Tuesday, September 30, 2014

This Crackdown on Off-Spinners is Extremely Unfair


Posted by Q at Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Pitched (2)
It started with Shane Shillingford, and then continued with Marlon Samuels, Sachitra Senanayake, Kane Williamson, and Saeed Ajmal in international cricket; and Adnan Rasool, Mohammad Hafeez, Prenelan Subrayen, and Sunil Narine in the ongoing Champions League T20.

These bans and warnings to bowlers is getting a little out of hand I think.

The only thing common among all the names mentioned is that they are all off-spinners.

Off-spin has existed for as long as cricket has existed, but there have only been a handful successful world class off spinners that have played the game. For majority of the game's existence, off-spinners have been used as bowlers who would come on to stem the run flow, or just full in for the primary bowlers.

For perspective, out of the 64 bowlers who have taken more than 200 test wickets, only 4 are off-spinners - Muralitharan, Harbhajan, Swann, and Saqlain Mushtaq. While in ODIs, out of the 35 bowlers who have taken more than 200 wickets, only 3 are off-spinners - Muralitharan, Saqlain, and Harbhajan.

What is interesting though is that despite the few off-spinners among the top wicket takers in the game, the leading wicket taker in both formats is an off-spinner - Muralitharan,

The leading wicket taker in T20 internationals is also an off-spinner - Saeed Ajmal.

And the best bowling figures in a test match also belong to an off-spinner - 19-90 by Jim Laker.

Anyhow, enough with this little historical background. My key problem with all these bans is why now!?

For close to two decades, the ICC allowed Muralitharan to bowl in international cricket, despite the several times that he was called by on field umpires and tested in Australian labs. Not only that, but the flex in his arm, due to an injury or whatever reason, also resulted in the 15 degree allowance for bowlers.

Muralitharan went on to become the leading wicket taker in both tests and ODIs, and sits firmly at the top, well ahead of all other bowlers with over 1300 international wickets to his name.

Luckily, Muralitharan no longer plays international cricket. He only appears in T20 leagues around the world.

What will happen if Muralitharan is warned in a T20 league game and eventually banned from bowling?

Will the ICC scrap his world records?

Is it fair that bowlers like Saeed Ajmal, Sunil Narine, and Senanayake are banned from bowling in international cricket, yet the world record holder was a bowler who had a flex similar, or worse, to theirs?

What suddenly woke the ICC up to start this crackdown on off-spinners?

The fact that it is only off-spinners being banned, can it not be a case that there is a technicality that is being missed? Isn't it quite possible that off-spinners require a greater flex than leg spinners, left arm spinners, and pacers?

There are many questions to be answered, however the most pertinent one is, WHY NOW!???


My geometry teacher always used to say to never trust the eyes when measuring angles; always use a protractor.

We don't need no protractor to see who has the greatest flex among the bowlers in the above picture. It is quite clear to the naked eye.

No ban on any off-spinner will ever be fair because Muralitharan was allowed to play international cricket for 18 years.

No ban on any off-spinner will be ever be fair because Muralitharan is the leading wicket taker in international cricket.

I don't mean to take anything away from Muralitharan's achievements. He is arguable the best spinner to have played the game.

However, just because of precedence and history, the likes of Ajmal, Narine, Samuels, Shillingford, Hafeez et al should be allowed to continue playing the game.

Or the ICC should just scrap Muralitharan from the record books.

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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Where has it gone wrong for Alastair Cook and England?


Posted by Q at Wednesday, September 24, 2014 Pitched (1)
Starting the 2014 calendar year with the final chapter in a largely forgettable Ashes series was not ideal for an England team that held high aspirations of remaining amongst the best in test cricket. The 5-0 whitewash defeat in Australia highlighted that England were second best throughout the series, with Michael Clarke’s men seizing the initiative and taking full control from day one of the first test at The Gabba. It created serious question marks over the quality of England’s batting and bowling, while it also resulted in the end of Kevin Pietersen’s illustrious, yet controversial, career as an England cricketer, along with Andy Flower’s tenure as coach as every new news story covered their demise in the Southern Hemisphere. Subsequent indifferent performances and results in all forms of the game have led to serious inquests over where it has gone wrong for a team that could seemingly do no wrong in 2013 to a faltering team in dire need of fresh ideas.

Alastair Cook

England’s captain has come under serious scrutiny from the media and cricket fans for a dramatic loss in form with the bat which has ultimately affected his captaincy. The manner in which England lost to India during the Investec Test Series in July and August further increased the pressure on Cook to stand down as captain, with critics believing he lacks the man management skills and ability to make critical decisions on the field to successfully lead the England team.

His stout resolution to remain as captain illustrates the considerable strength of a man who has been one of England’s best batsmen over the last five years, with Cook regularly scoring runs in all forms of cricket and standing up to the plate when those around him. It was these qualities that have put Cook on the road to redemption, although an agonising 95 in the third test against India means his wait for a much-needed century continues. While he remains the best man to lead England in test matches, his position as one day captain is under threat as the resounding defeat to India in the Royal London One Day Series illustrated that England do not have enough quality to perform in the shorter version of the game.

Batting collapses

An important component of a successful cricket team is the ability to score runs on a frequent basis throughout the team. Having a number of high calibre batsmen who can turn a game on its head by remaining in and playing sensible, controlled innings is an invaluable commodity, but these qualities should run throughout a batting line-up. Tail-enders should not be expected to spare a team’s blushes, but 2014 has seen England’s bowlers try to score invaluable runs all too often. A number of England’s batsmen, most notably Cook and Matthew Prior, have failed to deliver with the bat, with batting collapses becoming a common theme as England have let so many promising situations slip with awful shot selections and poor dismissals. The growing popularity of the one day and Twenty20 formats may have blurred the lines for many players between how to approach the game in the short form and Test cricket, but this should not be an excuse for the number of collapses which have become a pandemic for England in all formats.

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Can the Dolphins take on the Lahore Lions at this year's CLT20?


Posted by Q at Tuesday, September 23, 2014 Pitched (2)

This year's Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament will see Group A's Dolphins take on the Lahore Lions on September 27th.

The match will see the South African side take on Pakistan's Lahore at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

It was a controversial topic as to whether or not the Lahore Lions would be taking part in this year's competition. The team's visa application to play in India was a controversial issue  in the lead up to the tournament and it looked as though they could potentially not play.

However, despite a fragile political relationship between India and Pakistan, it was confirmed at the beginning of September that the team had had their visa applications approved and would be going to Bangalore to participate.

The concerns were heightened after it became apparent how few Pakistani players were playing in the Indian Premier League. The Lahore Lions captain, Mohammed Hafeez, was confident however and assured fans that the lack of league level play would not affect the Lions' outcome in their upcoming Champions League Twenty20 matches.

Prior to his arrival in Bangalore, Hafeez said: “We are departing with confidence. We all know how important the first stage is so we are focusing on qualifying for the next round. We, as a team, have been playing some exciting cricket in the last two years and the squad has gutsy players from our domestic circuit so we have an ability to fight at the top level.”

There is certainly some fighting talk from the Lahore Lions, who will also have to face this year's Indian Premier League winners, Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as third place contenders Chennai Super Kings before they take on the South African outfit.

The Dolphins are also pretty confident however, with their coach, all-rounder Lance Klusener, expressing his desire to take home the title this year. He said: “We are really looking forward to the challenge up ahead. Our intention is to come here and win this trophy and win this tournament. I think it's important that we approach it in that way and play in a certain way that we feel we can achieve that goal.”

The coach added that the tournament would be a great opportunity for the team's young players to stretch their legs.

With players like Adam Gilchrist not truly coming into their own until their 40s, the Dolphins could be proven wrong, but with the Lions' lack of league experience, their upcoming match really could be anybody's victory.

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