Aussies on guard for Scottish spinner’s ‘clever’ tactic | cricket.com.au

Scotland’s Mark Watt has carved out a niche for himself with his unique ‘long ball’

Scotland’s Michael Leask has warned Australia’s batters to be ready for the inevitable ‘long balls’ that will be sent their way by spinner Mark Watt in the final Group B clash in St Lucia. 

Left-arm spinner Watt has built a reputation as one of the best exponents of the 24-yard delivery in international cricket, using it regularly to catch opposition batters on the hop.

Nicknamed the ‘long ball’, Watt releases the ball almost side-by-side with the umpire, rather than bowling from the popping crease as is customary.

The ball sparked drama in Scotland’s win over Oman on Sunday when Watt bowled batter Khalid Kail, who pulled away when he realised Watt had bowled one of his trademark deliveries. 

The delivery itself is perfectly legal, but the controversy came from how late Khalid pulled out of the delivery. 

The umpires deemed it to be a dead ball as Khalid didn’t offer a shot. 

The law and the long ball will almost certainly come into focus again when the Aussies face the Scottish in St Lucia on Saturday, with Leask promising that Watt will bowl his speciality delivery. 

“I can guarantee he will bowl more than one against Australia,” Scotland allrounder Michael Leask told reporters on Friday. 

“(It’s effective because) it’s the element of surprise that he bowls it. 

“It’s also how good he is at holding his length, it still spins. It’s just that fraction longer.

“Man, it’s horrible to face, even for us in the nets. 

“You know it’s coming every two minutes. He does it a lot. 

“And again, I think he’ll do that again tomorrow.” 

Australia had their own dead ball incident against England, when Matthew Wade’s reluctant block against the spin of Adil Rashid was called a dot ball and not a dead ball. 

Wade, who was reprimanded by the ICC for his fiery exchange with the umpires follow the non-call, said he’s a fan of the canny tactic.

But the wicketkeeper admitted that neither he nor his teammates had faced much of this type of delivery. 

“It’s clever bowling,” Wade said on match eve. 

“A lot of players are looking to get a little bit of an advantage and to sneak up and bowl a ball from near behind the umpires. I’ve just got to make sure I don’t pull away when he does it this time.

“I’m sure he’ll pull it out tomorrow at some stage and we’ll see who’s on strike. Hopefully it’s not me.”

What is the long ball and what is the theory behind it? 

Instead of delivering the ball with the front foot on or just behind the popping crease, the bowler delivers the ball from in line with the umpire (or thereabouts), adding an extra two yards on the flight path of the ball. 

The thought is that letting go of the ball from further back can rush the batter and also impact their ability to judge the trajectory of the ball. 

What do the laws say on the delivery? 

The delivery is completely in line with the laws of the game, as governed by the MCC. 

The only parameters on the bowler’s location of release are ensuring the front foot stays behind the popping crease (law 21.5.2) and the back foot stays inside the return crease (law 21.5.1). 

However, a no-ball could be called if the bowler delivered from behind where the umpire was standing, as it wouldn’t be possible for the umpire to say that the bowler’s back foot landed inside the return crease guideline.

Dead ball?

Whether or not it should be called a dead ball if the batter pulls out, is another question.

Law 20.4.2.6 reads:

“Either umpire shall call and signal dead ball when the striker is distracted by any noise or movement or in any other way while preparing to receive, or receiving a delivery. This shall apply whether the source of the distraction is within the match or outside it.”

It goes onto state that dead ball can be called if “the striker is not ready for the delivery of the ball and, if the ball is delivered, makes no attempt to play it.”

Therefore, the decision to call the Matthew Wade example was, to the letter of the law, the right one, as Wade chose to defend the ball after backing out. 

In the case of the Khalid instance, he completely left the ball. 

From there, the umpire must be “satisfied that the striker had adequate reason for not being ready”.

If the umpire believes the distraction of Watt’s unusual delivery position is an adequate reason to withdraw, it can be called dead ball. 

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