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John Holder’s verdict
1) This is totally unsporting, and against the spirit of cricket: he needs to control himself. Award eight runs – the four runs already completed, and four for the boundary. Thanks to Richard Paulson.
2) As soon as the boy steps on to the field of play you or your colleague should call and signal dead ball to prevent any further development. You should then decide how many runs should be awarded to the batting side – clearly it looks like this was a certain boundary. Thanks to Andy Murtagh.
3) Why did you miss the toss? The laws state it has to be supervised by at least one umpire, to prevent any possible sharp practice or misunderstanding such as this one. That is why the umpires go to the middle with the two captains and watch the home captain toss the coin. So the best thing to do now is explain to both captains that the toss they held while you were absent does not count, and to start the process over again. This is one of those scenarios which shows how vital it is for umpires to be alert and on top of the laws. Just as you would not want to be policed by an untrained officer, so you should not want to be umpired by someone who does not know the laws. Thanks to Bryan Lodge.
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