A Legal Action?

Top Contributors
GoldenArm

GoldenArm

Member
Pakistans-Saeed-Ajmal-007.jpg



I'm in a bit of a quandary over this whole issue as I think most people are. For such a seemingly straight forward law:

A ball is fairly delivered in respect of the arm if, once the bowler's arm has reached the level of the shoulder in the delivery swing, the elbow joint is not straightened partially or completely from that point until the ball has left the hand. This definition shall not debar a bowler from flexing or rotating the wrist in the delivery swing.[1]

there's quite a lot of confusion. Ajmal's action was reported in 2009 at which point the bio-mechanical commitee examined his action and it must have been found to be within the 15 degrees flexion allowed as he was not sanctioned. But if you look at the slo-mo's or photo's like the one above, to me it looks just awful.

I enjoy watching the guy bowl, and there's no doubt cricket would a less interesting place without him. BUT other bowlers have found ways of bowling a ball which goes the other way without resorting to what is essentially bending and in some opinions breaking the rules. What do you guys think?
 
If it looks like a chuck it most probably is.

Yeah I am a bit ambivalent about the chucking debate. You have former greats disagreeing over what is going on. I have to respect someone like greg chappell saying that the doosra is illegal. But I loved to watch Murali bowl.

Once they changed the rules to allow muralis crooked arm then others followed.

Lets face it most fingerspinners learn their break by initially learning to throw one. Then they try and get it happening overarm.

I have heard the arguement that it doesn't matter because chucking only favours fast bowling but of course everyone knows it is more accurate to throw at a target than bowl at it. Besides the fact that a lot of faster offspinners like Bruce Yardley were accused of throwing their fast arm ball.

Ever heard of a slow legspinner being accused of chucking ? The over the wrist merchant is the true bowler. Lindwall, Larwood. Laker, they all bent their arm from time to time. The only arm bending a wristie does is at the bar after the game.
 
macca said:
If it looks like a chuck it most probably is.

Yeah I am a bit ambivalent about the chucking debate. You have former greats disagreeing over what is going on. I have to respect someone like greg chappell saying that the doosra is illegal. But I loved to watch Murali bowl.

Once they changed the rules to allow muralis crooked arm then others followed.

Lets face it most fingerspinners learn their break by initially learning to throw one. Then they try and get it happening overarm.

I have heard the arguement that it doesn't matter because chucking only favours fast bowling but of course everyone knows it is more accurate to throw at a target than bowl at it. Besides the fact that a lot of faster offspinners like Bruce Yardley were accused of throwing their fast arm ball.

Ever heard of a slow legspinner being accused of chucking ? The over the wrist merchant is the true bowler. Lindwall, Larwood. Laker, they all bent their arm from time to time. The only arm bending a wristie does is at the bar after the game.
Click to expand...

Actually you say that but i was looking at this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_cricketers_called_for_throwing

and there's all the usual suspects of fast bowling and offies (plus David Gower being facetious) then looking further down I was very surprised to see the name Jim Higg's crop up. Can anyone shed any light on this incident?
 
GoldenArm said:
Actually you say that but i was looking at this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_cricketers_called_for_throwing

and there's all the usual suspects of fast bowling and offies (plus David Gower being facetious) then looking further down I was very surprised to see the name Jim Higg's crop up. Can anyone shed any light on this incident?
Click to expand...

That Higgs incident might have happened on the 75 ashes tour ? I dont think it happened in Australia. Macgills grandfather was called in 1939 as well. But he was a pace bowler.

I was a big Higgs fan and I cant remember that incident so i will be interested to find out more.
 
macca said:
That Higgs incident might have happened on the 75 ashes tour ? I dont think it happened in Australia. Macgills grandfather was called in 1939 as well. But he was a pace bowler.

I was a big Higgs fan and I cant remember that incident so i will be interested to find out more.
Click to expand...

Yeah the photo looks like a chuck and if it means people that haven't got disfigured limbs (Murali) have to bend their arms to this extent to bowl the Doosra I reckon their an argument their to ban the Doosra. Therefore if you want to bowl and get the ball to go both ways put more time into training and become a wrist spinner!;)
 
bigturner said:
Wonder if that could explain why most of the offies with doubtful actions always wear full sleeves... Just saying ;)
Click to expand...
Well some days I like to wear long sleeves to keep my arms a little warmer, or perhaps to keep the sun off them. Graham Swann always wears long sleeves and I don't think there's any way you could accuse him of chucking. People go on about it too much and I think it's a bit of a red herring - stick to the matter at hand.

There are some people who can look for all money like they're chucking but actually aren't - these are people with what's called a carrying angle, i.e. they are unable to entirely straighten their arms. Murali was one such player, and sometimes when people with carrying angles bowl perfectly within the rules it can give the illusion of a straightening of the elbow. Now I'm not saying Murali didn't straighten his elbow but it IS a little more complicated than "if it looks like a chuck it's probably a chuck". The reason the amount of flex was set at 15 was because that was the smallest amount of flex that was clearly and unmistakably visible.

As for Ajmal (and Murali, for that matter) I have nothing against the guy. He very probably does straighten his arm a significant amount but the powers that be have given him their blessing, so he's entitled to believe his bowling action is within the rules.

I don't like the Doosra though, it just looks so bad, and it disrupts the balance between leggies and offies. Leggies tend to trade on major wicket-taking variations while offies tend to have accuracy and frugality as their main virtue. If they're allowed to chuck in the doosra then they gain, in my view, an unfair advantage (leggies can't chuck, it's just no use to us - straightening the arm undoes the spin you're trying to put on with the wrist) so us leggies miss out, variety is lost from cricket and that's never a good thing. Then again, the historian in me reminds me that there was quite a similar reaction when the googly emerged as there is to the doosra today.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top