A similar system was used in the TV coverage in Oz last year.
The essential problem with it is picking up bounce and movement between the time the ball pitches and strikes the pad. Sometimes only a matter of a few centimetres and then extrapolating that for the 2 metres the ball needs to travel.
This was demonstrated in one of the first class fixtures when a “shooter”, a ball that pitched short of a length and therefore expected to bounce waist height but due to vagaries of then surface doesn’t bounce true. In this case the delivery barely bounced at all. The batsman was palpably out LBW, but the special effects shot was shown, probably in error. The software predicted that the delivery would have bounced clearly above stump height.
Yeah, that sounds like it would be a problem, woolly. I wonder what system they were using? I know Sky had their own but dropped it this season in favour of the one I’ve mentioned. Personally I’d prefer to trust a human umpire, but the technology adds to the TV entertainment.
There is no rule forbidding the batsmen to run on the pitch (though in general they don’t). However, the bowler shouldn’t, (though they frequently do) and it is not unusual for the umpire to ask them to desist.
Cricket is a great game invented to confuse Americans, we really shouldn’t be discussing it here. We could ruin it.
In baseball, when a runner is caught between bases with a defender at each base. The defenders are trying to tag the runner out with the ball while the runner is trying to touch a base first to be safe. The defenders can throw the ball to each other, making an intense back-and-forth whirl of running and throwing.
Didn’t SKY use a similar system for the premiership football a year or two ago, but for one reason or another (probably not enough controversial decisions) they stopped using it?
The problem for me is that cricket is so slooooow.
Between every ball, the bowler has to walk back for his runup, even if nothing happened. If he’s a fast bowler this could be 20 paces.
Meanwhile play stops.
Every six balls, the fielders swap ends, so that the a new bowler can come on (and also bowl from the other end).
Meanwhile play stops.
Every time someone is out, they have to walk off the field, and a new chap walks on.
Guess what…
Meanwhile play stops.
If it starts to rain…
If the light is poor…
If it’s time for lunch…
If it’s time for tea…
If a side is out…
Actually, if you like action, colour and sporting action, watch rugby sevens.
Of course Monty there’s no getting away from the fact that it is a slow game, even the fans admit that. The breaks in play do add up. But you either like that because of the tension and buildup that creates, as true fans do, or [sub][if you happen to be shallow and have a short attention span, tee hee][/sub]you won’t like the slowness, and you won’t like the game.
Of course, the “hotbox” situation almost never actually develops in cricket. There are two batsmen, crossing over to each end of the wicket. So all the fieldsmen have to do is get it to one end, and one or other of the batsmen will be out.
Princhester: And I’ve seen some incredible dives and attempts at getting the ball into the wicket from the “wrong end” of the field. Amazing what goes into the fielder’s mind when he’s supposed to be chucking the ball at the right end. The most entertaining aspect of that particular situation is the pathetic attempt at justification over beers later.
Certainly. Australia’s wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has captained a few games (although he finds it very hard work, and has recently said he does not want the job full time)
Moin Khan of Pakistan did it for a while, although he too found it very hard.
Alec Stewart captained England while wicketkeeper quite successfully.
Well there seems to be an acceptance in cricket that the game keeps stopping. Indeed there was a farcical incident where someone dressed as the new batsman walked onto the field before the real guy, and got himself into the papers!
The atmosphere at county cricket matches is thin, unlike baseball where the crowd really seem to be enjoying themselves.
I feel I’m entitled to be sarcastic about cricket because I have experienced it live and on TV.
I went to see a touring international side play a county. After a full day’s play (no interruptions for poor weather), the internationals had reached 165 - 4. (For our American friends, the rough equivalent would be that you’ve seen about 2 completed innings of baseball in 7 hours. Dire.)
At one point, a batsman hit a 4. (As the song says ‘I remember it well.’) One spectator stood up and applauded. Instantly a stentorian voice rang out ‘SIDDOWN!’
Princhester, I do know what you mean by tension and buildup. I play 7 hour games of chess (which are only interesting to other players - but I understand concentration.)
The problem I perceive is that cricket has built-in interruptions and is very snooty towards its fans. Things like refusing refunds due to poor weather, as long as there’s been say 30 minutes of play in a day.
That’s an exageration about baseball, even for the majors. However, it’s true that they do change the ball fairly often in the course of the game.
In the majors, the umps start off each game with around 75 new balls. But a typical game may have 200 to 300 pitches in it. Or more if it goes into extra innings. I forget what the average number of pitches per ball is, but I think it’s around 4 or 5 (they don’t always use all 75 of those balls).
Of course, that’s the majors where they have lots of money for buying lots of balls. In lower levels of the sport, the average number of balls per pitch is higher.
Which is exactly why they change the ball so often in baseball: to keep the pitcher from being able to throw viscious curve balls.
Oh come on Princhester, you know that “success” and “English cricket” are contradictory terms.
And, apart from being detrimental to batting averages, what is the problem with that? Where’s the sport hitting straight full tosses? As a junior and using a off-break action I could get a off speed pitch to swing/curve up to a metre into a right hander. Of course this was as the reliever in “one ball per game” high school stuff. However, if given a new ball, the results were unremarkable.
As for statistics, by the way, baseball has quite a bit of them, as well. When a batter goes up to bat, for instance, you get a graphic showing, for his last fifteen at bats against this particular pitcher in this particular stadium, where each of his hits went on the field. As well as the same statistics broken down by who’s on base. And whether it’s a day or a night game. And by the number of outs, or the inning. Heck, you can probably find statistics on how well different players do in different moon phases.
As a junior and using a off-break action I could get a off speed pitch to swing/curve up to a metre into a right hander. Of course this was as the reliever in “one ball per game” high school stuff. However, if given a new ball, the results were unremarkable. 