Line and length

Line and length in cricket refers to the direction and point of bouncing on the pitch of a delivery. The two concepts are frequently discussed together.

The line of a delivery is the direction of its trajectory measured in the horizontal plane. More simply, it is a measure of how far to the left or right the ball is travelling, compared to a line drawn straight down the pitch. It is usually referred to in terms of the directions off (away in front of the batsman) and leg (in towards or behind the batsman), rather than left and right, however.

Different lines that the ball may be said to be travelling on may be towards off stump, middle stump or leg stump, outside leg stump, or outside off stump. Balls on a line outside off stump may be said to be in the "corridor of uncertainty" if they are within 12 inches of the line of off stump. Wider deliveries may be said to be giving a batsman "width". Balls delivered on a line outside leg stump are often referred to as "going down the leg side", or alternatively "on the pads", referring to the batsman's leg protection. Short pitched leg-side deliveries are often referred to as bodyline, literally meaning on the line of the body.

Line controls how much room the batsman has to play various shots, and sometimes dictates what shot he must play. A line directed at the wicket, for example, must be defended with the bat, as failing to hit the ball will result in the batsman being out bowled, whilst a batsman blocking the ball with the body is likely to be out leg before wicket.

Despite this most direct method of getting the batsman out, bowlers often concentrate their line outside off stump, where the batsman does not necessarily have to hit the ball to avoid being out. A line just outside off stump, sometimes referred to as the corridor of uncertainty, may cause the batsman to be in two minds whether or not he needs to hit the ball to prevent it hitting his wicket. In this state, the batsman has little choice but to attempt to hit the ball, as not doing so could be disastrous. By thus forcing the batsman to play at the ball with some element of uncertainty, the bowler's goal is to induce a poorly executed shot that may offer a catch to a fielder, or ricochet the ball into the wicket.

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