If a bowl slips out of a player's hand during delivery, what is the umpire's course of action?

When a bowl slips out of a player's hand during delivery, the appropriate course of action for the umpire is to allow the player to start the delivery again. This is based on the principle that the player did not have control of the bowl at the time of the delivery, and as such, the delivery is deemed not to have taken place. The focus is on ensuring that the game is played fairly and that players have the opportunity to deliver their bowls as intended.

The other responses would not align with standard practices in the game of bowls. Declaring the bowl dead would not apply in this situation, as the player's mishap should not adversely affect gameplay. Assigning a penalty to the player for a bowl slipping from their hand would also be unjust, considering that it is often an unintended error. Ending the game immediately over a slip would be excessively drastic and not reflective of the rules, which prioritize allowing fair play and maintaining the flow of the game.