Free hit

[Steve-o]

Busy watching the Proteas vs Windies when Morne Morkel bowls a no ball. Then all of a sudden the umpire does this weird signal i've never seen before and the score board starts flashing red, with 'free hit' written at the bottom.

At this point I'm like "WTF?!"

Turns out this is a delivery that you can score runs off but you can't get dismissed off it.

My question is, since when has this been around? What do you guys think of it? And do the runs off it count as extras or is it added to the batsmans tally?



I've been watching cricket a good 13 years, and this is the 1st time i've seen it

 

[sambãd5]

always i thought, you cant get called out on a no ball.

unless your trying to say that after a no ball, the next ball is a free hit which is new to me too.

 

[Steve-o]

Yeah straight after the no ball. What's worse is that everybody on the TV acted normal about it

 

[An Tarbh]

I saw this as well and thought it was strange, I know there's a free hit for a front foot no ball in Twenty20 but didn't realise it was coming into ODIs or is it just some trial for this series???

 

[darwin_23]

I saw this as well and thought it was strange, I know there's a free hit for a front foot no ball in Twenty20 but didn't realise it was coming into ODIs or is it just some trial for this series??? [/b]

The 'free hit' system following no-balls has been in place in ODI's since about October. I think the ICC is having a one year trial of the system to see how it goes.

It will be interesting to see how this affects the number of noballs bowled in ODI cricket given the harsher system that is now in place...

 

[spider23]

a free hit is just where someone bowls a no ball and the next ball is when the batsman gets the benefit(can't be caught,stumped, bowled etc. except they can be runout.same as no-ball). Because as a batsman you get only a few seconds to react to a no-ball call under the old system(if you here the call at all).

 

[jonese26]

I don't like this new rule. I've played some cricket in a comp with the rule and ive found it disrupts my train of concentration when im batting if i get a free hit.

 

[jplyr10]

its been around for a while now i think
i think its been around ever since they made the 20/20

 

[playerh]

Yeah saw it and thought WTF! Then had to Umpire a club game and thouogh all no balls get a free hit. @_@

 

[william1024]

i think it is better because it means the batsmen is actully getting an advantage.
to be honest i dont think it puts you off. it is less offputing tryin to smash a six when someone is saying no ball

 

[Haysie]

I reckon it's off-putting. It's almost as if "Oh... now I have a free hit. Where will I smash it to?" rather than trying to stroke it away for runs, like a classy bastman.
The best approach I've seen was from Brad Haddin (against Shoaib Akhtar I think... although I don't think that would make sense) when he stood BEHIND the stumps on a free hit. His approach was that if it was a bouncer, he has more time to get into position and smack it, and if it hits the stumps it is more likely to ricochet off and go for runs.

 

[Jer1cho]

I remember seeing a Bangladesh player bowl a ball, but he hit himself on the leg with his arm by accident, so the ball flew off the pitch. Then the funniest cricket thing ever happened. The batsman hauled ass of the pitch and ran after the ball. He tried to hit the begeezus out of it. Ha Ha Ha!

I laughed so hard at the bowler. I loved it...

 

[Hamster]

I'm not a fan.

Just another gimic rule we have to remember when we explain the rules to an American.

I've seen it so many times in 20/20, 1 every 10 times the batsman misses the ball completely.