Youse Think Youse Know Cricket?
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Sorry, Manny I hope you don't mind my using your copyrighted title!
Here's how this situation arised. I am listening to the Test Match between England and India on the radio.
They noticed something at the boundary. The rope, which marks the boundary, nowadays has an advertising barrier over it. Whilst the barrier is on top of the rope, it counts as the boundary.
But the ball slid down towards it, and as one Indian fielder slid dramatically into it to stop the ball, the barrier and rope became detached. There was a good ten yard gap between them.
The person employed to put it back was stationed on the other side of the ground, and play progressed whilst that the person ran around the field to fix it.
The commentator, Jonathan Agnew, pondered audibly on the radio (and is your first question!) this hypothetical scenario:
1. The ball bounced in between the gap. Is it four or six runs?
Note that if the barrier were on top of the rope, if it bounces in the field then clears the boundary, it is four runs. If it doesn't, then it's six runs. You need to decide which it will be.
The conversation progressed moreso. Agnew's fellow commentators didn't really care as much at this stage, but Agnew then posted more questions:
2. What if a dog runs on the field, and the ball hits the dog?
This can be anything really, there are no real hints I can give you.
At the tea interval, former umpire Peter Willey was phoned and gave the answers. He also stated another scenario, which I pose to you as a question:
3. What if a spectator runs on the field, and the ball hits the spectator?
Another situation I can't help you with - it really could be anything.
And whilst I'm posing cricket questions, I can ask you one more...
There is a cricket ground in Canterbury, which, until it died, had a vast lime tree was over 40 yards high. Only 1 other ground in the world has a tree within the ground. But because it's there, there are local rules which apply - a bit like a ground rule double in baseball if it goes into the ivy on the backfield wall at one stadium, but obviously cricket based.
The question is:
4. What happens if the ball hits the tree?
Again, this could be absolutely anything.
So four tough questions, I knew the answer to only the fourth one until twenty minutes ago! Any guesses? I'll post the answer either later tonight or tomorrow.
