The Umpire's Decision

Weak or faulty umpiring can make a farce of any cricket match, whether it is being played at Lord’s or on the village green. Cricket has always been a subtle game – that is the secret of its hold upon generation after generation of English youth – and its refinement over the years demand of its white-coated arbiters not only good eyesight and alertness but a thorough knowledge of the Laws of the Game and their possible interpretations.

Frank Lee, for many years opening batsman for Somerset and now a first-class and Test Match umpire, spend much of his spare time travelling all over the country and lecturing to umpires’ associations. The eagerness of cricketers everywhere to improve and deepen their acquaintance with the Laws so impressed him that he noted down all the questions put to him and also his considered answers to those questions.

By permission of the MCC the Laws of Cricket, including the latest revisions, are reproduced here and Frank Lee adds a commentary to each Law, he remarks embodying his thirty years’ experience in first-class cricket.