Beamer (cricket)
Encyclopedia
In the terminology of the game of cricket
, a beamer (less commonly beam ball) is a type of delivery
in which the ball (bowled at a fast pace), without bouncing, passes above the batsman's waist height. Such a ball is often dangerously close to the batsman's head, due to the lack of control a bowler has over high full toss
es. Worse, the batsman is expecting the ball to pitch on the wicket and therefore may not pick up the flight of the ball and may be struck by it. This type of delivery can result in injuries to the batsman, and the penalty for this type of delivery is an immediate no-ball signal given by the umpire
. The use of beamers is governed under Law 42.6
. The bowler is then given a warning by the umpire for dangerous bowling. Repeated or deliberate cases may result in the bowler being barred from bowling again for the remainder of the innings
(or match
), as happened with Waqar Younis
in the 2003 Cricket World Cup
. Fast or express bowlers, particularly younger players yet to fully refine their techniques, are likely to bowl such deliveries more often than other bowlers, albeit accidentally.
Beamers can severely injure a batsman, especially if the batsman's head is struck. Some cricket boards are considering introducing additional penalties in the form of monetary fines for the bowler if any batsman is injured as a result of this delivery.
Bowlers can legally target the batsman with a ball aimed at his head that bounces, called a bouncer
. These are much easier to play or avoid than beamers.
Typically a beamer is quite hard to bowl because the ball is usually released very early on in the action. Beamers are sometimes bowled when the ball is wet and it slips out of the bowlers hand. Some excuses given have been that it was an attempted yorker
that slipped but this is generally not the case as a yorker is delivered much later in the action.
Although most bowlers bowl this delivery accidentally, it can be noted that there would be a good reason to bowl it as it would put the batsmen off, the batsmen expects the ball to be on the pitch but when he picks it up late flying around his head he is fearful for injury. For the next deliveries from that bowler or others he would certainly have doubt and uncertainty in his mind. The penalties for such bowling have increased with a warning for one beamer and being taken off for two being increased to a 10% match fine in the case of Kemar Roach
vs Bangladesh on the 28th July 2009.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, a beamer (less commonly beam ball) is a type of delivery
Delivery (cricket)
A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball towards the batsman.During play of the game, a member of the fielding team is designated as the bowler, and bowls deliveries towards the batsman...
in which the ball (bowled at a fast pace), without bouncing, passes above the batsman's waist height. Such a ball is often dangerously close to the batsman's head, due to the lack of control a bowler has over high full toss
Full toss
A full toss is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It describes any delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing on the pitch first....
es. Worse, the batsman is expecting the ball to pitch on the wicket and therefore may not pick up the flight of the ball and may be struck by it. This type of delivery can result in injuries to the batsman, and the penalty for this type of delivery is an immediate no-ball signal given by the umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
. The use of beamers is governed under Law 42.6
Fair and unfair play
Law 42 of the laws of the sport of cricket covers fair and unfair play. This law has developed and expanded over time as various incidents of real life unfair play have been legislated against....
. The bowler is then given a warning by the umpire for dangerous bowling. Repeated or deliberate cases may result in the bowler being barred from bowling again for the remainder of the innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
(or match
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
), as happened with Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis Maitla is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket and widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time...
in the 2003 Cricket World Cup
2003 Cricket World Cup
-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
. Fast or express bowlers, particularly younger players yet to fully refine their techniques, are likely to bowl such deliveries more often than other bowlers, albeit accidentally.
Beamers can severely injure a batsman, especially if the batsman's head is struck. Some cricket boards are considering introducing additional penalties in the form of monetary fines for the bowler if any batsman is injured as a result of this delivery.
Bowlers can legally target the batsman with a ball aimed at his head that bounces, called a bouncer
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
. These are much easier to play or avoid than beamers.
Typically a beamer is quite hard to bowl because the ball is usually released very early on in the action. Beamers are sometimes bowled when the ball is wet and it slips out of the bowlers hand. Some excuses given have been that it was an attempted yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
that slipped but this is generally not the case as a yorker is delivered much later in the action.
Although most bowlers bowl this delivery accidentally, it can be noted that there would be a good reason to bowl it as it would put the batsmen off, the batsmen expects the ball to be on the pitch but when he picks it up late flying around his head he is fearful for injury. For the next deliveries from that bowler or others he would certainly have doubt and uncertainty in his mind. The penalties for such bowling have increased with a warning for one beamer and being taken off for two being increased to a 10% match fine in the case of Kemar Roach
Kemar Roach
Kharab Andre Jamal Roach is a Barbadian cricketer. He played in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka and has represented the West Indies in Test and One Day International cricket...
vs Bangladesh on the 28th July 2009.