In an irony that has largely gone unnoticed, Phillip Hughes’ fatal injury came one year and one day after Michael Clarke told England tailender Jimmy Anderson to “get ready for a broken f***ing arm” in the first Test in Brisbane.
Clarke’s comment became the sledge of the summer, setting the tone for a no-love-lost encounter between Australia and England, two old enemies who were, after a series less than six months earlier, feeling even more hostile towards one another than usual.
Public opinion was divided but many took to talk-back radio to defend the Australian captain’s words. The remark, they felt, showed that Test cricket was not ‘just a game’ and that anyone who thought otherwise was naïve, foolish, deluded and un-Australian.
Cricket may not allow direct physical contact, the argument went, but it is nonetheless a form of combat in which maiming an English opponent is an acceptable alternative to getting him out.
The feeling then, needless to say, could not have been more different to the feeling now. A year ago, Australians loved fast, short-pitched bowling. Now, the very thought of it seems vaguely sickening.
The ICC’s response to the ‘broken arm’ jibe was feeble. It could have further empowered the umpires by giving them stronger instructions to clamp down on intimidatory bowling and behaviour, thereby restoring some civility to what was once known as the ‘gentlemen’s game’.
Instead, it slapped Clarke with a fine. Channel Nine also apologised – for airing the comment. The best solution all round, it seemed, was to make sure stump microphones were turned down between deliveries. It was easier than telling players to cool it.
The hypocrisy of that decision was obvious at the time. Rugby has led the football codes in showing that putting microphones on referees can improve on-field behaviour by forcing players to maintain a greater degree of decorum than they otherwise would. Cricket’s administrators, however, seem to feel insecure about exposing players and umpires to such scrutiny.
The roughing up of England’s tail in the second innings at Brisbane last year approached the ferocity of Bodyline. Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris came around the wicket, hurling fast and short deliveries at the batsmen’s ribs with two short legs and two men behind square for the miscued pull or block. The umpires should have intervened, as the game’s rules allow.
Law 42 on ‘fair and unfair play’ states, “the bowling of fast, short-pitched balls is dangerous and unfair if the bowler’s end umpire considers that by their repetition and taking into account their length, height and direction they are likely to inflict physical injury on the striker irrespective of the protective equipment he may be wearing”.
I have rarely seen this law exercised. One umpire who was not afraid to do so was Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird. In 1995, Bird gave Courtney Walsh an official warning during the Old Trafford Test after the West Indian pitched short one time too many. His actions earned the praise of Christopher Martin-Jenkins.
“If only more Test umpires,” the late CMJ wrote, “had as great an appreciation as Bird of what is and what is not acceptable. Unquestionably there were sufficient short deliveries for batsmen to be in danger of injury”.
Martin-Jenkins continued that the “obsession with the short ball prevents taking wickets by pitching the ball further up and finding the edge of the bat” – which is precisely what Bird told Malcolm Marshall 11 years earlier at Edgbaston when the latter bounced Ian Botham and Paul Downton.
Earlier this week, Stuart Broad told The Guardian that Johnson’s bowling last summer was the fastest he has faced. There is a strong case for claiming that Johnson is the most consistently quick bowler the game has seen, or at least since the speed gun was introduced.
Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar and Shaun Tait have all bowled over 145kph, at times touching 160kph, but none has inhabited the 148-155kph range like Johnson. In Adelaide last year, Australia batted for the first 158 overs of the Test. In Johnson’s first over, he produced the six fastest balls of the match to that point.
On my count, Johnson has:
• broken Ryan McLaren’s arm
• concussed McLaren after hitting him on the head
• forced Stuart Broad on to crutches after hitting him on the foot
• broken Graeme Smith’s left little finger in Sydney
• broken Smith’s right little finger two Tests later in Durban
• hit Jacques Kallis in the jaw in the same match
• fractured the thumb of Prasanna Jayawardene in the first innings at the MCG in 2012
• fractured the finger of Kumar Sangakkara in the second innings
• smacked Dhammika Prasad in the hand in the same match
• fractured David Warner’s thumb in the nets
• broken Hashim Amla’s helmet
• broken Gary Ballance’s helmet
• smacked Steve Smith’s hand in the nets
This is an alarming hit list, probably unmatched in cricket for decades, but not for lack of trying. Kemar Roach, Varun Aaron, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have all bowled with ferocity in recent times. None has the stamina of Johnson to sustain it.
The helmets worn by modern batsmen are the result of convergent evolution. Various players have been cited as the ‘first’ to wear the hard protective shell, including Tony Greig, Dennis Amiss, Barry Richards, Graham Yallop and Asif Iqbal. Helmets emerged in the late 1970s, a time in which express – as opposed to merely quick – bowling was enjoying a renaissance. Necessity forced their adoption, which is why the first were nothing more than modified motorbike helmets.
At Glenelg Oval last week, I watched India’s Varun Aaron, who broke Stuart Broad’s nose with a bouncer in August, and Mohammed Shami pepper tailenders playing for a Cricket Australia XI with short-pitched balls. After one exchange, the umpire appeared to intervene, much to the displeasure of Aaron. ‘A sign of things to come?’ I wondered. Was this what it looked like – India rehearsing its retaliation?
The past 10 days have seen renewed debate on a range of issues that go to the heart of the game. Can helmets be improved? Should bouncers be banned? Would doing so fundamentally change the game?
Could the ball be softened or made more rubbery without losing its other characteristics?
In an era in which materials science continues to yield miraculous new compounds, this seems an overlooked option. And for what it is worth, I am willing to be persuaded that bouncers should be outlawed.
In one sense, Hughes’ death has no lessons to offer, apart from those that seem most obvious. It was a freak accident. It was tragically unlucky. It was an awful reminder of our own mortality, and how death can strike even the young and talented. But there is a hollowness in these platitudes and it would be foolish for the game and its administrators not to take heed, because opportunities for sincere self-examination are rare in modern sport.
I have long thought that, while the various codes of football represent a greater threat to limbs (snapped bones, torn muscles etc), cricket is a greater threat to life. It is, after all, a form of asymmetric boxing. Bowlers need to know that cricket balls can kill and umpires should remind them when they forget. This would not have saved Phillip Hughes, but it may prevent players from sharing his fate in the future.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
I am assuming that you are being sarcastic
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
"Died from the injuries he suffered in the spine as he landed awkwardly while celebrating a goal at 61 minutes against Chanmari West" so you can die while celebrating a goal in football! I don't think Daniel researched this story very well otherwise it would be about how safe cricket is compared to other sports.
Mitch
Guest
Well prepare to be surprised cause here are the fatalities from just professional soccer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_association_footballers_who_died_while_playing
Mitch
Guest
"No one bats well after the ball hits them on the head" *cough* Michael Clarke 161*
13th Man
Guest
You just dont like Australia in cricket do you? What about Steyn, Morkel, Aaron, Southee and Broad. They all consistently bowl around 140 and they too also bowl lots of short stuff. Ridiculous comment.
13th Man
Guest
Hit the nail on the head right there
13th Man
Guest
This is a complete joke of an article: 1) Michael Clarkes sledge last year came about because James Anderson threatened to punch George Bailey in the face. The unfortunate part was Andersons wasnt broadcasted. I defended Clarke's sledge because he stood up for a player in his own team when they were threatened. I would expect nothing less from a good Captain. Also this didnt mean Clarke wanted Anderson to get a broken arm, he was simply playing tough hard cricket and supporting his teammates. I reckon Anderson and Clarke probably laughed it off over a beer or two after the game anyway. 2) No it is not blatantly hypocritical to express shock and surprise when a bouncer kills someone. It was a FREAK ACCIDENT, It was very unfortunate that the ball hit the excact spot where the main artery leading to the brain was. A cm either side and Hughes would've got away with a bruise and at worst would have retired hurt. 3) Everybody who plays cricket accepts that there is a risk involved, and they know that without this risk there would be no game. Can you imagine all bowlers being limited to bowling half volleys at 120 kmh . there would be such a big advantage to batsmen there would be no challenge. 4) I am sure Phil Hughes would want cricket to continue to be played hard and tough. He wouldnt want the game he loved so much be changed because of one freak accident. Sport has risks mate, yes it was a terrible tragedy that Hughes died but it was unexpected and hardly ever happens. Furthermore Cricket should be continued to be played in a tough hard way, just how Phil liked it, I am sure his family would agree. End of rant Bring on a Bumper Summer!!!!!!
13th Man
Guest
Hear Hear
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
NFL has multiple deathes per year, I think I read in another article in The Roar that there was 3 per year.
Joel
Roar Rookie
To criminalise the bouncer would serve to criminalise some of cricket's greatest contests, moments and rivalries over the course of many many years due to the unfortunate death of a player from what was an innocuous delivery that jumped from short of a length. It was not actually a bouncer at all, it just bounced higher than Hughes thought it was going to. In recent times, Michael Clarke's ton against South Africa after Morne Morkel pounded him ball after ball was one of the most courageous innings of this generation. No one was complaining about Mitchell Johnson's bowling last summer when he took 37 wickets in the series. One of my favourite cricketing moments was when Brett Lee hit Adam Parore in the helmet and the helmet fell off and hit the stumps in a one dayer against NZ. Short bowling is part of the excitement of the game. I can't get behind any idea that would make the game less interesting.
Joel
Roar Rookie
The only people that are agreeing are people who have never stepped foot on a cricket field, but think they know better than those who have
Mark Ferguson
Roar Rookie
The Indians would love nothing more than no bouncers on our pitches, the bouncer is such a big weapon for our bowlers on seaming pitches and always has been.
Andra
Guest
Drawing parallels to Clarke's sledge? A case for outlawing bouncers? Putting up Mitchell's injury list, as if he's a threat that needs to be neutralised by the ICC? Changing the composition of the ball?
Al
Guest
Not even unwritten - it's in there. "Intimidatory Bowling". But it's totally unnecessary when bowling at bunnies anyway - my experience as a low grade bunny (with a baseball history) was that my weakness was having the ball bowled at my stumps. I got bounced by one bowler, but being as low a grade as we were, he put three in a row at shoulder-height outside off before bowling at my stumps - my scorecard read 4 4 4 W. Enough reminiscing though, back to the English tail. I get the feeling that Anderson is no bunny. (a quick jump over to cricinfo) Inn-135; NO-48; Runs-949; HS-81; Av-10.90; Balls-2376; SR-39.94 Looks like I'm wrong there, but it still raises an interesting point. Who (in international cricket) could you say shouldn't be bounced repeatedly? The English tail typically looks far more vulnerable than the Australian tail; just think, we could field a team where the last 5 bats were Marsh, Faulkner, Maxwell, Johnson, Starc - and that's not even considering how difficult it would be to get a bouncer up into the clouds to affect Starc. Or, rather than tailenders, there would be a few recognised batsmen going around in the shield that would find Johnson too quick and accurate to handle - how could you handle that?
Sandy
Guest
O...k
Sandy
Guest
Didn't it all start with Anderson expressing a desire to punch Bailey in the face? That is my understanding. Anderson isn't an alpha male though.
Give youth a go!
Guest
I have never read such a disappointing article of cricket like this before. Bodyline was created to stop Don Bradman and the Australian batsman by aiming the ball at their body, not their wickets with the aim of get them caught on the leg side Bert Oldfield was struck in the heart and if you read wikipedia is the source of most cricket deaths. Now Phil Hughes was a guy I wanted in the team all the time because he was young, inventive and could score heaps of runs. Not many Australians other than M.Clarke and retired M.Hussey had many scores above his 160 in only his 4th innings. Intimidating batsmen is part of the bowler or captain's job. Cricket in its origin was ironically a gambling sport like horse racing. There were several gambling scandals not lest Mr Poole rotting in a Christchurch gaol after gambling with the locals and missing England's first ever test. Meanwhile an Aussie Captain was accused of tossing the Ashes in 1926 after being offered money by a bookie (he apparently offered to throw the bookie down the stairs according to a team mate) and some Sheffield Shield matches were investigated in the 19th Century (I am not sure if they were called S.Shield at the time). English cricket was divided between amateur gentlemen and lower class professionals. So it was never really a gentleman's game. Apparently WG Grace was a terrible sport and at times, even told umpires he was not out (I don't know if that was true). And he was said to have sledged. So in summary, there is no proven link between a tragic accident in a match where Clarke was a spectator and a meaningless jibe designed to scare a batsman out. Banning the bouncer would so disrupt the fine balance between bat and ball as to render cricket far less exciting. It would be mean the end of the hook shot which many batsmen score off and if taken to far, even see the end of the pull shot. Lets respect P.Hughes a fine hooker and pulled by improving helmet to protect the neck and back of the head better. I am not sure but I believe the number of first class cricketers (including Test cricketers) who died in a first class match in cricket's recorded history is around 12. Test cricket started around 1875-1877 in Melbourne then Sydney. That's almost 140 years of recorded cricket (not including the earlier county of Australian first class setups) for about 12 deaths. I'm nit even sure if its as many as 12. Would you ban horse racing due to the deaths in the 2014 Melbourne Cup this year? Take a moment to think of sports without any fatalities. Even the highly noble Stefan Edberg killed an umpire by accident as a junior tennis player.
ChrisB
Guest
So should Johnson then be banned from aiming at a batsmans' ribs as that is dangerous? Indeed aiming at the body may cause injury. For that matter, the terrible death of the umpire in Isreal raises the question of banning the batsman from hitting straight as that could be dangerous. This is a stupid article. Sure macho posturing might go too far, but that was also true in the 70s, 80s etc, indeed the whole pre-helmet era. To suggest using one tragic event as the catalyst to ban one of the few remaining weapons left to bowlers is ridiculous
Ben Townend
Roar Rookie
Totally agree. Best thing to do is ignore it and move on
Monday's Expert
Guest
Lets just give them a nerf ball - all problems fixed...