What’s a bowl out?
Elmo Rodrigopulle reporting
A ‘bowl out’, something similar to football’s penalty shoot-out could
materialise if the World Cup semi-finals and final end in a deadlock or
critical ties.
The first semi-final is on April 24, where teams 2 and 3 will meet at
Sabina Park in Jamaica and on April 25, teams emerging 1 and 4 from the
Super 8 will clash in St. Lucia. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 has
stipulated in its conditions that if the semi-finals or the final ends
in a tie, a bowl out will be used to determine the winner. The ‘bowl
out’ is viewed by some as a lottery, while yet others say it is skill
and the art of precision.
The rules are similar to the ones existing in football, where each
team puts forward five players to take penalty kicks against the
opposing goalkeeper.
Five players will be nominated by the two captains to bowl at a set
of three wickets and the team with the most ‘hits’ after five ‘bowls’
will be the winner.
If there is no winner after five ‘bowls’ taken by both teams, ‘bowls’
will continue to be taken until one team has scored a hit more than the
other from the same number of ‘bowls’.
Important rules of the bowl out
1. The captains will toss a coin for the right to determine which
team bowls first or second in the bowl out. The captains shall nominate
their five players before the toss.
2. The wicket-keeper will not be permitted to stand up to the stumps.
3. The umpires will stand in their normal positions and will be
responsible for officially recording the number of ‘hits’.
The referee will be responsible for making sure that only the chosen
bowlers actually bowl, and that no bowler bowls more than once until
permitted to do so.
4. The bowls are taken alternately by the teams.
5. Each bowl is taken by a different player and all ten eligible
players (the wicket-keeper shall not bowl) must bowl a delivery before
any player can take a second bowl.
6. In case of an infringement, the umpire shall call no-ball and the
delivery shall be considered a miss and will not be taken.
Antigua, Wednesday
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