Can one not play the ball thus on an off day? (2,3)
I believe the answer is:
to leg
'can one not play' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I cannot judge whether it can be defined by this definition.
'the ball thus on an off day?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is present in the answer.
'ball' could be 'o' (O looks like a ball) and 'o' is found within the answer.
'on' could be 'leg' (cricket term, fielding positions) and 'leg' is found in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?