Have you noticed that when Shahid Afridi came out and said everyone tampers with the ball the world’s ex-bowling community didn’t come out against him?
When someone tampers there are always voices, but when Afridi accused everyone in one go you could just about hear crickets (those crickets).
The loudest anti Afridi voice I heard was a fairly new boy on the block, the Dirty Dirk Nannes. I love Dirk (proof is in the last post), but he is being naïve or worse when he says he has never come across ball tampering. He seems like a good bloke so I will just assume naïve.
I have seen Victorian bowlers do it over my years at the MCG. In various ways.
The most obvious way is throwing the ball into the square as hard as they can over and over again to scuff up one side of the ball. If there is a cricket team who has not done this, I would be very surprised.
Scuffing the ball up with a throw gets you a warning from the umpire and nothing worse. It is the equivalent of a bowler appealing for a decision he knows isn’t out, compared to claiming a half volley catch. But you are tampering with the ball.
Scuffing the ball up with your fingers gets the entire cricket community wedged into your back passage.
Then there is the artificial way, sunscreen, Vaseline, zinc, mints, milky spit, and whatever the hell else you can think of. Victorians have tried this, everyone has tried this.
Bowlers experiment with these things all the time, in the nets and in games, they are all looking for something that will help the ball play up. When they are using a ball they are unfamiliar with, they get the new ball to practice these methods with it.
And this isn’t some new thing that has come in with professionalism, players used to try putting brylcreem and other things on the balls years ago.
Then there is raising the seam, and oldy but a goody, finger nails are a favourite, teeth are less popular.
All the time the cricketers will be trying to come up with new ways to make the ball sing.
We wont know them until the camera gets them or until the ghost written autobiography comes out.
Some of them are so genius that the camera can’t pick them up.
Ball tampering is a skill like any other; just one you don’t want to own up about or get caught doing.
Subtlety is the key, not something Afridi has ever been guilty of.
What if some one tampers with the balls of these ball tampering heros? Epic :P
But this is a huge dialog you can’t stop it you can’t legalise it so it will remain almost same as it is a Chilli in cricket.
But I would like to favor bowlers to do something with ball to little extent but not cross certain line, this may bring some balance to bat and ball specially on pitches in sub continent, look at the recent series between Indian and Lankans bowlers were hopeless and matches were boring like hell.
Afridi is dumb and he doesn’t even know what Subtle is.
.-= Reverse Swing´s last blog ..Tait on fire, Pup the Captain, Kamran the Brutal, Gul the flower and fast food cricket =-.
Tampering would help in Test cricket when there are catchers to hold a dancing ball… I doubt it will be of much use in the shorter forms…
.-= Shridhar Jaju´s last blog ..US – AFGHAN BATTLE SCARS =-.
Since I am too lazy to comment, I thought I’d just copy paste a few of Jarrod’s statements up there in no meaningful order.
Bowlers experiment with these things all the time, in the nets and in games.
you are tampering with the ball.
Scuffing the ball up with your fingers
Subtlety is the key
there is the artificial way, sunscreen, Vaseline
players used to try putting brylcreem
And this isn’t some new thing – oldy but a goody, finger
Victorians have tried this
We wont know them
you don’t want to own up
or get caught doing.
Cricket ball tampering is like girls and masturbation. EVERYONE does it, everyone else knows that everyone else does it, but unless you get caught, or you have had 10 beers, you never admit to it
dirk doesn’t need to tamper with the ball. The ball tampers itself just to please him…
He should be more subtle like the England bowlers in SA, although it didn’t work, they never got a ban for their efforts!
.-= Cricket Betting Blog´s last blog ..Australia V West Indies, ODI Series =-.
He’s like that fat kid in high school, who everyone fears will get caught and nark on the others.
.-= Rishabh´s last blog ..Australia sweep Pakistan – metaphorically =-.
Funny the excuses people find for cricketers they think are so cool. If it had been Twatto, or Broad, Jrod and acolytes wouldn’t be so blase or amused. And regardless of the merits and legalities of different types of ball-tampering, Afridi is obviously plain dumb-fuck stupid ( or totally up himself) to do it twice in plain view of 24 cameras. And then implying it is part of pakistani cricketing culture. Brings every Pakistani back to Wasim Akram into doubt. Really helpful for his country!
“Be subtle”? he wouldn’t know “subtle” if it came and wiped its arse in front of him. And I thought Twatto was a dickhead …
Steve, if Broad or Watson had done this, I would have laughed, and then questioned their thinking, with afridi i skipped the last part because I will never understand his brain.
I think the absolute cheek and bonkers method is what fans of Afridi are finding enjoyable, the sheer je ne sai quoi of taking a bite out of the ball. In front of everyone. He could not have possibly expected to get away with it so must have just acted without any thought for consequences which is the behaviour that people like in him. Barbie is just a brat, a petulant turd and his ball tampering attempts are in that vein. He says he doesn’t want to be liked, it seems he’s getting his wish.
Why don’t they give penalty runs for ball tampering? Obviously it can’t be legalised – where they hell would the line be drawn? – but I’m starting to see it as a similar thing to sledging. Not really in the spirit as most people see it but an interesting part of the game. Maybe I’m becoming more nuanced in my fandom.? I was outraged at the murray mints stuff in 2005 but I’m getting more used to the act and I’ve been really enjoying the furore this time.
I’m sure there are bowlers who don’t do it, much like the batsmen who still walk but maybe I’m still a little naive?
2 days no post on how south africa making india its bitch. Ishant sharma stinking the place. How in the world he keep getting chances?. He lost his mojo. Got money. got fat. can’t bowl faster than 129kmph. It is same story with every indian bowlers. They got the taste of moola (money) and slack off.Fking retarded indians.
Mishra also stining. This guy has small hands. he really can’t spin the ball and short and he is good for 3-4 over spell at best. He is really not fit for Tests. Ojha is also vanilla. Basically indian bowling sucks and stinks. They should not be number 1 team, They do not deserve to be number 1. Hope SA beat the crap out of india and silence jingoistic babbling indian media and fans once for all. It is not green pitch and if SA beat india , it is truly number 1. Yes india miss Dravid , laxman.
India sucked because selectors farted in this one. They screwed up big by not selecting karthik. They selected saha to satisfy dalmia & co and bengali fans. Mistake was depending on laxman. He always calculate if dravid is not there he won’t bat, he knows if he screws up he is done for ever.
VVS should be removed from test selection for ever. He is whining SOB.
I will be distributing sweets if SA beats india in this test, They deserve to win this test. I know it is not dhoni’s fault completely , he also played safe and made saha scapegoat. He should have picked mithun over saha. He did not . He played shrewed. Smart guy.
Amla? making double century? Indian bowling is awful. horrible…stop farting in the pitch eating dal.
Alex, why don’t you have a blog?
.-= Rishabh´s last blog ..Australia sweep Pakistan – metaphorically =-.
They do give penalty runs for ball tampering don’t they? That’s what Hair did at the oval, signalled penalty runs, leading to all the trouble.
Why i should have a blog?. :D
I hope sachin gets out zero , that would be hilarious. He scored century against weak bangladesh team.
Now it is his time to draw this game and play dravid like inning and save this match. if not oh well hell freezes over on all sachin cult followers and my puppets in this blog. :D
AH Bangladesh, the new Bermuda of world cricket…