bowling action

Saeed Ajmal: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Saeed Ajmal is in the failed 99 percentile.

What he said:

“I think 99% of bowlers these days would fail the 15 degree test for at least one or more of their deliveries.”

Ace Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal is confident that he will beat the 15 degree flex rule and return in time for the 2015 World Cup.

Speaking to PakPassion.net, the banned bowler said:

“I’m very pleased with the assessment of Dr. King. It was very heartening to hear what he had to say. I was expecting a reduction to about 30 degrees but to see that some deliveries are down to 20 degrees is fantastic and positive news for me.

Also, what is really encouraging is that most of my deliveries are now within the 15 degree limit. The ICC’s rules of course stipulate that all deliveries have to be under 15 degrees and I’m very confident that I will achieve that target with the help of [former Pakistan offspinner] Saqlain Mushtaq and all the other individuals who are helping me and guiding me.”

On bowling the doosra:

“I’m working hard on adjusting the doosra to ensure that it is also under 15 degrees and I’m confident that I will manage to do that.”

Ajmal feels that the 15-degree limit is too strict.

He said:

“I think 99% of bowlers these days would fail the 15 degree test for at least one or more of their deliveries. I also think that the technology being used in match situations to assess bowling actions is too strict. I think they should use the normal television cameras to assess our bowling actions, but instead what is being used are cameras that can virtually see the blood running though our bodies.”

On whether the doosra will die out:

“No I don’t believe that will be the case. The doosra is an art and a weapon to use against batsmen. God willing when I am back playing international cricket, I will bowl the doosra with the same venom that I always have done. The doosra is part of my repertoire and a delivery that I intend to continue bowling in future.”

What he really meant:

“Well, if they bowl like me, they surely will. And the doosra, oh, for sure.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m trying to be an off-spinner in the classical mould. None of these newfangled outlandish deliveries for me.”

Waqar Younis: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Waqar Younis was unprepared for crackdown.

What he said:

 

Murali erupts, at last! Bedi bears the brunt!

Prologue

The controversy over Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action will not abate.

Just when we believed that Murali would waltz off into the sunset – peaking at 800 Test wickets – we find alarm bells tinkling in the Indian media.

Bishan Singh Bedi was among those who remarked on  Murali’s latest achievement but qualified his congratulations saying that he thought that Murali was a lovely person and a nice chap (something on those lines) but he believed that the ICC had bent its rules to accommodate his equally bent arm. He pronounced him a chucker and maintained that he would always consider him one.

His protégé, Maninder Singh, echoing his godfather,penned a column noting that Murali would always remain a disputable figure because of his unorthodox action.

Over the years, Murali appeared to have chugged along smoothly without responding in kind to any of the criticisms. He preferred to have his supple fingers do the talking and let the ICC decide on the legality of his action. That seemed good enough for him.

But all that changed this week, when Murali in an interview with the Indian TV news channel, Times Now, went on the offensive, claiming that there is a lot of jealousy about his achievements among former players. He targeted Bishan Singh Bedi and lambasted him, disparaging him as “an ordinary bowler”.

Quote of the day:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye. – Miss Piggy