Alternative question:
David Boon is batting with a runner. He is facing Curtley Ambrose on a wicket that is seaming around a bit, so he decides to bat outside his crease to the tall West Indian.
His runner, Michael Slater (who got out LBW to a well-pitched yorker just a few hours earlier) is standing a square leg ready and raring to run.
Why is Slats so keen and ready to run? Little Booney is on 99* and wants to get his single before the end of play, and while Booney didn't tell him to run at all costs, Slats is an intelligent fellow and wants to get Booney his century.
Tubby Taylor is at the bowler's end and having scored his own century, he knows how much this century means to Booney, but he also wants to keep his wicket because he has a feeling the pitch will be far more friendly to batsmen tommorrow.
The last ball of the day is bowled, with the pitch still playing tricks on the moustached maestro. He pushes forward, drives his bat with the line of the ball and manages to get it out into the covers. Booney, so keen to get his century, forgets about his dislocated ankle and trundles off down the wicket in a haste to make triple figures.
Poor Slats has no idea what to do, whether to run or whether to stay in his crease, so he does neither, instead wandering around a few metres out of the crease.
Tubby, in seeing that Booney is waddling his direction, and knowing the need to not make a man of Booney's height and fitness turn around, decides he better start running too.
Meanwhile, cover-fieldsman Richie Richardson, in seeing all that was taking place, grabs the ball in his right hand and throws it at the bowler's end, hoping to run Boon out. His throw is misdirected, but thankfully big Curtley is there and in an instant he whips the bails off in two quick motions. Alas, Boon has made his ground and begins waving his bat around in acknowledgment of the crowd who cheer at their hero. With the willow well and truly elevated, Boon makes sure he is well within the confines of his crease and continues to waddle around waving his bat.
Meanwhile, Curtley decides to have a crack at running out Tubby Taylor who, given his fitness levels, is still breaking a sweat to get down the other end and make good his ground. Ambrose gets the ball to his wicketkeeper Junior Murray, and the keeper Murray removes the bails with great flurry. Unfortunately for Tubby, he hasn't made it into his crease and with a turn to look at the dilapidated stumps, he begins walking off the ground, bat under his arm, and chewing gum still masticating in his mouth.
Meanwhile Slats, having seen Tubby struggling to make his ground, had the good sense to finally get inside the batting crease at the striker's end and watch as his left-handed opening partner slowly walks from the ground.
Unfortunately for Tubby, his walk is made extra long by the fact the pavillion is on the bowler's end of the ground, and so after much huffing in puffing (and chewing of his gum), he is just about to walk past Boon who by this stage has discontinued his bat waving. With Tubby almost next to Boon (who is standing just within the bowler's end popping crease) suddenly Courtney Walsh with all his experience, seems to have a brain explosion and under-arms the ball to Curtley who removes a stump from the ground (both bails were already on the ground). Tubby is out of his ground, but he thought he was already out?
Umpires Shepard and Bird convene to decide on relevant points of law, before both walking towards the batsmen.
With the noise of the crowd, and even more so the sound of Taylor sucking in the big ones from his 20.12 metre dash to the striker's end, neither can quite hear what the umpires are saying.
The umpires wish to make a decision:
What is the decision and why?
Has Boonie got his century?
Surely someone is out, but who?
Answer: Tomorrow.
