In recent years, the games of test and one-day cricket have been enriched with technology of all kinds. Nowadays slow-motion replays help with run-outs and leg-before-wicket decisions, but in the past umpires could only rely on their experience, eyesight and ability to make split-second judgements.

The black and white photograph above shows a scene from a test match played over forty years ago. As a batsman ran to make his crease, the wicketkeeper whipped off the bails. The umpire said the batsman was  “IN” , but at the time the decision was very controversial!  In this Case Study pupils will use mathematics to help them decide “Was the batsman IN or OUT?”  

The full Case study includes:

• An introduction,

• An explanation of the features of this Case Study that make it a valuable learning experience,

• An outline of the five lessons,

• Detailed notes for each lesson,

• Detailed notes for the teacher for the whole activity and for each lesson, including full, worked solutions or example solutions (as appropriate),

• Detailed advice on how the activity can be adapted for teachers of different levels of experience and preferred teaching approaches, including possible assessment strategies,

• A description of the Mathematics that can be expected to emerge from the activities.