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Bowler wearing hat  I was umpiring a match last Summer when my colleague allowed the fielding team bowler to bowl with his hat on even though the batsman asked the bowler to remove his hat. I was under the impression that a batsman always has the right to be comfortable (not distracted) when receiving a delivery Can a bowler bowl with his hat on considering the above scenario? What steps must an umpire take if the bowler refuses to take his hat off? What if the bowler in question is the captain? While it is true that the fielding side are not allowed to attempt to distract batsmen deliberately, and unnecessary movement of spectators behind the bowler's arm will be prevented, the bowler himself, by his movements, must inevitably be a distraction. But that is just part of the game The Law does not place any restriction on what the bowler may or may not wear. He may want to wear a hat to protect his scalp from the effects of sunlight. If the hat in question had some attachment , such as a badge, that sparkled, thus causing a distraction, then maybe it would be reasonable to ask the bowler to remove it or obscure the distraction in some way, but, if the hat has no such characteristic, it becomes very difficult to see how a request to the bowler to remove it could be justified. The batsman certainly has no absolute right to say the bowler can or cannot wear By briefly discussing the matter with the players concerned, the umpire will attempt to arrive at a solution that satisfies everyone. He will take all the facts, as he sees them, into consideration and act as he sees fit. He should pass on request from the batsman to the bowler. If the bowler refused to remove his hat, the umpire would need to consider whether he thought it was being worn purely to distract the batsman. If he thought so, then he could insist that it be removed, otherwise the batsman may just have to put up with it. |
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