these people who are so shocked and apalled by you not walking after an edge are usually the same types who'll appeal like crazy and scream in the umpires face for an LBW every time the ball touches the front pad.
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I'm generally silent whenever i'm on the field, which hasn't escaped the attention of pretty much everyone else out there. The groundsman, when I made my debut for my club's second XI, subjected me to a tea break long lecture on the fact that i'm quiet and I shouldn't be because "you're one of us now", if I had a pound of every time he's lectured me on some aspect of the game, i'd be a millionaire at the age of 21. The oppo tend to equate my silence with a lack of confidence in the field so it isn't uncommon for them to look for me and actively try to hit where i'm stood, something the team uses to their advantage by shouting "on your toes" to which i'll start jumping (star jumps and the like), it tends to make batsmen think twice about aiming for me. When i'm batting I generally keep quiet apart from the obvious calls for runs but I will turn and make some comments at the keeper if he's trying to have a joke with me, I don't mind when its good natured.
Sledging is discouraged in my league though, owing to some fairly ugly incidents in the last 18 months or so. We had a first team cup game abandoned this year because two of the oppo decided to go too far and then decided to bring out the handbags because someone in our first team decided to answer back.
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I do think LBW is an anomaly that doesn't really work with honesty. You might have been out a few times previously and survived because of doubt in the umpire's mind. Then get a big inside edge and be out. I don't think these things even themselves out, some will get more luck than others or maybe we are all out more than we are given.
What do people do to persuade the umpire that the batsman is plumb? I think a good long shout, but not too often as to annoy the umpire. Also if I had started to go down leg I try to edge back so I'm right behind the stumps. Any other tips?
By the way, I don't often appeal if I'm not pretty convinced but I don't like to ruin a good appeal that I have misjudged so I do go up with the bowler on occasions too.
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This isn't regularly remembered, last month I was called a liar, a cheat, sledged, sworn at and abused for 2 hours because I didn't walk for an edge I genuinely didn't hear or feel, which the umpire didn't see or hear but which two gobby slips were convinced of. I didn't get into an argument or even say anything to them, but a glance across the room at tea at the two of them seemed to let them know what I thought.
What people like @GarrettJ were talking about was trying to say something to get an advantage, what's the point of giving someone hell who didn't walk? Because you hate them? Justice? Seems a bit childish to me.
I walk. Gentleman's game and all that. You always know when you hit it. There has only been once where I didn't and that wasn't on purpose, got a lifter which must have hit the tip of my thumb which made my hand come off the bat and punched myself in the box. I didn't have a clue what had happened and thought my hand must have slipped off the handle. Umpire didn't know, the bowler wasn't convinced. Slips and keeper weren't sure but the bell end at fine leg was convinced and started screaming obscenities across the field. It was only a couple of days later that I worked out what had probably happened. Luckily the bowler was a mate of mine from Uni so I tapped him up to apologise and explain.
The problem is we umpire ourselves, so your mate umpiring isn't going to call you a liar infront of the oppo and say you hit that, get off. Had people hit the cover off it before and not walked numerous times, I don't make a habit of going nuts at every noise little noise.
I once took a catch in front of first slip from a ball that was just outside the off stump, it honestly changed direction by miles. Batsman didn't walk and his mate didn't give it. The batsman was then bowling for them when I was batting and of course I nicked one. My instant thought as it left the bat was 'Am I hell going walk for this' until I looked back and saw third slip pouch it. Was still sorely tempted though.
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I only get involved if someone's knowingly not walked for nicking off. I can't abide cheating in any walk of life. But even then I don't get nasty, nothing beyond 'your mother must be very proud' that kind of thing.
When batting I've found I'm best in my zone if I let them talk and I don't get involved. I'll have the odd bit of friendly banter with the keeper if he's standing up but that's about it, but always on my terms.
I've got team mates who will chirp at anyone, to be honest at times its just embarrassing - I rip my team mates more than any oppo. That said, we have one guy who's brilliant. Goes in at cover and is never nasty, but very, very funny
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When batting I've found I'm best in my zone if I let them talk and I don't get involved. I'll have the odd bit of friendly banter with the keeper if he's standing up but that's about it, but always on my terms.
This is exactly what I think, I bat best when I'm thinking about what I'M doing and my own methods rather than thinking about the bowler and what he's doing, and therefore if someone's giving me grief and I block them out and blank them and just look at my bat, look at the pitch, think about batting in order to ignore him, it helps me get into that head space, that the other team are just an irrelevant detail in the "me" show.
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Dont say anything when the opposition is batting and completely ignore the opposition distraction comments when I am batting at the start of the innings when the opposition comments are usually in full flow i just say to myself right I'll grind out the runs and wear you lot down after around 15 overs of me at the crease they normally shut up.
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Talking to me while batting gets zero response. It just makes me think, I'll shut them up and bore them. Usually works a treat too.
I've never found it affects me in the slightest and once I'm in and comfy I just agree with them with everything. Again, kills them stone dead.
At the end of the day, he up your team mates etc but leave oppos alone. No one is there to get abused or shouldn't be there to abuse. What one enjoys, the one being abused might not. Grow up and just play cricket, have fun, leave oppos alone and have a pint afterwards. It is only amateur cricket after all, whether you think you are good etc.. Irrelevant really
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I go with the line of I also bowl first change.
I'm six foot... That usually shuts em up. :D
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Start counting the number of times they tap their bat and then discuss it with the slips, can work wonders on occasion!
On a more general note, I tend to keep 15-20 overs of constant rubbish chat going, directed at whoever seems like a good idea at the time (@thecord can probably testify to this). Keeps your team going at the least, unfortunately often it's only me and I usually run out of ideas after then.
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On a more general note, I tend to keep 15-20 overs of constant rubbish chat going, directed at whoever seems like a good idea at the time (@thecord can probably testify to this). Keeps your team going at the least, unfortunately often it's only me and I usually run out of ideas after then.
@edge Was concentrating too hard on getting the ball off the square to take note! Weather was so bad I probably wouldn't have heard anything anyway
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Personally I love a bit of chirp, I have always found just looking at them and laughing or smirking works well. Also I between overs I look in there direction when talking to my batting partner but 9/10 I am not actually talking about it. The aim is to try and get the bowler to get worked up and bowl me more crap.
As a keeper I do give it but only ever to those who gave it to me, I can stand up to most bowlers so can work really well. Never start it though.
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Had a good one on Saturday. Our number 6 came in and hit a few square of the wicket for 6. Their keeper and a few others started up with 'that's all he can do, he can't hit straight' and so on. They obviously hadn't ever played against him as he is a very good straight and the next over went for 20-odd all over mid off. It seemed all the fielding team did was motivate him to score more aggressively.
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Our oppo on saturday had one of the most annoying keepers ive ever witnessed. He said one thing and one thing only "come on lads its all persil innit" (persil being like ariel). Its all he said, literally every other ball for 40 overs (even when something went on the floor).
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I've found that being in full agreement with the comments seems to make them drop off.
Completely agree, it's shut many a person up before. Never know quite how to come back at you then
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Had a brilliant one last season. I was batting middle order and the chase had gone, lost too many wickets early doors and I was 'having a net' in the middle with my mate. I got a barrage of abuse about why I wasn't teeing off to win and I said only one thing in reply "Sorry to disappoint you; I'm not good enough" Their faces were a complete picture, priceless
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i don't say much directly to batsmen beyond the odd random comment about their season or something about how their partner is batting. just getting a conversation going is usually a way to distract them.
when my bowlers are beating the edge or tying a batsman up then big encouragement all round. also when a fielder is chasing something down then again, big encouragement. sometimes just shouting "bowler's end" is enough to stop them running a two even if the ball isn't yet in hand!
i never get personal or abusive because that really winds me up when I'm batting. love the breath in/breath out comment though!
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It depends who it's coming from as well. I hate to say I got really succesfully distracted last weekend just by being stared at. A fielder came in to short cover and stared right into my eyes, I made eye contact, held it, he didn't blink, reeally mean look on his face. Obviously I've had this before but usually of some big tough looking guy and I'd think, screw him, let him stare. But this guy was about 5'4", can't have weighed more than 10 stone, and had beautiful long curly hair, it was unsettling, I kept looking back at him after every ball to see if he was still staring and thinking - how is he so confident to do that? Stared back at him a little too long and got bowled through the gate.
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It depends who it's coming from as well. I hate to say I got really succesfully distracted last weekend just by being stared at. A fielder came in to short cover and stared right into my eyes, I made eye contact, held it, he didn't blink, reeally mean look on his face. Obviously I've had this before but usually of some big tough looking guy and I'd think, screw him, let him stare. But this guy was about 5'4", can't have weighed more than 10 stone, and had beautiful long curly hair, it was unsettling, I kept looking back at him after every ball to see if he was still staring and thinking - how is he so confident to do that? Stared back at him a little too long and got bowled through the gate.
Staring right into each others eyes between deliveries? I bet the sexual tension was unbearable! ;)
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My method is simple: if you don't know the person, keep it light hearted; if you know the person and have a friendship with them (eg old team mates, or players you've played against for years), then some funny sledging and banter can be enjoyable. But as a keeper I generally I mainly support the bowler, fielders, or the odd quip/general chit chat with the batsman between balls. When I bat I normally keep to myself, or exchange some chit chat with the keeper.
The one thing I dislike from any fielder, team mate or opposition, is when their comments begin to get personal and abusive. This can really take the enjoyment out of the game with some of the things they come out with, and I find it sad that some team's players have to resort to such tactics to get under an opponent's skin. ;)
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I was a bit vocal on Saturday, mainly encouraging team mates (with a fair bit of piss taking too!) I made a few remarks about the opener wearing black socks but that is a cardinal sin on the cricket pitch (and it wasn't malicious).
It was all so friendly I gave him a hug between deliveries at one stage after he'd said to me "I didn't really deserve a 50 there, I've been dropped 5 times" (while my teammates were retrieving the ball, his partner hit me literally out the ground!)
I'll have a chat with the batsmen between deliveries, and usually have a conversation with the bloke at the non-strikers end when I'm bowling. I am known to make the odd comment about village behaviour but it's never offensive (not intentionally anyway, it's not wise to upset a bloke with a bat in his hand).
At the end of the day we're playing as a hobby, there's no point being a knob towards someone who, like you, is playing for fun and paying for the privilege.
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also when a fielder is chasing something down then again, big encouragement. sometimes just shouting "bowler's end" is enough to stop them running a two even if the ball isn't yet in hand!
Big fan of this one, shouting something like "good pickup, great arm, take the bails off!!" when the batsman is running blind tends to cause hesitation and save a run. Love a batsman saying no, turning to look and seeing the fielder is picking the ball up and he's been duped.
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Big fan of this one, shouting something like "good pickup, great arm, take the bails off!!" when the batsman is running blind tends to cause hesitation and save a run. Love a batsman saying no, turning to look and seeing the fielder is picking the ball up and he's been duped.
Love a shout of "great throw, take 'em" before it's been picked up.
Sadly we've got a class A f***wit in the team who will then shout "how do you know, he hasn't picked it up yet" >:(
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Anyone else indulge in a silent over? We do it quite often, where no one is allowed to make any noise. Got an LBW in it too once where everyone was jumping and waving their arms around but no noise, even after the finger went up!
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Anyone else indulge in a silent over? We do it quite often, where no one is allowed to make any noise. Got an LBW in it too once where everyone was jumping and waving their arms around but no noise, even after the finger went up!
I may well be wrong but was under the impression that an LBW decision can't be given without an appeal?
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Anyone else indulge in a silent over? We do it quite often, where no one is allowed to make any noise. Got an LBW in it too once where everyone was jumping and waving their arms around but no noise, even after the finger went up!
I experienced this the other day as a batsmen. Missed the ball, everyone was jumping around everywhere and the bails were on the floor, So I thought I'd been bowled and was halfway back to the pavilion, when our umpire (who happened to be joining in with the silent over) called back that I wasn't out and the keeper had taken the bails off. Felt like a right muppet >:(
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I may well be wrong but was under the impression that an LBW decision can't be given without an appeal?
We were appealing, just not with our voices!
I think technically you do need to ask the question but we umpire ourselves and it was obviously plumb enough for the oppo's umpire to give out his mate without refraining on a technicality.