Bowl-out blues
Somerset have progressed to the semi-finals of the twenty-twenty cup with a bowl-out victory over Lancashire, with no play possible due to rain. In cricket's equivalent of the penalty shootout, Somerset hit the stumps with five of their ten deliveries, with Lancashire only making one successful effort.
The video of the event is on the BBC website, and what strikes me is how half-hearted the run-ups were. Maybe it's a different matter under pressure, but I'd back myself to hit 50% of the time using a proper run-up. Surely the professionals would also have had more success if they'd used the run-ups that they'd honed and practiced for hours a day for many seasons, rather than an ad-hoc couple of paces as if they were bowling to their children in the garden at home? I'm not advocating trying to bowl at top speed, but it seems a poor strategy to completely alter your technique when the pressure is on.
6 comments:
Not sure I agree with that as most bowlers at that level are not bowling to hit the middle of middle stump all the time. At best they are aiming at the top of off, and even then most don't. They are therefore changing the line and length that has been instilled in them through thousands of overs. Perhaps by changing their run up it helps break that natural line and length. I noticed was that the spinners were particularly rubbish at trying to hit the stumps and they were the ones bowling with their standard run ups.
Perhaps we should put this to the test over the weekend. I reckon with just two deliveries you'd miss with both with a proper run-up. I reckon I'd hit with at least one with a shortened run-up.
Challenge accepted! Anyway, surely they ought to have the flexibility within their natural actions to be able to bowl the odd straight full ball, as well as length balls outside off stump, with a certain degree of control.
What I found weird was who was doing the bowling. Laxman and Chilton for Lancashire - why didn't they trust the bowlers?
And one bowling with his cap on ! In a similar vein I find it odd that the clubs who appear on Cricket A M always seem to take batsman rather than bowlers, judging by the bowl out performances at the end of each programme. Are batsman considered more 'interesting' i.e. noisier ?
We are talking about professional bowlers here. I agree with Smutts that maybe as a general rule quick bowlers are aiming for the top of off stump or just outside but surely they should be able to adapt this tactic as the situation dictates i.e. aim to hit the stumps!
I am eagerly awaiting the result of this challenge, be sure to update us....
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