Over the last few years other teams have been trying to catch up to Australia.
There is one place where Australia’s cricket remained firmly in the dark ages.
Chucking.
While the rest of the world moved on from “he has a bent arm, burn him”, Australia have been stuck there.
In 95 Murali was being called for chucking, and started the great debate,.
That year another cricketer was playing for Victoria, who had a far more traditional action, but once rumours of his bent arm started, and he was dumped from the Victorian team.
His name was Troy Corbett, and his cricinfo profile has no information at all.
He was in his early 20s, a left armer, and although his first class average was 40, his list A average was 10.
Victoria thought they had a real talent on their hands, he was about 23, and was good enough to play with Hughes, Reiffel, Dodemaide and Fleming.
But then he was gone.
From the time the rumour about his action made the papers, seemed about 3 weeks.
He was never called, it was just a rumour, and the Vics just got rid of him.
As a teenager all I remember is how quick he disappeared off the face of the cricket map.
That is how it was done back then, no hearings, no tests, no fucking around, we think he chucks, fuck him off.
My dad thought it was eerie, as a couple of generations earlier Ian Meckiff was a left arm Victorian quick who was called four times in an over, Richie refused to bowl him, and his career was ended shortly after.
That is how it was done in the day.
Harsh, cold, and clean.
Now Australia has completely changed.
Meet Aaron Bird, as you can see on Moses’ site, his action is ugly, and he has been reported 4 times before.
FOUR TIMES.
And yet he has just made his first class debut.
New South Wales are behind him, as you can see from Tony’s blog.
Aaron is getting more support for his repeatedly reported action than any Australian bowler I know of.
The first time I saw Bird bowl up close was against Victoria in the 2020 final, and straight away I emailed Moses to say he had a shocking action.
Bird was born at the right time, by 98 Geoff Foley was called twice, and even though everyone thought he was a chucker, it took a bit longer to phase him out.
Foley never got this much support though, there was always whispers that certain Queenslanders didn’t like playing with a chucker.
Bird seems to have complete support.
I don’t know what 15% looks like, but if i faced Aaron Bird in a club game, I’d be very pissed off this chucker clean bowled me.
If they took four photo's of you, it added up to 16%
Australia has now caught up to the rest of the world.
Good for them.
Isnt Bird NSWelshman? When does he get his Baggy Green?
Cheers,
btw, he was listed at the IPL auction for 45,000 US.. Obviously someone who is in the know thinks he does not have a suspect action..
Cheers,
He will get picked for Australia once he plays in the IPL, so he might have to wait till next year.
I still support the “he has a bent arm, burn him” philosophy.
15° is an absolute disgrace.
why the need for this biomechanical analysis… if it looks bent, it is bent = no ball = chucker = fark off.
this nandy pandy shit so everyone can play the game is appalling.
@ brad – you need biomechanical analysis because all bowlers bend their arms. visual confirmation is not good enough…a scientific measurement is reqd. its the same reason why everyone thought malinga was a chucker but probably has the cleanest action of any bowler in world cricket.
if visual confirmation is the only means to sort the chuckers, it would mean we will never see the likes of shoaib, afridi, bhajji, brett lee, shaun tait, bowl. and what about someone like murali who has a physical deformity? just ban him because he doesn’t meet some random criteria that was established without an iota of scientific scrutiny?
also the current process helps fix the action at a much younger age and player development. if anything it means the players won’t be lost completely and can return with a remodeled action.
ok, so the Oz might hv found one ! they need jus 10 more to complete a team !! :D
@sunny – yes we need some limit to flexion, but 15° is too far. The 15° was introduced esp for murali. was it not?
I’m kinda unco (born that way), but boy i could be the greatest runscorer in the game if only they’d change the rules for me.
for the record, I like watching murali bowl.. the deliveries, but i have to ignore his action as it’s so wrong. deformity or no deformity.
as for the above bowlers… Lee, Taito, shoaib, etc, most of them generally bowl straight armed but are guilty of arm-bending from time to time – with a variation ball etc. thats my understanding anyway… i could be wrong.
also surely any ‘chucker’ bowling under scrunty for their biomechanical analysis would on their best behaviour…. and this doesn’t mean they won’t flex a little more in the game situation to get a little more turn or pace. that would be dishonest.
i meant 10 freeeeks more to go !
Biomechanical analysis is a joke. It’s all well and good to send Bird or Murali or Botha off for testing and rehab but what about the thousands of club/pub/park chuckers pegging them down every weekend who face no such scrutiny? It’s bullshit to think that cricketers from schools right through to Test level have to put up with this cheating when it’s only the top levels who face the music (and get off). Attitudes have changed but the structure is not there. Bullshit. Thanks Murali.
murali is far worse then
i think even he has a bone dysfunction…
@brad – fair point about bowling differently in labs and out on the field. holding, who is otherwise a firm believer in biomechanics, raised the same concerns about akhtar during a pak v ind series. i think the suspected bowlers need to be monitored under match conditions for this process to be effective.
but the line that the rule was changed for murali is really a misconception (fanned by the likes of “saints” like adam gilchrist). the 15 deg rule came into place because most bowlers tested via video and biomechanics were found close to that (including the likes of mcgrath, walsh etc). in the case of murali he even bowled with a brace of some sort to prove otherwise.
the variation ball applies to all of them i think. murali’s doosra looks suspect to the naked eye. afridi’s googly is suspect. i don’t think lee chucks but my dad is not convinced. taity’s action falls apart after a few overs but still not really that bad. same prolly applies to shoiab. bhajji’s doosra is suspect (and has completely ruined his bowling because he uses it as the stock ball). guess montybot and vettori are lucky they don’t have a doosra. paul harris and botha are both dodgy.
but does it really matter? does the fact that the straighten the arms by 16% make that big a difference at the end of the day? are the batsmen really at an disadvantage because a spinner bends his arm? i personally think not but others might have a differing opinion.
in the case bird, he really should be sent to remedial school. but unfortunately under the current rules, he can only be pinged in national colours. doesn’t mean that CA can’t do anything about it. but then again bird plays for NSW.
Homer,
They give out the baggy greens to the NSW second XI these days.
My ideal belief is – allow chucking as long as it is not fast enough to kill you. Spinners chuck to get more turn which at the most will get you out. Fast bowlers chuck to get more speed which at the most can hurt you badly. Also there is the thing about the hands flexing at the point of delivering which makes it difficult to differentiate between deliberate and accidental chucking.
We have this mindset of chucking = cheating. Add ball tampering to it. Both of them are related to bowling. Looking at the status of the pitches and the length of the grounds these days, one tends to actually sympathize with the chuckers andthe tamperers. I mean, why are heavier bats, more protection, shorter boundries, highwaystyle pitches considered unsportsmanlike, etc. not considered as cheating?
if a bowler has a bent arm/ physical deformity i suggest he join the team for handicapped players. Because there is no way he can be classified as a normal player. the kind of logic people have used in this discussion to defend players like murali is apalling.
murali’s doosra looks suspect to the naked eye? his bowling would look suspect if you examine it with the hubble telecsope. biomechanical analysis? what next?
As far as I know, the 15 degree was to accomodate even paragons of non-chucking virtue like Holding, Lillee, McGrath etc. The committee found results that shcoked even a confirmed murali hater like Holding and converted him from a believer w.r.t Murali. So, yes, lets go ahead and burn Lillee, McGrath, Holding etc – let us nullify all test results involving them(and/or Murali ofcourse) and obliterate their records from ICC annals. Lets get rid of chucking, eh?
While on that, we’ll have to do the same to Lee, Akthar etc. So, we’ll probably come to a stage where only 300 test matches played so far are legal or much less even!
The biomechanics test is a farce. Where is the assurance that a person who has supposedly rectified his action in the closed confines of the tribunal will not chuck once he is back to International cricket?
If the chuck is what makes him pick wickets, the bowler will feel no need to rectify his action as it may affect his wicket taking ability (if it is so).
who knew cricket could be such an enlightening window into post-colonial sensibilities? i could be wrong, but it seems to me that rules for brown people always seem to require a pragmatic purpose in order to be justified. principles are not always such a guiding light when it comes to modern legality.
therefore a lot of us don’t see the point in supporting the “if he chucks, fuck him” mentality, perhaps because it has been proven that at some level everyone seems to do it, and more so because as Dhananjay Mhatre pointed out, the game is continuously being stacked against the bowlers. i mean, its not even funny any more – batsmen of absolutely mediocre talent can get unholy amounts of runs now because they play on pitches that are flatter than Keira Knightley, and with bats so thick that a leading edge goes happily over the much-shortened boundaries.
i say fuck the batsmen – bring in balls that you can gouge pieces off so that it swings insanely. i mean, why the fuck was the chucking rule put into place anyways? to protect effin batsmen. the same way helmets were introduced, and the same way bouncers were restricted, and the same way balls pitching outside leg stump can’t get LBWs, and the same way everything in the game is tailored to make life easier for goddam batsmen.
The ones who shit me are the ones who only chuck on the effort ball.
I’m looking at you Tait and Smith
Brad you sound like the typical Aussie cricket fan who does not bother to read up but thinks they can spot a chucker. The ICC panel made it 15° because 12° -13° is the minimum that the unassisted eye is able to see. The ICC panel included Holding and Angus Fraser, who is also now a journalist. I find that every Aussie fan I have heard thinks the rule was changed to allow Murali to chuck but none of them has actually done any research on it. If you look at Tait bowling, if that guy is not chucking then noone is. If you want to keep your precious 10° rule, then you can put an asterisk next to the stats of most of the Aussie bowling legends.
@ 12th Man : i’m not sure how this goes. so, others please throw some light over this.. but if a bowler has been reported once, he goes for the bio-medics tests manages a clean chit doesn mean he can go back bowling shit.. the umpires have the right to report him at any point they find him chucking. And this works like the slow over rates right.. the next time u r reported the punishment gets more stringent !! [i hope] and i think bhajji was asked not to bowl the doosra until he was cleared.
@ Dhananjay Mhatre : i think u lost the plot the bowlers still have to earn their wickets the fair way ! jus bcos the batter now has a heavy bat and a shorter boundary to aim for doesn mean u apply a saw on that ball.. Jus bcos u hv new shoes that grip better doesn mean the groundsman will grow the grass ankle high.. due to advance sciences and latest technology sports and sportsmen have benefitted to a certain extent.. u don go araound cheating to make it fair ! I’m sure the swimmers have got SPEEDOS gear tat NASA says is helpful… what do u do ?? make hurdles in the pool ??? crap ! records will continue to be broken !!
MY POINT – Bowlers cant chuck [ should not ]………. tampering [ fark off ]
@12thman – repeat offenders can get banned. check shabbir ahmed for instance. i would say that’s a pretty strong incentive not to revert to old habits.
@ipeeyell – well why don’t we just get rid of all the freaks in all sports then? let’s ban all cross-country athletes with large lung capacity because its not “normal”. let’s ban michael phelps because his wingspan is not “normal”. let’s ban lionel messi because he has an uncanny ability to change speed and direction because of his stocky legs and late growth spurt?
murali doesn’t weave his magic with his bent arm…he does it with his wrists that seem to rotate on its axis. let’s ban that too because its not natural.
@ben – right on. its amazing how often you hear that line in australian circles. of course gilly said it, so it must be true!
Sunny, the thing is most of them choose to ignore the fact that most known bowlers chuck per the strict definition of the term including St.Glenn, St.Dennis and St.Michael.
It’s always “if the naked eye can see it, then it is a chuck”.
The question is whose naked eye decides that? The answer to it is the likes of Chris Broad and Javagal Srinath. What will practically happen is that Chris Broad will find most borderline Asians guilty while Srinath will find most bowlers non-guilty, Asian or otherwise. What will practically then happen is that an Asian bowler with even the slightest doubt will get hounded out while an Aussie bowler will go only if it is ‘proven beyond doubt’.
If impartial refereeing was part of Cricketing history, there wouldnt be issues but that is an utopian state. In a world where ICC says that Australians havent haad much misdemeanours on field in the past 15 years and that Indians top that list, you cant expect impartial refereeing from ICC lackeys.
Dhananjay Mhatre, But only offspinners can chuck, not leg spinners, so why should offspinners get an advantage?
karachikhatmal, Not sure what you are on about in regards to post colonialism, seems a stretch. But as far as the fuck the batsman thing, yes fuck them, but fuck them with a straight arm, bring in a new ball every 60 overs, make pitches with life in them, all that sort of stuff, but why do we need throwing?
jrod, being a leg spinner is an advantage by itself compared to the off-spinner :-)
yeah i agree…finger spinners need all the help they can. they need to “sex” it up a bit.
Jrod, I agree with you. If they would change a white ball in 34 overs, the red ball needs a reconsideration as well. 80 overs is too huge a gap for ball change.
@Sid and Sunny, I always feel that once a person has cleared the test, there is very little interest in his action. Shabbir Ahmed might be an exceptional case, but unless the bowler picks wickets alarmingly, people generally tend to forget chuckers once they are cleared by the tribunal.
@ Jrod,
it is said that the threshold to recognise a bend and straigten with naked eye is 15°.
[I forget where I read this]
here is an animation clip two thirds down the page that shows
what 15° bend and straightening looks like.
if you can see the bend with naked eye,
then it is there.
I don’t follow this discussion. A victorian complains about a NSWelshman, comparing him with former domestic Australian bowlers who were hounded out, and yet suddenly it’s all about Murali and colour of skin.
This bloke hs been cleared by biomechanical whatsit 3 times and now reported a 4th time, and yet people are saying that there’s little interest in guys once they’ve been cleared.
The only real issue here is the choice between a “subjective” on-field decision and a “scientific” analysis that may or may not have anything to do with what actually happens on the field.
Jonathon, I take issue with that, Meckiff was an international.
@Ben, glad you bought that up.
I’m not an aussie cricket fan, in fact i’m rather enjoying their fall from the top. And yes, i think Taito is a chucker. No-ball him i say. And while Aus is in SA, no-ball botha while you’re at it.
But you’re 100% correct, i’ve done no research as such. It was probably the fact the 15° was introduced around the same time as murali was doing the biomech analysis that people associate the rule change with his case.
To me, 15° looks like chucking.
Fair point Jrod. But you were looking beyond the international level, a fact which seems to have been lost on most of the commenters.
Jonathon, i agree, just thought for once in his life it would be nice if someone stood up for Meckiff.
When I was a teenager I lived in Peru for a year and tried to explain/demonstrate cricket to the Peruvians. If you are bowling, properly, to anyone who hasn’t grown up with the game, you look like a fucking retard.
If you try to explain to them, ‘no, these are the rules of the game, you can’t bend your arm, you have to hold it straight and whirl it around like this’ then you sound like a fucking retard. I’ve never really had such an issue with chucking since then.
Chaps, we are doing some freaky shit right here, straight arm or bent, bowling is just fucking weird.
sunny, dude, my man.
a freak is someone who has the ABILITY to do something special and within the purview of fair play. he isnt someone who has the INABILITY to do something and so gets around it by breaking the rules. notice the difference. Murali has an inability to bowl with a straight arm. which does not make him a freak. which gives him an advantage over his peers.
murali might have supple wrists but that doesnt mean he doesnt chuck.
and are you perhaps a finger spinner yourself?
@i pee yell – murali has a bone defect since birth. i don’t think its fair to ban him because of that. obviously you disagree but i fail to see how that gives murali an unfair advantage. maybe its why murali is the only one whose doosra actually “turns” the other way…bhajji and botha can only make it go straight. can anyone comment if saqlain’s doosra looked dodgy?
as for me, i try like sachin. can bowl off-breaks / leg-breaks with ease. working on the doosra. fuck the carrom ball.
Saqlain was as clean as pigeon shit !!
batting in ned kelly’s helmet, cricket bowling is a completely unnatural movement which is why they have so many injuries. Whoever invented the rules must have been drunk.
i pee yell, it is not illegal to bowl with a bent arm as long as you dont straighten it more than 15°. Did you know that??
ben, sure i know that. ofcourse. thats what the rule states isnt it?
if effect it states you can chuck but make sure you dont go overboard with the chucking.
I agree with sid. saqlain had a doosra as well. so does murali. one doesnt chuck and the other does.
anyway this is my point of view. i dont expect others to agree with me. just mentioning what i feel.
cheers!
@i pee yell – i don’t think sid means that saqlain’s doosra was clean either. he apparently bowls a teesra in ICL these days? ; )
Teesra – Having always admired the physics behind spin bowling, i eagerly awaited the “teesra”. During the ICL i saw it was nothing much.. nothin new actually. But throughout the tournament he bowled with great precision. He was a road block for most teams.. he showed u dont need a special weapon .. a new trick evreytime !! just good sensible bowling will win u matches. Not tat a special trick wont help.. but if a bowler can stick to the basics.. bowl a mean line and length.. the Bat has to defend and surrender ! :o)
aahhh.. due to the name change i’m having to post my comments all over again ! :X
well the Teesra– as much for my admiration of spin bowling and the physics behind it, i eagerly awaited Saqi and his Teesra in the ICL.. nothin much .. or rather nothin new i should say ! But throughout the tournament he bowled with such precision that it was next to impossible for batsmen to score of him [not even the age factor affected] this little man showed, not new trick deliveries are required to decieve the guy with the BAT ! It surely does assist to have a trick or two .. but all u need is line and length to win the battle against the bat ! it must sound so cliche but the best bowlers in the worls would not fear the thickness of the blade or the distance of the ropes.. its the 3 sticks and the ball in hand mate !!
@sid – good old “line and length” eh?!