Cricket: What To Make Of It?

George Bernard Shaw commented on cricket by saying, "11 players playing and 11 thousand fools watching." I have seldom felt like a fool following the sport but some of its rules really make me look like one.

Mentioned below, are few of the complicated things which confuse me a lot and if any one is able to pierce through it, please explain it to me as well.

1. How can an umpire say that it's a no-ball after its been bowled? And if it is so, then why is the batsman allowed an extra run? Plus why there is an extra bowl allotted to the batting side? Either you give a run to the batting side or just allot an extra bowl. Why do both?

2. Why is there only six balls in an over? Five makes more sense or even seven is better. Why six? It becomes so difficult when there is a run-a-ball situation and it becomes so improbable to score the winning runs.

3. When the ball hits the helmet of the wicket keeper, the batting side is awarded five runs. Whose mistake is it that the ball hit the helmet? Why can't five runs be deducted from the side's total instead of adding it? Who has to bear the brunt of the mangled helmet, the batsman or the wicket keeper?

4. An allrounder should be a player who knows everything, right from batting to bowling to fielding. I ask, why not wicket keeping also; if he knows keeping, then won't he in the manner prescribed be an allrounder? Then if he gets bored keeping wickets, he can bowl for a change or probably field also.

5. The Fielding Positions: Third man, silly point, slips, silly mid-on, silly mid-off....it looks as if someone is ranting instead of talking about field placements....A fielder at the slips is supposed to catch "Catches" when the position is named as if to drop everything and run...and what about "Silly Mid-On", why call it silly when you yourself are responsible for it?

6. There was this rule a couple of years ago called the "Super Sub" and I really couldn't figure that one out although thankfully, they scrapped it before I could trouble my brain much. But if anyone understood that concept, please I would appreciate explaining it to me.

7. Why in Test matches isn't the coloured dress code there? I don't understand, why in ODIs do teams were coloured clothes and in Tests white. It adds more confusion to the already confusing Test rules.

8. When teams play in countries having perpetual rainy weather, why can't the boards do something about building a roof? It will save all the trouble of introducing Mr. Duckworth and Lewis as also give some breathing space to the teams playing...