Comments on: Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mini Hitler?

By: xyzzzz__

xyzzzz__ — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 16:15:26 +0000

Reverse swing (and the Doosra) has had an up-and-down history, innit? (As far as I know) As a delivery, it was invented in Pakistan at the end of 80s. In the mid-90s, the eng batsmen were found completely hopeless against it in when Wasim and Waquar used it to excellent effect. it was called cheating however legally achieved, just that no-one understood the technique. Then bowlers such as Simon Jones (who I think learned it directly from the odd Pakistani player who comes over here to play county cricket) got v good at using it as a stock delivery (and he ws one of 2-3 key players in getting the ashes back) = reverse swing is OK now, except when achieved illegally (by, say, using suncream rather than sweat to shine the ball but as ‘the analyst’ pointed out on newsnight last night what if suncream is mixed w/ a bit of sweat => you can’t exactly police this v well).

Darrell Hair is one of the more experienced umpires => which also means he comes from a time where techniques developed in south-asia hadn’t been developed hence his comments over Murali’s action (although a few older players, both from australia and India have called him a chucker). So I reckon Darrell Hair still has his doubts over reverse swing.

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:45:17 +0000

Fair enough xyzzzz___, match rather than series. Nevertheless, I think you might be right: the current “everyone does it/ its strictly against the rules” dichotomy cannot continue. And look at the reverse swing conversations last year about it being an artform. All of a sudden its also cheating*.

What next? An admission that sledging is bullying?

*Not that cheating can’t be or shouldn’t be an artform natch.

By: pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør

pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 14:59:30 +0000

haha i am pleased that the RIDICULOUS PROLIFERATION OF UMPIRES and JUDGEMENT by VIDEO is producing debacles in cricket just as much as OLD-SKOOL REFFING does in the BEAUTIFUL FOOPTIMISM

By: xyzzzz__

xyzzzz__ — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 14:32:10 +0000

“this is now a controversial series which will go down in cricket infamy like the Bodyline series did”

Test match more than the series, which ws totally fine (as the last couple between pakistan and eng have been). But yeah, now you mention it, could this could be the match where we get a more ‘relaxed’ attitude toward ball-tampering as a tactic to remove batsmen in the way that short deliveries was for Bodyline?

By: Pete Baran

Pete Baran — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 12:58:29 +0000

Bah, Tom Ewing’s, you almost got me with yr Imperial War Museum namechange mularky.

Imperial War Museum still happily fighting for Queen and Empire! Ironically of course, it is the closest museum to the Oval too!

Mark interestingly the Mini Hitler here is probably completely ignoring Little Hitler though jobsworthiness is the exact charge he should be up for. Instead they may well be going for a racial angle: NOT WITHSTANDING THAT PAKISTAN IS THE HOME OF THE TRUE ARY@NS! (Nr enuff).

By: pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør

pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:26:39 +0000

IN A SENSE THERE IS NOTHING ect ect

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:07:10 +0000

Have I mentioned that the view from my office window includes an Imperial War Museum* poster of a pie with Hitler’s face on it giving the si3g h3il.

*sorry, Britain At War Museum - IT IS PC GONE MAD.

By: pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør

pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:01:41 +0000

PCGM-watch level ORANGE

(presumed format, expressed neutrally: “as the generation that hitler directly impacted on has dwindled, the phrase ‘little hitler’ has become less and less acceptable as a synonym (basically) for ‘jobsworth’”)