Is it just me, or does it appear Ricky Ponting is rather more prepared to speak his mind than Steve Waugh?
He's only been captain for a few months, but already he's chipped Brian Lara over his "selfish 400", and now he's going against the Cricket Australia grain by venturing controvertial opinions on chucking.
Either way, it would also appear he reads chucking's foremost organ of record, the After Grog Blog, when he suggests testing actions out of the heat of action, and in the "UWA garage", is a doddle to get around. In other words -- my words -- a scam.
Or, far less likely, it could just be he's the Australian captain, knows plenty about the caper, regularly mixes with other assorted and well informed cricket types and is echoing the sentiments of Australian cricket -- not Cricket Australia -- in general.
No matter, he's on the money:
Match test the doosra: Ponting
Ricky Ponting says it would have been easy for Muttiah Muralitharan to bowl with a straighter arm than normal while being tested for an illegal action.
The Australian captain thinks the International Cricket Council needs to view footage of Muralitharan bowling in the heat of a game before making a proper appraisal of his action on delivery of his controversial doosra.
Muralitharan has been found to bend his arm twice the ICC-approved limit for his wrong'un, the doosra, but there have been calls for the governing body to double the limit to accommodate him.
The Sri Lankan has continued bowling the delivery in one-day games against Zimbabwe this week. He cannot be reported again until the completion of the ICC process for dealing with suspect actions in six weeks.
Ponting said there was no guarantee Muralitharan bowled the same way during recent testing by biomechanics experts at the University of Western Australia as he did during a match.
"If you look at the way they are doing that testing, there probably could be ways around it all the time," Ponting told radio station 2MMM.
"I think they have to look at the actual video footage from when he's bowling in Test matches to get a real idea and understanding of what's going on."
Biomechanics expert Bruce Elliott has lambasted the Sri Lanka cricket board for leaking the Muralitharan report, saying it had confused the situation.
"Because of these leaks, public perception would be that our findings were about accommodating Murali. But that's not the case. There are many finger spinners straightening (their arms) more than five degrees, not just Murali . . . The point is that we've made our suggestions and it is now for the ICC to decide."
The ICC should be sent the report this week.
Gee, he's game coming out saying things like that. Not that there's anything wrong with speaking the truth, but it's just not cricket. I fear he'll be slapped down for his honesty.
Meanwhile, what is with this quote?
"Because of these leaks, public perception would be that our findings were about accommodating Murali. But that's not the case. There are many finger spinners straightening (their arms) more than five degrees, not just Murali . "
I think Mr. Elliot shouldn't leave us wondering like this. Come on, sir, name some names! Who are the guilty men?
Posted by: Scott Wickstein | 27 April 2004 at 15:59
I just assumed everyone read After Grog Blog. Period.
Posted by: Mike Jericho | 27 April 2004 at 16:51
Don't worry about Wisden, if anyone wants the learneded (the right way to spell it looked a bit suss to me) view on any subject, this is the spot....
Like it is in football, anyone with an opinion that is contradictory to the 'line' taken by officialdom in cricket circles is either looked on as a loose cannon, plain wrong or at worst... "racist" Anyone with a vague interest in cricket would view Ponting's comments and say "Well he does have a point" but its the more esteemed people in high places and who can get onto the media who come across with the ultra-conservative views and condemn him for speaking his mind, and more importantly, the minds of the bloggers here at AGB...
Bravo laaaadies n genmen...
Posted by: Adsy | 27 April 2004 at 19:43
How about Harby, Scott? His action's decidedly dodgy.
Cheques are in the mail, Mike & Ads.
PS: It's "learnted". I teach, I know.
Posted by: Tony.T | 28 April 2004 at 12:33