Tony Cozier - Beauty (Lara) and the Beast (Shabbir)
COZIER ON CRICKET: Beauty and the beast at Sabina
Published on: 6/5/05.
by TONY COZIER AT SABINA PARK
AS WAS KENSINGTON last weekend, Sabina was yesterday exposed to the contrasts of the beauty and the ugliness of modern Test cricket.
Once more, Brian Lara delighted the buoyant Saturday crowd with the glorious batting that places him among the treasured elite of this great game.
His 30th Test hundred was not quite the devastating brilliance of his three earlier hundreds against South Africa and Pakistan. The pitch demanded more careful attention. Yet he was never bothered one iota by an attack that revolved around the leg-spin of Danish Kaneria and the off-spin of Shoab Malik.
When the mood took him and the opportunity arose, he would indulge himself, as when he stepped out to send Kaneria sailing into the celebrating Red Stripe Stand twice off successive balls and when he stroked three fours in a row off the fast bowler Naved Rana.
Otherwise, he bided his time, sweeping effectively as he had done against Muttiah Muralitharan in his unforgettable series in Sri Lanka two years ago, deflecting deftly and, every now and then, unleashing a cover drive or a cut of sheer class.
Generally this was a flawless, calculated exhibition that has been the backbone of a strong response to Pakistan's first innings 374.
On the contrary, there was nothing flawless about Shabbir Ahmed, the tall, slim Pakistani whose action presented the dark side of Test cricket against Lara's radiance.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) boldly and proudly proclaims that its new process in dealing with bowlers with suspect actions is "a radical overhaul of the previous system".
Given the experience with Shabbir over the two Tests of this series, this new process is already in need of a radical overhaul.
Not to put too fine a point on it, Shabbir has blatantly and consistently thrown the ball, over after over, wicket after wicket, without let or hindrance in both matches, simply because the ICC's systems for dealing with those of his ilk, whether previous and revised, allows him to.
It has been commented on by eminent former players watching from the stands, offended that the game can be so besmirched at the highest level.
It was clear from any vantage point on the ground and to anyone with eyes to see sitting in front of their television sets on all points of the globe.
More significant, it was obvious to standing umpires David Shepherd and Darrell Hair, third umpire Basil Morgan and match referee Ranjan Madugalle in the Barbados Test.
But political correctness under the threat of intimidation, verbal if not physical, and even at the risk of their jobs, dictated that they couched their mandatory report to the ICC in euphemistic language.
"The match officials had concerns with the action used by the bowler at certain stages during both innings when viewing it with the naked eye.
"This assessment has led the team of officials to request the ICC to commission a biomechanical report into the bowler's action in accordance with the new process introduced earlier this year," was the way Madugalle put it.
But there could be no doubt that they were unanimous that Shabbir repeatedly broke the basic law of bowling.
Shepherd and Hair did not call him for no-balling, as they did others for overstepping by a half-inch or, in Tino Best's case on the first day, not overstepping at all, because they have had their power to do so diminished by the ICC's process aimed at accommodating bowlers who transgress.
In any case, when Hair dared to call Muralitharan in a Test a few years back it caused such an international uproar that he was eased off the scene.
Under the new regulations, Shabbir will now undergo independent analysis of his action by a member of the ICC's panel of human movement specialists. That will be conducted in some scientific laboratory in Western Australia, not in the middle of Sabina Park in the heat of battle.
It is the third time he has had to undergo the same treatment and each time he has returned. No doubt, he will again.
When he first appeared in the Pakistan team, against the West Indies in a One-Day tournament in 1999, he took the breath away with his javelin-like delivery.
Adrian Griffith still says he was run out, rather than bowled as the entry states in the official scorebook.
No blame can be attached to Shabbir. He is representing his country, a great honour, and is using an action that he has grown up with.
The pity is that thousands of youngsters in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar will see his success and copy him.
Those who must take the responsibility for this blot on the game are those who picked him in the first place, no doubt reputable judges of the game who would be equally offended if an opposing bowler ran up, took aim and hurled the ball at their batsmen.
And, of course, the ICC for neutering the power of the umpires to do their job, fairly and fearlessly.
- Nation News. Barbados
Published on: 6/5/05.
by TONY COZIER AT SABINA PARK
AS WAS KENSINGTON last weekend, Sabina was yesterday exposed to the contrasts of the beauty and the ugliness of modern Test cricket.
Once more, Brian Lara delighted the buoyant Saturday crowd with the glorious batting that places him among the treasured elite of this great game.
His 30th Test hundred was not quite the devastating brilliance of his three earlier hundreds against South Africa and Pakistan. The pitch demanded more careful attention. Yet he was never bothered one iota by an attack that revolved around the leg-spin of Danish Kaneria and the off-spin of Shoab Malik.
When the mood took him and the opportunity arose, he would indulge himself, as when he stepped out to send Kaneria sailing into the celebrating Red Stripe Stand twice off successive balls and when he stroked three fours in a row off the fast bowler Naved Rana.
Otherwise, he bided his time, sweeping effectively as he had done against Muttiah Muralitharan in his unforgettable series in Sri Lanka two years ago, deflecting deftly and, every now and then, unleashing a cover drive or a cut of sheer class.
Generally this was a flawless, calculated exhibition that has been the backbone of a strong response to Pakistan's first innings 374.
On the contrary, there was nothing flawless about Shabbir Ahmed, the tall, slim Pakistani whose action presented the dark side of Test cricket against Lara's radiance.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) boldly and proudly proclaims that its new process in dealing with bowlers with suspect actions is "a radical overhaul of the previous system".
Given the experience with Shabbir over the two Tests of this series, this new process is already in need of a radical overhaul.
Not to put too fine a point on it, Shabbir has blatantly and consistently thrown the ball, over after over, wicket after wicket, without let or hindrance in both matches, simply because the ICC's systems for dealing with those of his ilk, whether previous and revised, allows him to.
It has been commented on by eminent former players watching from the stands, offended that the game can be so besmirched at the highest level.
It was clear from any vantage point on the ground and to anyone with eyes to see sitting in front of their television sets on all points of the globe.
More significant, it was obvious to standing umpires David Shepherd and Darrell Hair, third umpire Basil Morgan and match referee Ranjan Madugalle in the Barbados Test.
But political correctness under the threat of intimidation, verbal if not physical, and even at the risk of their jobs, dictated that they couched their mandatory report to the ICC in euphemistic language.
"The match officials had concerns with the action used by the bowler at certain stages during both innings when viewing it with the naked eye.
"This assessment has led the team of officials to request the ICC to commission a biomechanical report into the bowler's action in accordance with the new process introduced earlier this year," was the way Madugalle put it.
But there could be no doubt that they were unanimous that Shabbir repeatedly broke the basic law of bowling.
Shepherd and Hair did not call him for no-balling, as they did others for overstepping by a half-inch or, in Tino Best's case on the first day, not overstepping at all, because they have had their power to do so diminished by the ICC's process aimed at accommodating bowlers who transgress.
In any case, when Hair dared to call Muralitharan in a Test a few years back it caused such an international uproar that he was eased off the scene.
Under the new regulations, Shabbir will now undergo independent analysis of his action by a member of the ICC's panel of human movement specialists. That will be conducted in some scientific laboratory in Western Australia, not in the middle of Sabina Park in the heat of battle.
It is the third time he has had to undergo the same treatment and each time he has returned. No doubt, he will again.
When he first appeared in the Pakistan team, against the West Indies in a One-Day tournament in 1999, he took the breath away with his javelin-like delivery.
Adrian Griffith still says he was run out, rather than bowled as the entry states in the official scorebook.
No blame can be attached to Shabbir. He is representing his country, a great honour, and is using an action that he has grown up with.
The pity is that thousands of youngsters in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar will see his success and copy him.
Those who must take the responsibility for this blot on the game are those who picked him in the first place, no doubt reputable judges of the game who would be equally offended if an opposing bowler ran up, took aim and hurled the ball at their batsmen.
And, of course, the ICC for neutering the power of the umpires to do their job, fairly and fearlessly.
- Nation News. Barbados
posted by Sudhindra | Experience Elegance @ 12:33 AM
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