Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/233

 The next point is a very important one where and how to stand at the wicket. It makes very little difference whether you take guard to cover middle stump or middle and leg; but the position of the feet cannot be too carefully studied and practised. Place the right foot just inside the crease, and make sure that the toes are clear of the wicket. The left foot should be outside the crease, clear of the wicket, at a distance to enable you to stand easily and move it backward or forward comfortably. Some players, and good players too, place the foot in front of the wicket; but that I am certain is a mistake, and with a bad umpire at the bowler's end may cause you to lose your wicket. The players themselves will be the first to tell you it is a bad habit; but it was one they acquired in their boyhood, and it has stuck to them since.

You must not go to the other extreme of standing too wide of the wicket, or you will give the bowler an opening to bowl you off your pads. I have always tried to keep my feet clear of the wicket, but so close that it was impossible for a ball to get past between the pads and the wicket. Sometimes I have drawn a line from the leg stump to the crease, so that I might see at a glance if my feet were clear, and it is not a bad habit for a young player to cultivate. Once he has got into the habit of standing correctly, he may drop doing it in a match, although I believe in taking every precaution whether practising or playing in a match.

Take your block a little more than a length of the bat from the wicket, and be sure to make a good mark so that you will not lose sight of it. If after playing for a little while it gets worn and dim, do not hesitate to ask the umpire to give it to you again.

You are now ready to play the ball, and will ground your bat in the block hole when the bowler begins his