Bowling of high full pitched balls
Published by: North Essex Cricket League
Published on 8 January 2016
Last Updated: 15 September 2022
At the committee meeting last week it was reported that some clubs’ umpires were inconsistent with regard to no-balling full tosses – So here’s a reminder for everyone:
6 (b) Bowling of high full pitched balls
(i) Any delivery, other than a slow paced one, which passes or would have passed on the full above waist height of the striker standing upright at the crease is to be deemed dangerous and unfair, whether or not it is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker.
(ii) A slow delivery which passes or would have passed on the full above shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the crease is to be deemed dangerous and unfair, whether or not it is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker.
You can check the height with your colleague at square leg (if he’s awake and not lost pondering how he got out first ball a few minutes earlier) before calling and signalling a high full-toss as a no-ball but the square leg umpire should not make the call. Maybe more difficult is the distinction between ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ bowling; anyone who isn’t a spinner should be regarded as ‘fast’; however even this isn’t very satisfactory, so the umpire must use their judgement in the end.
