Field Placings

[guyfs@yahoo.co.uk]

Is it just me or does changing field placings have little effect? As an experiement I tried putting nine men back on the boundary and the ball still went past them for four.

Is it the case that the result of every ball is calculated in advance and then the approriate graphic sequence runs? In other words, does it actually matter where you place fielders?

As another experiement I put everybody in the slips and bowled around the wicket with the ball angling across the batsmen, but not a single slip ctach resulted.

And why do so many people get caught at short square leg???

[Cyril Washbrook]

Yes, field placings do matter. But the reality is that if it were so easy to block off the runs or take wickets, no captain would ever have a problem defending a total in a run chase.

As for the short square leg thing - indeed, there are a few modes and locations of dismissal which crop up too frequently in ICC. In particular, there aren't enough catches outside the slips region and there are too many LBWs and bowleds.