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Chucker's circus - An umpire's view
Now it is two weeks since the world cricket hierarchy came out with the proposal handed to them by the technical committee for bowling actions. As a result, a whole section of the cricketing community have come out and have aired their thoughts, anti and pro.

Ironically whatever these experts have thought, It seems the ICC has put its foot in the mouth. Now that the cat is out of the bag, how on earth will they wriggle out of this quagmire became a question out of my reach. So seeking solace, I turned to the only source that has not come out and parted with his two cents worth-- a person who was there in the middle, scrutinizing each delivery of every bowler, actions, run ups, all in one. It had to be a person from the ICC panel of 'elite' umpires or else one who was there just the other day.

Former member of the ICC 'elite' panel Asoka de Silva was willing to share his expertise with the Sunday Times readers and given below are some of the thoughts that we shared with him:

Q: You are a person who has seen almost all the leading bowlers in the present arena. Recently the ICC came along with this idea of scrutinizing all bowlers during the ICC championships. They did that and handed it over to a panel to submit their report on it. With that it has come to light that 99% of them bowl illegal deliveries. Can you reveal your thoughts on this issue?
A: Yes, it has been brought to light that 99% of the bowlers at the highest level of cricket have illegal deliveries and a 15% leniency should be permitted.

As an umpire engaged in modern-day cricket who has seen all the current bowlers in action, I still feel that the existing laws are made for the naked eye. It is very very difficult for an umpire to ascertain a delivery unless the bowler is clearly throwing. However the present-day slow-mo camera has the ability to slow down a delivery for over 25 frames a second. It is only after this scrutiny that they have learned that most of the bowlers are actually throwing, or to put it in mildly they have suspect actions. What I feel about this particular problem is that it basically goes along with the laws.

The current law says if a bowler comes up to shoulder level with a bent arm -- like 'Murali', and the bent arm does not straighten out, and if he can deliver the ball without straightening, it is a fair ball. At the same time if it is a straight arm and shoulder level and he does not do any bending at the point of delivery, it is also a fair ball. And as things are, if the umpire cannot see with his naked eye then there is a difficulty of detection. That is why this reporting system came into being.

We can talk about degrees 10 or 15 as permitted levels. But with a naked eye in the midst of a game how are you going to judge? However, if an umpire is comfortable with a bowler's action he should let him go on.

At the same time we must strive to have 'clean' bowlers. This we have to start with when the cricketer is at a very tender age. At this time if one feels that a bowler has a problem delivery, get help of the best experts and get the slate cleaned. This should be the criteria for any bowler in any country. You must be honest, you must try to do something for the game because the game is bigger than any individual.

Q: Another question that arises is that still the laws of permitted degrees have not been changed and there are bowlers who have been found to be bending their arms more than the present permitted 10 degrees. Now from this point onwards till the new recommendations are passed as law how should the umpires react?
Most of the leading umpires know, especially the fast bowlers are bending their arms more than the permitted ten percent. However the present procedure is the reporting on a bowler's action who you feel that has an illegal action. However as a matter of fact all these bowlers have been reported to the ICC. This also means that the naked eye had failed at some point of time on the deliveries of these bowlers. These are all bowlers in the present arena and the ICC have listed their names. The umpires who stood at these matches had a problem, so that is why they have been reported.

I feel even if the 15 degree limit is passed it may not be enough. There are leading bowlers in the current circus who bend their arms much more than the recommended 15 degrees. So I wonder where all this will end?

This is a game played by humans, but now technology has come in and made all kinds of difficulties. We all make mistakes players and umpires alike. However now the smallest mistake at a game is highlighted on TV as a result of technology.

Q: As a matter of fact one can take Murali as the base of this whole episode. But, when this amendment was brought in there were pundits who shouted that this new recommendation only helped Muralitharan! At the same time the bowlers who were supposed to be having clean slates were found out be faulty?
A: As far as I am concerned Muralitharan is a freak. You do not get bowlers like Murali every day, some times may be once in fifty years. However most of the fast bowlers fall into the category that you are talking about. There is no doubt that Muralitharan is a great bowler. However the problem is about the guys who know how to getaway with it.

Q: As far I can see this new law has been recommended not to protect Muralitharan but to protect the other bowlers who they found to be faulty?
A: Of course, if there is a rule it should apply to every one equally. Here what has happened is that what is not fair to Murali has been fair to the others. There is no consistency. If one umpire allows one bowler to go 15 degrees while he is bowling at 17 or more, then what happens? What I feel is that every bowler should be scrutinized under camera at every match and analysed and the ICC must take action against the flouters of the law even if the bowlers are reported by the match officials or not.

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