Murali is set to renew his love hate relationship with Australian cricket. Shunned by many and called for throwing, he remains an enigmatic figure with punters Down Under. He is either the greatest or just a “chucker”.
Tensions run high and take on a religious fervor at the mere mention of the man: Cricket Australia is in the process of finalising a consultancy role for the Sri Lankan at the Cricket Academy in Brisbane; Ian Healy is quoted on the Wide World of Sport website as saying: “If we can find someone who can bowl at 14.7 degrees (off a straight arm) with a flicky wrist, let’s do it”; Greg Chappell, apparently, is the force behind this move.
Considering that Shane Warne is unable to extricate himself from the hurly burly of his life, Murali is the next best thing.
I do not believe he can change the body composition of our spinners. They will not suddenly sprout rubbery arms and wrists. What he will be able to offer is the art of preparation.
Like in cooking, it is the preparation that is the key.
He will also be able to impart knowledge on trajectories and optimum bowling speeds. He was a master at using the crease. He studied batsmen and had an encyclopedic memory. He never forgot a batsman’s weakness.
Sehwag has said that Murali was harder to play than Warne. You could say that Warne had chemistry and Murali mastered physics. Sehwag also said he never felt “in” when facing Murali.
He felt that Murali could get him out anytime.
Jason Krezja, the Stephen Bradbury of Australian spinning, is excited that Murali will be on hand to help him in June. For now “Krazy” will have to fend for himself.Krezja’s selection is a 360 degree turn for the Australian selectors and I feel that the Hilditch era is coming to an end.
And that cannot happen too soon.
Why has it taken so long?
Terry Jenner has been in charge of a group of spinners for a few years now and it seems most have gone backwards. Whatever happened to Cullen? And Callum Bailey?
Jamie Cox is in charge of cricket operations in South Australia and also a National Selector. Perhaps that is one job too many. And this is the problem with Hilditch. When Australia is languishing in a half-way house, we cannot have part-time selectors.
Employing Murali is a good move but it still smacks of band-aids and unless it is a long-term appointment the results will be short-term.
Who coaches the coaches?
The coaching system needs to be standardised. If Australia is to regain its eminence, then our coaches have to start teaching the basics. Cricket batting, bowling and fielding is like reading, writing and arithmetic.
You must know where to put the commas and when to use an adjective.
Some do it naturally, but most have to be taught by rote. Say it 1000 times: “I will not lift my head till two seconds after I have hit the ball” Bobby Simpson was a master at this.
We must teach the grammar of cricket. Otherwise we will have cricketers who mix up their adjectives and adverbs. Bloody Hell!
Australia has a vast reservoir of ex-cricketers like Walters, Redpath, Simpson, Rixon and Lawson that can be employed in mentoring and coaching roles. Jason Gillespie has been shunned by Cricket Australia and has had to go to Zimbabwe to earn a crust.
Our best men are overseas and we are faced with “importing “expertise”.
Whatever happened to the clever country? Cricket in Australia can afford to keep our best talent at home. They just need to cut down on the endless entourage that surrounds our team.
You can have all the virtual reality in the world, but it will not prepare you for the confrontation with your personal demons. The one-on-one contests that are determined by technique and preparation.
Repetition till it becomes part of your cricketing DNA. There is no easy way.
B2
Roar Rookie
A genius can only inspire!Teaching would be beyond a genius basically because the borderline between being insane and a genius is very fragile.You need patience to teach and finding a patient genius?????????!!
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Rob,to coach ,at any level,even under 10's,requires discipline. we talk often about players lacking discipline. But it is just as important that coaches have discipline. You have probably heard me say this before...there is a difference between being authoritative and authoritarian. Perhaps that is why Murali will be good. he is disciplined and has enormous physical and mental stamina.
Rob McLean
Roar Guru
I have often wondered about Jenner's 'Spin king' status. I have seen a talented leg spinner lost to the game, after having spent some time with TJ. Whether that was as a result of his own temperament, or the coaching, I can't say. However, some of the practices this young man introduced to his game after coaching advice, resulted in me questioning. This is a player not just lost to the talent squads but to local cricket, he no longer plays. Thankfully, his younger brother continues to play the game here and has shown some wonderful touch with the bat in the past two seasons.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
plugger,I too feel that Darrell Hair was hung out to dry. Emerson I am not fully aware of the circumstances. I had occassion to be umpired by Tom Brooks in my career and I found him to be firm and fair. i tried to put some over him but he was a wily old fox. I like erasmus as an umpire. i don't much care for Bowden's antics. Umpires are at their best when you don't notice them. Warne was a master but Rudi and Venkat were awake to him. Umpires are such an integral part of cricket and I am saddened that their high office has been devalued. It is not cricket with the UDRS and referrals. I was taught to respect the umpire's decision and no amount of marketing spin and twitter is going to change me.
plugger
Guest
Murali is a full-blooded trier, a great cricketer and a man with a big heart. Unfortunately, his action was illegal according to the rules of cricket- before they changed those rules to accomodate his action. Now, no umpire is game to call anyone for chucking, and who would blame them.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Sheek,could not agree more. Steve Waugh,apparently,was never asked. Stuey MacGill may be too honest for them.A few like Marsh are overseas. Dennis Lillee had a disagreement,I think,because they only wanted him to look at the under 19's and not the current lot. Not sure but I would swear DKL would have been right. There is politics everywhere. Look at jason Gillespie..has to go to Zimbo to earn a living.. It is wrong.
Atawhai Drive
Guest
Australian cricket is doing a lot of things wrong, but at least it has tried to keep chucking in check. Any move to recruit Murali would undo a lot of good work.
sheek
Guest
Vinay, I don't have any problem with Murali coaching in Australia. What I do find odd is that this country has enough outstanding ex-players it could call on to act as specialist coaches conducting clinics around the country, either full-time, or as required. Offbreaks - Ashley Mallett, Colin Miller. Legbreaks - Shane Warne (when not hurling), Stu MacGill. Fast bowling - Dennis Lillee, Glenn McGrath. Swing bowling - Bob Massie, Damien Fleming. Wicket keepeing - Rod Marsh, Ian Healy, Adam Gilchrist. Batsmanship - Greg Chappell, Allan Border, Steve Waugh. Opening - Mark Taylor, Matt Hayden, David Boon. Slip fielding - Ian Chappell, Mark Taylor. General fielding - Mark Waugh, Paul Sheahan. Leadership - Ian Chappell, Steve Waugh. Be your own man - Doug Walters, Jeff Thomson, Colin Miller. How not to fit in - Greg Matthews, Graeme Yallop (just kidding!). These are just a few examples. But looking at the names I've submitted, not too many 'yes' men there....
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Hutch,I believe 3 degrees will be significant in deterring potential chuckers. 15 ,i believe,is too generous.
Hutchoman
Roar Pro
Vinay, On the topic of degrees of bend, I'm no biomechanics expert so don't have a clue as to what 12 degrees vs. 15 degrees means in a practical sense. One can only conclude from this that there must be some discernable difference between the two in what can be achieved with the ball. To that end, I would support any reduction in the number of degrees, preferably back to the old rule, essentially "the naked eye test", but the more we reduce the allowable angle of straightening the better.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
eric,whether he is a good coach or not interests me less than the fact CA is doing something. Perhaps Mallett would be better. I do believe it is more about teaching the culture of spin bowling than just bowling like Murali. It is about tactics,field placings,bowling with variation,adjusting flight and pace. it takes a lifetime of growing up in this culture. unfortunately captains have forgotten how to handle spinners. Someone like Warne and Murali come along once in a while.More often less skilled cricketers have to learn many variations to be successful. India was weak in pace so in the 90's they set up a Pace Academy. It is time for australia to set up a Spin Academy. It matters not to me whether it is Murali,or prasanna or Kumble. Warne is out because he is still "playing'
eric
Guest
Why would a freakish bowler make a good coach in a foreign land?
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Hutch,my 39 year old son told me "Dad,follow your heart,you've spent most of your life following your mind,time to let go" This is the best advice i ever received and it is important to follow the heart.As custodians we must rail against the seemigly blind rush to replicate the IPL in australia. Surely as a country we are past the triviality of Days of our Lives and Beauty and the beast. I don't mind a Big bash with quality players playing proper shots. But what we have now is a travesty. Even the IPL if it were not for Tendulkar and kallis and Dravid it would not have any credibility. But back to Murali.Would it be better to redefine the chuck as anything over 12 degrees?
Hutchoman
Roar Pro
Insightful comments as always Vinay. I think you are right on the topic of Murali specifically and perhaps slightly unfair to suggest law changes for "one player", although the fact remains his names will always been synonymous with this discussion. It is this discussion of compromise that always pains, combined with your comment that "cricket ... is not the noble game it once was". My heart tells me that as custodians of the game we must fight to prevent further damage and remediate was has past. My head, unfortunately, sometimes takes a differing view ...
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Dear Kersi, I believe Mallett would be ideal. I have just written a piece for the Advertise where i say that Jenner has failed with Dan Cullen and Callum Bailey. I would much prefer Mallett or Prassana. Yes,doosra is a vulgar fraction for sure. See my reply to Hutchoman above.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Hutch,as you know Bishen Bedi concurs with this view. Ashley Mallett finds it hard to see how a doosra can be bowled legally. yet Saqlain had no problem with his action. Murali has been accepted consequent to the allowance of 15 degrees. Was it done just to accomodate Murali? I am not so sure. Do we make allowances because he is a spinner and poses no physical danger. The flip side is the dilution of the law as it stood. Many umpires feel that if it looks like a chuck it is a chuck. Murali is one man. and he will soon be retired. Is it worth carrying this further or we should bury it? I personally think it is worthy of looking again and the degree of bend should be no more than 12. I feel for guys like Meckiff who was hounded out of the game. Fifteen degrees and he would have had no trouble. This is one of those rule changes that destroyed much of cricket's integrity and it has never really recovered. Cricket in my view is not the noble game it once was. But then is society? And in the end sport reflects society at large. What you and i may think is becoming increasingly irrelevant in this compromised world.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Expert
Thank you, Prof Verma, for teaching us the grammar of cricket -- adjectives, adverbs, commas and semi-colons. Where does doosra fit in this terminology? Is it a vulgar fraction to introduce a mathematical analogy? Why can't we have Jenner or Gleeson or Mallett as our spin coach? Murali is a genius but not classical. Can a genius teach?
Hutchoman
Roar Pro
Vinay, I share the essence of the view of Ben Carter above. Surely the changing of the laws as has been done in this case is unique in the history of sport? We have certainly had instances where games have been changed to LIMIT a person's ability to dominate, but surely there are no other examples in the mainstream where the rules/laws of a game have been changed to be more accommodating of (essentially) one participant?
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Grahame,I thought I would "slip" that one in...
Grahame
Guest
"Considering that Shane Warne is unable to extricate himself from the hurly burly of his life,......." Very good Vinay!