Keep off this grass

"We have a bowler who bowls very straight and very close to the stumps. His follow-through often takes him straight down the pitch. He was warned for this recently by an umpire. But why? Our bowler doesn't wear spikes and had not caused any visible damage at all to the pitch."






Anyone just standing on what used to be called the 'danger area' and is now called the 'protected area', let alone a bowler following through onto it, is enough for the umpire to take action. This protected area extends from five feet in front of the popping crease at each end, and one foot either side of an imaginary line connecting the two middle stumps. If the bowler continued to do this, eventually his captain would be instructed to take him off. Everyone - batsmen, fielders, even umpires, should keep off this protected area.