Index






Time wasting

Wasting time could obviously be a very useful - if highly cynical - tactic in certain situations. It could turn a potential defeat into a draw if batters slow things down, or be used to prevent the batting side from winning the match by denying them the number of deliveries in which to do so. That is why time wasting, whether by fielders or batters, is unfair play and should be penalised by the umpires.

If, for instance, the fielders are deliberately dawdling between overs, or the bowler is obviously taking longer than necessary over his work, the umpire should call and signal Dead ball and issue a first and final warning to the fielding captain, and inform the batters of this. If it happens again and an over is in progress when it does, the bowler should be taken off and the over completed by someone else (who must not have bowled the previous over or be allowed to bowl the next one). The bowler who has been taken off cannot bowl again in that innings. If an over was not in progress then the umpire should award 5 Penalty runs to the batting side. In either case the umpires will report the incident to the appropriate authority later.

Similar sanctions apply to batters who waste time. At the first instance the umpire should issue the first and final warning. This will apply to all the members of the batting side throughout their innings and the umpire should inform each incoming batter about it. So, if the time wasting happens again, perhaps by a different batter, the umpire should award 5 Penalty runs and again report the incident to the appropriate authority later.