Murali's latest action analysis photo!

[Zeke]

[Occasional Fan]

Nice one, Zeke. Let's see how long it stays here!

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

Nice one, Zeke. Let's see how long it stays here!

Why would it not stay?

It's just a funny image I made... Some people obviously need to chill out a bit!

[R W S]

David Hopps at Trent Bridge
Monday June 14, 2004
The Guardian

Michael Atherton, the former England captain, has called for finger-spinners to be allowed to straighten their arms to prevent them becoming an extinct species in an era of flatter pitches and wiser techniques against slow bowling.

Atherton's proposals will re-ignite the throwing debate that is set to reach its height during the Champions Trophy in England in September, when the world's leading spinners will be filmed to ascertain the purity of their actions.

It will also add unexpected impetus to the Sri Lankan campaign to protect the career of their record-breaking off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who was instructed last month not to bowl his "doosra" after it was found to be illegal during laboratory tests.

Atherton has become the most high-profile former player to propose that allowing slow bowlers to straighten their arms in delivery, far from betraying the ideals of the game, will have a beneficial effect by preventing the game being dominated by fast and medium-paced bowlers.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Atherton said: "Something must be done to redress the balance and help the finger-spinner, or he will soon go the way of the dodo.

"Let spinners straighten their arm. After all, the leading wicket-taker in world cricket straightens his arm to a greater or lesser degree depending on whether he bowls his 'doosra' or his orthodox delivery. Why not let other spinners do the same?

"It would help to redress the advantages that have been bestowed on batsmen these past 50 years and would help to bring back spin to the game. Spinners, though, would still need to harness their traditional qualities of skill, accuracy, endurance and cunning."

[Notts Exile]

So Atherton's lost the plot.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Notts Exile

So Atherton's lost the plot.

Clearly!

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Notts Exile

So Atherton's lost the plot.

Well, I do find it strange that he would think such a daft thing.....but I still love him

[Rachael]

I've been thinking along the same lines as Atherton all winter: I think Muralitheran is one of the few glorious sights left in world cricket... and with the way pitches are today I would have very few qualms about signing up to any campaign to remove the shackles from him... and no problem whatsoever with the shackles being removed from finger spinners.

With all that said.. this is treating the symptoms rather than the disease: remove the test status from any so-called "test" ground that negates the value of a decent quality finger spinner and you've cured the dsease with no need to resort to such radical acts.

Doesn't mean that all pitches have to be dry and dusty with uneven bounce from the start of the first session... merely that all traces of loam should be dug up and incinerated and then replaced with something that will ensure that as the Test progresses the pendulum swings somewhat.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Rachael

merely that all traces of loam should be dug up and incinerated and then replaced with something that will ensure that as the Test progresses the pendulum swings somewhat.

Rachael, usually, although I find your views often the weirder side of odd, I credit your knowledge, but this time you have made a stament that is frankly foolish. All Cricket sqaures in England benefit from being covered in fresh loam as part of the winter preperation, have done for years. If you do not do that, then over the years they lose all pace, and bounce, become un-even and are not good for the growth of fresh grass.

What do you propose we do instead?

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by R W S

David Hopps at Trent Bridge
Monday June 14, 2004
The Guardian

Michael Atherton, the former England captain, has called for finger-spinners to be allowed to straighten their arms to prevent them becoming an extinct species in an era of flatter pitches and wiser techniques against slow bowling.


Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Atherton said: "Something must be done to redress the balance and help the finger-spinner, or he will soon go the way of the dodo.

"Let spinners straighten their arm. After all, the leading wicket-taker in world cricket straightens his arm to a greater or lesser degree depending on whether he bowls his 'doosra' or his orthodox delivery. Why not let other spinners do the same?

"It would help to redress the advantages that have been bestowed on batsmen these past 50 years and would help to bring back spin to the game. Spinners, though, would still need to harness their traditional qualities of skill, accuracy, endurance and cunning."

This is flagrant nonsense of course.
I do find it interesting how the true backers for Murali and his technique are those who have recently retired.
Young Mr. Waugh and young Mr. Atherton have a lot to answer for.

Surely the problem is not that the current crop of batsmen are too good or the wickets are too flat, just merely that the current crop of finger-spinners are not all that special.

I would think that a better change in the law would be for the spinners to maintain their straight arm and instead revert to the old no ball rule...so that effectively they would be reaching the batsmen a couple of yards sooner.

However, that too is ridiculous.

Maybe we could look at it a different way, and assume that Mr. Atherton is attempting to stir the pot to see what the ICC say. "Ooh yes that's a good idea. Finger spinners throwing...yes that could work...we might get Bangladesh and Zimbabwe up to the top of the Test rankings before the top nations can find a chap who can do it just as well."

I hesitate to suggest that countries where baseball is of huge interest might find themselves with an army of "arm-straightening" finger-spinners in no time at all.