Page:The Crisis in Cricket and the Leg Before Rule (1928).djvu/55

Rh Not many seasons ago in a county match at Lords, one over of six balls was bowled and the batsman walked in front and covered the wicket and made no attempt to use his bat at all. It must be admitted that to have done so might have led to the batsman being caught because, owing to the position he took up, to make a scoring hit was so difficult that from one point of view it was not worth while to run the risk. But the batsman of the type of Palairet and Seymour would have scored off many of these balls by standing firm on the right foot, putting the left across and selecting the right ball to hit. They would not have put their legs in front (because it would not have been considered sportsmanlike) if at the same time they had put the bat altogether out of action. In these days the advice as given in the Badminton Library is too frequently observed. Bats are pointed to the sky and legs are put in front to guard the wicket, and the result is tired bowlers, bored spectators, and the curse of drawn cricket matches.

It may be argued that with bowlers placing their field in a small crowds in the slips, or at short and fine leg, batsmen have no option left, but must leave balls alone, and there is some force in this argument. But this state of things has come about largely owing to the unfair use of the legs. Batsmen are now taught to cover their wickets to every sort of ball, partly because they can see the line of the ball better, but mainly because the legs are put and used as a second or first line of defence to all balls. This, added to abnormally easy wickets, has driven bowlers to adopt more or less fantastic devices. Alter the l.b.w. rule and two things will occur: less run-getting, because it will be