WE’LL NEVER “WALK” AGAIN

Few things in cricket divide opinion anything like as much as people’s interpretation of “the spirit of the game”. The age-old “preamble” to the Laws covers a multitude and yet is substantially shorter than any of the 42 sub-sections that follow it.

Basically, the preamble suggests that while the laws are the laws, it is the responsibility of the captains to ensure that the game is played within the intended spirit.

There have been a million examples throughout the history of the sport- most covered by the rules in any case. One of the favourites is the attempted run-out by the bowler while a batsman is backing up. The book says it’s fair game if the bowler hasn’t entered his delivery stride; the unwritten perception is that you warn first.

The oldest chestnut of all however is that of the “walk”. A batsman gets an edge and the umpire doesn’t pick it up- should he then do the decent thing and put the bat under his arm or should he take advantage of his good fortune?

It is a topic that no-one in cricket is non-plussed about; you’re either for or again.

Earlier this month we saw one of the most telling examples in recent years when George Bailey came under the spotlight in the first ODI between Australia and India. The Aussies- who have never managed to fully get over Stuart Broad’s indiscretion during the Ashes in 2013- were much quieter this time as Bailey clearly gloved one to MS Dhoni but was given a reprieve by a bemused Richard Kettleborough.

For the vast majority of neutrals the sense of injustice lasted only as long as it took them to realise that on the receiving end was a side that is doing its utmost to hold world cricket to ransom.

Australia were 2 down early chasing over 300 against the visitors and had DRS been available it would have been 20-odd for 3. As it was, Bailey went on to make a century that contributed greatly to a telling home win. The irony didn’t look lost on Dhoni, Kholi and the rest whose continued resistance to the TV replay will continue to have consequences the longer they resist.

To be fair, at a level where cash is king, Bailey probably had no option. Had he walked off and the Aussies then lost by 5 runs, he would have incurred the wrath of just about everyone in the hosts’ camp.

Conversely however, the sight of him whooping and hollering when he reached three figures rung very hollow. It will be recorded in the annals as a hundred, that’s fair enough, but in George’s own head he knows he stole it. It was hardly a reason to hire a bouncy castle.

Thankfully, at club level at least, there remains some honesty and integrity in this respect. There are still those who think you should never walk because a let-off “makes up for all the bad ones” they get. That’s as convenient as excuses get and they know it.

As a former umpire I can assure you that contrary to some suggestion, officials are never upset when a batsman does the honourable thing and walks off if he knows he’s out. Believe it or not, at club level at least, during my stint there were more who walked than didn’t.

It was a massive help that good example was being set by the likes of Decker Curry, Mark Gillespie, Gareth McKeegan and John Brown by the way- all guys who if they knew they were out, rarely waited for you to confirm it. Once they were seen to do it you knew you had a chance.

The fear now of course is that the rewards- even at grass roots- are much more valuable than just a decade ago. Batsmen with aspirations to play representative cricket are much less likely to turn down a reprieve- after all, Bailey’s hundred is still up in lights on his Cricinfo profile.

I’d be intrigued to hear a coach’s take on the matter but I’m guessing they leave that to individual choice. Until it costs a game, that is.

To be honest we’re probably in an era now where “walking” will be confined to just grass roots. It’s a pity for sure but as we’ve found out with a multitude of games, and tennis most recently, integrity and sport have probably long since fallen out of bed.

We can live in hope of course and thankfully for spectators, and especially the officials whose reputations sometimes hinge on such decisions, the spirit of the local game still seems to have some sort of pulse.