What a Chuck Up…

It was only going to be a matter of time. Sachithra Senanayake has been one of our best cricketers in the last couple of years, with the bat, in the field, and most importantly with the ball. His hard work has been amply rewarded by his status as the leading wicket taker in the England series so far.

However, there can be no debate that he bowls with a bent arm. There can also be no debate that it looks dodgy as hell, and if Harbajhan and Ajmal did the same, we’d raise our eyebrows too. What is also beyond debate is the timing of the reporting. There is no doubt, in my mind at least, that the fact that Senanayake was reported on the even of the fifth and deciding ODI is directly in line with the ECB’s recent modus operandi, e.g. – Farbracegate.

This is a calculated move to rob Sri Lanka of one its most potent weapons. Although Senanayake may play today, there is certainly going to be a cloud over his action, and this is going to affect even the most confident of players. It may affect Senanayake less than it affected Murali, because he’s just that sort of a guy. When he came out in the ODI in South Africa, blocked the first ball and hit the next for six, you knew he had the correct attitude to succeed in international cricket. An attitude that some players with arguably more talent do not have. So if this was going to happen to anyone, I would think England have picked the wrong target.

Mala fide intentions aside though, Senanayake’s case opens a wide vista of problems. Many may not remember that he was reported in 2011, underwent remedial action and was biomechanically cleared by the University of Western Australia, which also did the testing on Murali. Despite the clearing however, the ICC’s 15 degree flexion rule will always leave the doubters and naysayers with a credible case. Those who can’t bowl a doosra will always accuse those who do, of chucking. It’s unavoidable.

Forget the professional jealousy. The Catch 22 situation is this. Senanayake needs to be tested – according to the protocol – in 21 days. He can play during this period. Assuming he is properly tested and cleared, does this given him a carte blanche to bend his arm more than 15 degrees after the test. An umpire will report him, and he’ll turn around and say ‘well I’ve been cleared’. The problem being that the naked eye cannot conclusively pick up whether a particular ball is bowled within or without the 15 degree flexion allowance. A bowler can then bend his arm as he pleases and bowl a ball he can bowl within 15 degrees, outside that threshold and bowl it more potently. Retrospective analysis cannot reinstate a batsman who may get out to that delivery. And you only need to bowl a few of those per innings.

For instance, Afridi almost certainly chucks his faster delivery. And the batters that got out to it have no redress. Similary, before all this went down, Murali was called bowling leg breaks, which Arjuna Ranatunga ingeniously instructed him to bowl, because it’s physically impossible to chuck a leg break. He was called by Darrell Hair, and the mala fide motive was establlished.

Despite the obvious though, the timing and insidiousness of the reporting of Senanayake, should not blind Sri Lanka, or indeed the ICC, into ignoring the problem, or the problems the solutions have created.

After all what separates baseball from cricket, inter alia, is the fact that the bowler can’t hurl the ball at you. An erosion of this rule, even by a matter of degrees, will lead us all down a slippery slope. Murali was a once in a lifetime bowler, whose genetic deformity helped him, just like Phelp’s giant feet helped him, Armstrong’s extraordinary heart and lungs helped him and Shaq’s giant hands mean he can’t throw free throws. That happens occasionally. But whether it needed the law to be changed, I don’t know, because Murali didn’t bend his arm any more than Andrew Flintoff did, bowling his bouncer.

What’s the solution? I don’t know. It’s not my problem. But continuing like this is going to lead to a lot more issues like this, and may also lead to the reporting process being abused by the Big 3 as a tactical body blow, as this case manifests.

This is tomorrow’s discussion however, and today’s discussion should be about beating England in the decider. Sri Lanka will have to find the correct balance between attacking in the first ten and not losing wickets. That thin line has eluded the Sri Lankan batsmen in this series and hopefully they will find it at the fifth time of asking. Sri Lanka’s penchant for triumphing in adverse environs may just have been a trick England missed, when the report was engineered.

Let’s hope Sachithra takes a Michelle. That’ll make for some entertaining reading of the English back pages.