Every piece of land or plot is earmarked with a boundary to signify its limits. Every game, be it football, kabaddi or hockey, has a 'boundary' within which it has to be conducted.

The same is the case in cricket. Until a decade ago, the boundary at most grounds in the world was the fence. Australia had the largest boundaries as compared to other grounds in the world. The straight boundary at Adelaide Oval was about 110 yards from the centre of the pitch lengthwise. Perth was huge breadth-wise.

Nowadays, in order to encourage big hitting (which is what the crowds love), the ICC has decided to limit the boundaries to a maximum of 80 yards from the centre. Even the Brabourne stadium at Mumbai and the Eden Gardens at Kolkata had 90-yard boundaries, but not anymore. After all, cricket is a batsman's game!
 

A rope along the fence marks boundaries in all international games. The advertisement boards on the ground are not far away from the rope. Today we see advertisements covering the rope itself! These are V-shaped things made of hard cardboard so that they do not hurt a fielder sprawling over them while attempting to field or even stepping over them.

Earlier a fielder could lean against or even across the boundary fence to complete a catch. This happened quite frequently in Australia. It won't happen today. Even while stopping a boundary, the fielder should not be in contact with the fence or rope.

Flags are also put up along the boundary but placed just outside the rope. On some grounds where local matches are played, flags are placed at an equal distance from each other to indicate the boundary. The boundary is the imaginary line joining the flags.

In local matches played on open 'maidans', the umpires agree upon the boundaries (imaginary) with both captains before the toss. There may be a lamppost or a football goal post within the agreed boundary. Then it is decided whether the batting side will get four runs if the ball hits the lamppost or goal post, and if a catch will be valid if the ball rebounds on the full.

There may be tree branches hovering within the playing area, even though the trunk of the tree may be well outside. Again, the captains and umpires have to agree how the branches should be treated in case they come into play with the ball hitting them or a fielder taking a catch on the rebound.

They also have to decide on the course of action in case there is obstruction of any sort. If the ball strikes a passerby somewhere near the agreed boundary, then the umpire is empowered to decide whether to declare it a boundary or not depending upon the merit of the stroke. But we sometimes find that an outsider picks up the ball much before it reaches the boundary and flicks the ball to the pursuing fielder. In such cases, the umpire calls 'Dead Ball' and prevents any attempt to run out either batsman.

Once in a lower division game many years ago at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai, the ball had come to rest in a vacant area near the boundary (imaginary). An absent-minded passerby, on seeing the ball unattended, picked it up, put it in his cloth bag and continued walking towards VT station. Frantic shouting by all the fielders did not have any effect on him until the nearest fielder confronted him. He very reluctantly handed over the ball. I had called 'Dead Ball' by that time and all the players, even those playing on the neighbouring plot, had burst out laughing. It was one of the strangest incidents of my umpiring career.

- By Piloo Reporter