Examples of Personal Space in Cricket

By Chris Broad

Recently there has been some controversy about what is personal space in cricket. As a referee who has some knowledge of this I was recently asked how is the personal space defined. I thought the best way to illustrate this was by giving examples of it. So here are some recent examples:

1. Clarke's neck is Katich's personal space.
2. Lee's back is Symonds personal space.
3. West Indies' bowlers shirts and abdomens are Ponting's personal space.
4. Asif's raised arm is Ponting's personal space.
5. Infact the whole pitch is Ponting's personal space.

I was also asked why I did not warn Ponting after two incidents as I had done with Aamer. There were two reasons. One Aamer did it in euphoria and Ponting did not look up in dejection. Second, see number 5 above.

I hope this will bring some clarity to the situation.