To walk or not to walk

[Zainub]

I appreciate walkers, if I were an international player I would encourage walking. I think it would make things easier for every one if the game was played in a better spirit of gamesmanship than it is now-a-days. We're not bad, but we can improve.

[vvvrulz]

I doubt I would walk should the situation arise, but its good to see batsman taking the initiative. Its for the good of the game, especially when some decisons are appalling these days.

[haseebbutt007]

We should encourage those who walk and play game with sense of responsibilty . this is indeed the real sportsman spirit . It will indeed remake the game of cricket as the game gentlemen.

[Chuck Palumbo]

Why should players walk?


Umpires are paid to make decisions. Let me ask you a question, its the World Cup final and your team needs a boundary to win and the batsman get a thin tickle through to the keeper but the umpire doesn't give it- Should he walk or not?

I know what I would prefer him to do if it was England batting.

[Occasional Fan]

Chuck - are you suggesting he should win by cheating? Sorry, if so, I can't agree. If you know you are out, you should walk. If you know you are out and you stand your ground, you should expect to be pilloried by the crowd and the commentators. If you're not sure, that's where the umpire comes into play. If you're not out but the umpire says you are, that's just tough luck: we all get some of that some of the time, but it doesn't give us licence to stand our ground when we know we are out. Put another way, two wrongs don't make a right.

Old fashioned, but then it's an old-fashioned game.

[Chuck Palumbo]

Its not cheating because the umpires should do their job properly and give the batsman out, its not the batsman's job to make decisions for the umpire.

Everyone remembers winners- not good sportsmen.

[Occasional Fan]

Wrong choice of words, Chuck: it's not cheating as it's clearly not against the Laws. It is against the spirit of the game, though. I am still very happy about the guys who walk, very unhappy about the guys who stand when they know they should be heading for the pavilion. Nothing will change my opinion on that.

[Statto]

The umpires take
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cric...al/4034859.stm

I personally don't mind if people walk or not as long as they always do or always don't, just not when it suits. Perhaps if the umpires don't like it players would be best advised not to walk.

[Zainub]

Originally Posted by vvvrulz

I doubt I would walk should the situation arise, but its good to see batsman taking the initiative. Its for the good of the game, especially when some decisons are appalling these days.

You can't certainly say that decesions are appauling, an ICC survey found out that 90% or more (not sure what the exact figure was, but it was defintely more than 90%, correct me if I'm wrong) are correct. We will of coarse get the odd shocker, but by and large umpiring standards right now, are the best they have been in a long while, with people like Taufel, Bowden, Dar, all being elevated to the elete panel within the last year or so. And more batsmen walking, will only make their job easier.

[Zainub]

Originally Posted by Chuck Palumbo

Why should players walk?

i)because its principally the right thing to do
ii)because its in the spirit of the game to do so
iii)because it will make the umpires job that slightly bit easier, when a confirmed walker, like Gili will stand his ground against an incorrect caught behind appeal, the umpire will know its not out, because Gili walks whenever he himself knows he is out

Originally Posted by Chuck Palumbo

Let me ask you a question, its the World Cup final and your team needs a boundary to win and the batsman get a thin tickle through to the keeper but the umpire doesn't give it- Should he walk or not? I know what I would prefer him to do if it was England batting.

That would be the ultimate test, but my sponantaneous answer to that would be: he should walk. The world cup is a big prize, some thing that all teams in all sports thrive for, but it's not big enough to convince me that someone should not listen to their conscience. If I were in that position, I'd walk, even if each and every single person in the world told me to do otherwise, I'd still walk.

Having said all that, you HAVE to, no matter which side you are on, the pro walking and anti walking, remember that all batsmen, are under the laws of the game untitilled to wait for the umpire to make the decesion, just like bowlers, are entitled to, under the laws of the game, appeal when ever they reckon its out. The rules, however do not disallow walking either. So it should be left alone as a personal decesion each player can make on their own. I personally think we would be better off, in terms of the heath of the game, and standard of umpiring as well, if batsmen rule them out, at least on occasions where umpires have made very obvious, but perfectly normal (since they are humans) errors in judgement. And that should apply to bowlers as well, I've appreciated, and will always appreciate, bowlers and fielding sides that do not over appeal or appeal when it is an obvious case of being not out. That way, things will even out, and no one will get to complain. I know people will say if that happens it would be utopia, and I know this is not a perfect world, but unless we try, and encourage this we will never know if that can happen.

What I mean to say, is that coaches at the lower levels should try and instill these little things in players' minds...they should be told that its better if you walk, and its better if you don't appeal for an lb, if there's an obvious inside/outside edge or appeal if you don't your self have conviction in the appeal...ultimately they too will reserve the right to make their own choice but at least we should be trying.