The sport that used to be called the gentleman’s game is these days plagued with controversies
Suspect bowling actions have always been a topic for debate and in the days gone by when technology was not available contentious issues were decided by umpires. Majid and Meckiff were two seamers who had to abandon their fast bowling. Whereas Meckiff quit the scene, Majid concentrated on his batting and started off spin bowling in lieu of his seam. With technology now available one would have imagined that it would have been a relatively simple task to pinpoint chuckers. However, the ICC has made a complete mess of the situation with their unexpected relaxation in case of one particular bowler and introduction of the permissible 15-degree bend of the arm. Even Wasim Akram had to confess that since he could not comprehend the new rule, he could not explain it to others.
It was in 1996 that the unfortunate tragedy started when Sri Lanka toured Australia. Muttiah Muralitharan, who should not have been allowed to bowl the first ball in Test cricket, was the centre of controversy. He was rightly called for chucking by the two on-field umpires and the then Sri Lankan Captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, led his team off the field and threatened to call off the Test and the series if Murli was called again. He also urged the removal of the two umpires from the remaining Tests if the series was to continue further. It was at this crucial juncture that the Australian Cricket Board yielded to this blackmail and since then cricket has not been the same. Murli was allowed to bowl further without being called and the two umpires were dispensed with for the next two Tests. The ICC is basically run by Australians and Englishmen and any other notion to the contrary is merely an illusion.
To justify the continuation of Murli’s bowling career the ICC came up with a ridiculous conclusion that he had a birth defect in his right arm and as such could be made an exception. Birth defect or no birth defect the rules of the game are quite clear and Murli was, and is, a chucker. Bishen Singh Bedi has correctly and repeatedly equated Muralitharan’s bowling action with that of a javelin thrower. The bend of the arm and hurl at the time of release are identical and the only difference is that one throws a javelin whereas the other throws a ball.
After allowing Murli to bowl the ICC has no moral authority to question the legality of any bowler’s action and the ban imposed on Shabbir is a blatant act of double standards. The PCB should encourage Shabbir to file a case against the ICC in a London court challenging that this ban was depriving him of his right to livelihood. In support of his argument he can provide footage of Murli’s bowling action and his own. He will probably win the case hands down. The legal expenses should be covertly borne by the PCB. Not only would the ban on Shabbir be lifted but also the issue would be resolved for all times to come.
Nowadays mindless cricket is being played round the clock. This wanes the interest of the public and players, causes frequent injuries to key players and as a result instead of the best team one sees a B team playing. Naturally the interest level of players has receded to such an extent that in the midst of a series they have started leaving their team to be with their families on one pretext or the other, whereas in the days gone by a player only took off for bereavement. The players after all have a family life too and they should be given a reasonable amount of time for their private lives. The duration between two tours should be at least of four months. It will enable the players to attend to their family matters and to recharge their batteries. Moreover, that much gap will make the batsmen hungry for runs, and bowlers for wickets. It will also considerably lessen the injuries to players and will enable the injured players to regain their fitness. In a nutshell animated contests between two teams playing with their full strength will be revived. It is in the best interest of spectators, players and the great game of cricket. The ICC must realistically revise the absurd cricket calendar it has drawn up for several years.
Waqar Younis, in the absence of Imran Khan, is the best possible choice for training fast bowlers. The PCB has indeed made the right move by appointing him as bowling coach. Waqar has an impeccable bowling record. Seventy-five per cent of his victims were either bowled or trapped LBW which speaks volumesfor his accuracy and his ability to keep the ball between the stumps. This is exactly what our budding young bowlers need to learn.
It also needs to be mentioned that Waqar was the best exponent of reverse swing, an art which he can pass on to the younger generation. He was a master of swinging yorkers too and he can teach this art to our present crop of fast bowlers. What is highly commendable is that amongst all the leading wicket-takers in the game, Waqar has the best strike rate. He has on an average taken a wicket after every 42 balls. He is followed by Shoaib Akhtar (45), Malcolm Marshall (46), Glen McGrath, Richard Hadlee (50) and Denis Lillee (52). It is worth mentioning that Waqar and Lillee were the quickest in the world to reach 200 wickets and both of them accomplished this feat in 38 Tests. When Wasim Akram was captain, it is said that he deliberately kept Waqar out of the side for nearly two-and-a-half-years in his prime. This was due to personal rivalry and Waqar publicly blamed Wasim for ruining his career. He ultimately had a tally of 373 Test wickets and had he not been sidelined for two-and-a-half-years in his prime, he probably would have surpassed the 450 mark to become the leading wicket-taker at that time. In Waqar Pakistan has an ideal trainer and the PCB should use him for talent hunting as well.
Zaheer Abbas, who has been appointed as manager for the Sri Lankan tour, has an amicable disposition. He should be used as batting coach. He was one of our best batsmen and indeed the finest player of spin bowling. He should be given a long-term assignment as batting coach. If he could teach Azharuddin he could certainly do the same for our batsmen. He used to have an appetite for runs and could convert centuries into double centuries. Our present crop of batsmen are weak on this count and Zaheer’s coaching could be invaluable for them.
The PCB was contemplating to engage Jonty Rhodes as fielding coach and the earlier they seal the deal the better it would be. Rhodes was one of the best fielders the game has seen and he would be invaluable as a coach. Fielding is the weakest department of our team and the old adage that catches win matches really holds true. It is worth mentioning here that most of our fielders are reluctant to dive since the outfields at home have negligible grass and they avoid sustaining injuries. It is a valid argument and the PCB should ensure that all our stadiums have proper grass on their outfields. n
Suspect bowling actions have always been a topic for debate and in the days gone by when technology was not available contentious issues were decided by umpires. Majid and Meckiff were two seamers who had to abandon their fast bowling. Whereas Meckiff quit the scene, Majid concentrated on his batting and started off spin bowling in lieu of his seam. With technology now available one would have imagined that it would have been a relatively simple task to pinpoint chuckers. However, the ICC has made a complete mess of the situation with their unexpected relaxation in case of one particular bowler and introduction of the permissible 15-degree bend of the arm. Even Wasim Akram had to confess that since he could not comprehend the new rule, he could not explain it to others.
After allowing Murli to bowl the ICC has no moral authority to question the legality of any bowler’s action and the ban imposed on Shabbir is a blatant act of double standards. The PCB should encourage Shabbir to file a case against the ICC in a London court challenging that this ban was depriving him of his right to livelihood. In support of his argument he can provide footage of Murli’s bowling action and his own. He will probably win the case hands down. The legal expenses should be covertly borne by the PCB. Not only would the ban on Shabbir be lifted but also the issue would be resolved for all times to come.
It also needs to be mentioned that Waqar was the best exponent of reverse swing, an art which he can pass on to the younger generation. He was a master of swinging yorkers too and he can teach this art to our present crop of fast bowlers. What is highly commendable is that amongst all the leading wicket-takers in the game, Waqar has the best strike rate. He has on an average taken a wicket after every 42 balls. He is followed by Shoaib Akhtar (45), Malcolm Marshall (46), Glen McGrath, Richard Hadlee (50) and Denis Lillee (52). It is worth mentioning that Waqar and Lillee were the quickest in the world to reach 200 wickets and both of them accomplished this feat in 38 Tests. When Wasim Akram was captain, it is said that he deliberately kept Waqar out of the side for nearly two-and-a-half-years in his prime. This was due to personal rivalry and Waqar publicly blamed Wasim for ruining his career. He ultimately had a tally of 373 Test wickets and had he not been sidelined for two-and-a-half-years in his prime, he probably would have surpassed the 450 mark to become the leading wicket-taker at that time. In Waqar Pakistan has an ideal trainer and the PCB should use him for talent hunting as well.
