A COUPLE of incidents involving the calling of a no-ball have occurred over the last few weeks.

In a T20 match the bowler, having delivered the ball, saw it come to rest only a few yards down the pitch, much to his dismay.

The umpire called 'no-ball' and was immediately met with cries of 'no it’s a dead ball not a no-ball'.

Well it’s both. The umpire is required to call 'no-ball' followed by a dead ball.

The dead-ball call is to stop any play occurring, as at one time the batsman could walk up and hit the ball with the fielders having to return to the position they were in when the bowler let go of the ball. There is no such chance now.

I also had a query about a fast, short-pitched ball that bounced over the batsman’s head.

The first thing to decide is would it have passed over his head if stood upright in his crease? Many umpires take note when the batsman is stood up in eyeing something behind him, for example a mark on the sight screen, height of trees, etc. to help them with their judgement.

Clearly these balls are not likely to cause injury, nevertheless the law recognises it as part of the attack upon the batsman’s self-confidence and perhaps contributing to his frustration at his inability to score.

The bowler is therefore not allowed to think that by bowling such balls he will escape penalty.

As a result the umpire is to call 'no-ball'. There have been a few mystified glances from players when such calls have been made, mainly because of what they see on TV.

Balls such as these are called wide. It is hoped that once the new laws come out we will all be playing to the same rules.

Then there is the call of 'no-ball' for a high, full-pitched ball. For a fast bowler, a no-ball will be called if the ball passes over the batsman’s waist on the full, providing the batsman is in his crease.

A batsman who charges the bowler cannot expect the umpire to call no-ball if it passes over waist height with him two or three yards down the pitch. For a slow bowler it’s above shoulder height.

Thank goodness the law writers are going to say any ball above waist height, irrespective of speed, will be called a no-ball and that takes out the argument of what is fast or slow.

The next question will be 'where is the waist?' – trouser level or officially below the bottom rib?