Cricket....Legal delivery.

[manofsteel]

If a bowler delivers the ball with both his feet behind the bowling crease, is this a legal delivery??

[daftgrandad]

Yes.
It becomes a "no ball " if his front foot goes over the batting crease,or if his whole body is outside the return crease,when the ball is delivered.

[DTCwordfan]

Yes but the bowler is pretty stupid as the batsman has more time to "track" the line of flight and pace.

I used to lay with someone who bowled off the wrong foot and that was disconcerting - a left hander who led with his left foot - and a quickie....

[Buenchico]

I hope that you're not an umpire, DaftGrandad!

The bowlers front foot can go beyond the batting crease (as you've called it - the rules actually refer to it as the 'popping crease'). The only requirement is that PART of his foot, WHETHER GROUNDED OR RAISED, must remain behind the crease. So he can have his toe over the crease (with no other part of his boot in contact with the ground at all) but, as long as his raised heel is still behind the popping crease, it's a legal delivery.

Further, what's this bit in your post about the bowler's whole body being outside the return crease? If the bowler's back foot as much as touches the return crease, it's a No Ball. That's considerably different to what you've written!

Chris

[alexanderd]

Dt can we assume thats a typo? Or are you trying to tell us something?

[DTCwordfan]

anyway, some clarification of the circumstances...I didnt see anything resembling that incident today and I watched a fair amount on the computer, not having access to Sky here......

[Euphemia]

lol

[DTCwordfan]

oh dear play not lay but then I did play with that Rachel Heyhoe Flint, though she probably had a lot more testerone in her than a lot of the current England team - put together

[Euphemia]

Oh yes, she had balls

[daftgrandad]

Chris.
Thankyou for the criticism of my reply.
In my defence:-The popping crease is also known as the batting crease.
When I said his front foot goes over the crease,I assumed common sense would
prevail,i.e.people would know I meant the whole of his foot.
Thirdly,I may have exaggerated the last point in trying to explain the rule.
Lastly your first question,no I am not an umpire,but played the game for over 40 years to a high standard i.e.Minor Counties.
With regards dg

[midagetrolop]

Thanks for the sensible answers, I didn't bother involving myself in the bitching!!

[manofsteel]

Thanks Steve.5, you and others confirm my thoughts.I played over 40 years in league cricket and watching a Pontefract League game yesterday, I saw for the first time a slow bowler no-balled for such a delivery. When he politely asked the umpire why, he got some bluster and "I'm in charge,you can't do that"