Chucking Controversies: Latest Edition
It isn’t an England-Pakistan series without a controvery of some sort. From Shakoor Rana through Darrell Hair at The Oval and spotfixing at Lord’s, we have always been guaranteed a healthy dose of spice in any encounter between these two teams.
The latest controversy owes much to Bob Willis’ on-air rants on a perceived illegality in Saeed Ajmal’s action. Amidst all the sturm und drang over the doosra, teesra and chucking, two pieces in the last few days have stood out for their insight and even-handedness.
From the pen of the wonderfully eloquent John Hotten (@theoldbatsman):
Ajmal probably did exceed the limits on a couple of occasions – that’s not an egregious sin. But neither was he trying to cheat.
Ultimately, spin bowling is about deception. On a first day wicket that wasn’t really turning, Ajmal played with minds. The ball fizzed from his wrist with a scrambled seam, and it had done half of its work before it even pitched. That was his true victory, and we wouldn’t want it lost to rumour, spite, television replays or anything else.
For the spin nerds amongst you, Shoaib Naveed (@SillyTiddy) has a technical discussion of spin:
Had the art of spin bowling been given the proper study and credit it deserves, all the hoopla surrounding Ajmal’s action would have been unnecessary. Those who have delved in the deeply enriched nature of spin bowling will know how simplified it has been through the years. The generalisation and viewing of the skill from a very convex lens has led to these recent tirades against innovation.
Go read both pieces in their entirety. They should make up for any residual trauma one might have after reading The Daily Mail‘s take on things.
No related posts.
Spread the word:
