Identifying the point of ball release can be tricky with spinners
Night cricket was in full swing on one of the most spacious road intersections of the locality when the captain of the host team tossed the ball to his young multi-talented player. As he ran in and bowled his first bullet delivery, every member of the visiting team, sitting on the side walk, leaped on to the pitch (road) shouting “batta fast, batta fast” and “no ball”. Eventually, as emotions settled, it was decided that the bowler with the jerk action would be allowed to bowl the rest of the over only if he continued it as a spinner or slow armer.
‘Batta spin’ is a very common term in street cricket where a fast bowler who might throw or have an illegal bowling action is allowed to bowl spin or slow with the same tainted chucking action.
Many legendary Pakistani cricketers consider street cricket as a basic learning step.
Fast bowlers, here, who may not be hoarding a proper, genuinely legal action, are allowed to bowl spin with the same chucking action.
This relaxation is traditionally ongoing and granted to ensure that no one who is willing to bowl is left out of the opportunity.
However, this batta bowling is not limited to street cricket only.
With the passage of time, new technological advancements that would help ascertain the arm extension and gauge the straightening or flexibility at different junctures of a complete bowling action resulted in drafting and amendment of laws which would give bowlers a certain limit of bending, flexing and extending the arm beyond which the action would be deemed illegal.
Needless to say, the affordability and availability of the technology was indeed one of the core reasons behind the sudden increase in the rate of bowlers being reported locally and internationally.
Many ‘spin doctors’ here sneak in the wrong action under the garb of slow bowling
Nothing to hide
You may find it odd but spinners especially off-spinners in professional cricket are generally found wearing long sleeves contrary to most of their teammates.
No secrets to hide. One may argue that fielders who have been throwing themselves on the field would do it, too, while trying to save the extra run and avoiding a bruised elbow simultaneously.
But then again how many spin bowlers over the years are known for their fielding skills.
No wonder the intention was the same when the cheeky Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara welcomed the in-coming Indian batsman Harbhajan Singh on to the batting crease during an Asia Cup match with a taunt that mischievously or deviously pointed to the probable concealed secret.
His remark: “Hey Bhajji, you look handsome in your short sleeves. Why don’t you wear them when you bowl?” The remark fetched him a fine, considering the fact that Harbhajan’s action was already investigated for being suspicious.