Marsh: Umpire could be killed if no-ball rule not changed
Umpires are risking serious injury and even death by being on a cricket field with the current no-ball rule in place, says Rod Marsh.
Cricket Australia's chairman of selectors Rod Marsh believes an umpire could be killed if the no-ball rule is not changed.
Under the laws of the game the front foot is used as a guide to determine if a delivery is a no-ball. However, with big hitting having become more dominant due to the rise of Twenty20 cricket, former Australia wicketkeeper Marsh wants the back-foot rule to be reintroduced.
The back-foot law was scrapped in favour of the front-foot rule in 1963 but Marsh, speaking at the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, says reverting to the old method would allow umpires to stand further back and avoid possible injury from balls struck in their direction.
"It's only a matter of time before an umpire in an international or first-class match is seriously hurt, if not killed," Marsh said.
"You put yourself in the umpire's position when a batsman with a massive weapon runs at the bowler and smashes a straight drive at about chest height.
"I for one would want to be standing back as far as possible and by reverting to the back-foot law, the umpire has a chance to stand at least two metres further back.
"If I happened to be umpiring right now I'd be wearing a baseball helmet, a chest pad, shin guards and an abdominal protector.
"Maybe we have to make this safety gear for umpires compulsory for all international and first-class games."