Bent arm bowling

Twice within a couple of months International cricket has been rocked by the 15 degree controversy. Because Australia has been the opposition on both occasions they have been deemed to be whingers!
Shane Watson has been deemed a "dobber" for the way he seemingly brought the umpires attention to Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal unorthodox release. It always has been the view of cricketers that the batsman is in the best position to detect varying flex with a bowlers arm.
Not only can he see the movement but he is subject to pace variations unable to be obtained the orthodox way without o considerable change at the time of release. eg a much faster arm from the basic stock ball.
South Africa's Johan Botha, the other player brought into question recently has the same change of pace advantage. I recall him bowling to Ricky Ponting in one of the One Day Internationals and one delivery was in the high 90 kilometers per hour which Ponting kept out of his stumps with a hurried stroke. The next delivery had Ponting into the stroke way too early causing the master batsman to lob back a simple catch. There was approximately 15 kph difeerence in the pace with no discernable difference in his action.
I would say that is an unfair advantage.
For the great leg spinner to vary his pace in such a way he would need to introduce his flipper which has a totally different wrist action to his leg break. The release is created by flicking the fingers as the ball is spun backward with the palm facing down. The leg break has the palm facing up. It is the power in the SHOULDER which is important.
Both Botha and Ajmal open up their action at the crease with the front foot splaying well to the left of their intended line.
That is the common denominater with all the bowlers who have been reported over the years.
In my view too many people are more fascinated with the delivery which borders constantly on legality than they are on watching a side-on artist at work.

Overseas Coaching

My July/August trip to the UK to condust coaching clinics is on again.
I am planning at least three seperate clinics on the following dates;
July 27-29....August 3-5....August 10-12.
At this time it seems probable the July 27-29 clinics will be at Chigwell School while the 3-5 Aug will be held in Leeds. I am still seeking a venue for Aug 10-12 but it is likely to be somewhere not too far out of London.
We will be mailing out early May with the revamped programme aimed at assisting those who travel distances and stay a couple of nights in accommodation near the venue.
I think you will be pleased with the new format. I trialled it in Leeds earlier this year and felt it was worth doing again at all clinics.
Please feel free to make contact if you wish to ensure your name is on the mailing list.

Grandad

I am sorry for not posting a blog for almost 3 months. I was quite shocked when I realised that fact. However, I am back on line and will again regularly provide items of interest.
A lot of you know already that on March 22nd I became a Grandad for the first time. My daughter Trudianne and her partner Damian provided Ann and me with a bouncing baby girl named Ashlea Sue. The excitement of the occasion took my mind away from all things until the arrival through out April of Asif, Saif, Rezza and Thomas for the Elite Wrist Spin Programme and Spin Doctor Clinics.
It was a very busy time until last Saturday when Thomas returned home to New Zealand.
You could say it was one of the most challenging months since beginning the live in Programmes in 1999. Why you ask? Because for the first time ever I cooked Halal for three of the boys.
It is not the first time we have welcomed Muslim boys into our home but in the past they have shared with non Halal boys which made it difficult. Now we have managed the challenge without too much trouble it will become a regular part of meals for those who require the special diet.
On a sad note we lost our special mate of more than 13 years. Our cocker spaniel, Te Be passed away on the 20th March, just two days before the arrival of our grand daughter.
Te Be was a friend to every spinner who spent time at our home. Even those who arrived with trepidation when faced by this bundle of joy. He always managed to win them over.
We still miss him so much.

Heat/cold and travel

It is currently 42 degrees here in Adelaide following on from 44 degrees yesterday. Now that is HOT in any language.The next three days are also expected to be 40 degrees and upward which will make five consecutive days well above the old century. That makes it an official heatwave!
Perhaps it is timely as on Saturday 31st I head to Chennai for 5 days followed by 3 days in Kochi, all coaching in the heat. I am looking forward to the MAC Spin Foundation sessions for the third time and for the first time coaching sessions for Kerala Cricket Association.
For those from countries other than India it will surprise you know the coaching day starts around 7.30am for a couple of hours and then it is rest time before resuming at around 3.30pm.
The times are designed to beat the heat.
Following Chennai and Kochi I head to London for two weeks coaching where the heat will not be a factor but the cold just might!
Packing my suitcase is not easy given the two extremes but the common denominator is working with young men with a love of spin bowling.
That is why, in my 65th year, I still look forward to the challenges.

Is spin old fashioned?

We all have different views on the development side of the game of cricket, a game steeped in history.
The game has changed in so many ways. Thicker and heavier bats that pick up like a tooth pick and shorter boundaries are the two most significent "dimension" changes in recent times.
Fifty and twenty over matches have played a major role in those two changes. The short form of the game is about 'sixers' being hit for the benefit of the crowds who flock to these games.
Spin bowlers are less successful in the fifty over game than in the twenty over run fest. That statistic surprises me greatly, but it is factual I am told.
Taking the pace of the ball forces the batsman to do all the work hence quick bowlers are in name only, as they grip the ball across the seam a lot of the time and present an array of slower balls. Clever stuff but you won't catch much of that bowling in four and five day cricket.
Likewise the spinners tend not to take the pace of the ball in the longer form of the game which leads to less spin.
Spin is one area where the game appears not to be advancing, as technology and mind set is working against it.
The ball is still five and a half ounces and the pitch is still 22 yards long so why are we not developing players who spin and flight the ball?
Part of the reason. I believe is that some (a lot) of coaches see flight as old fashioned.The coaches and the captains are more about economy than wickets hence the ever growing shortage of teen age spinners who actually spin the ball.
A former Australian player said to me the other day that there is no way the game will go back to "old fashioned" methods of coaching spin.
I don't believe it is going back, more it is continuing with tried and proven methods which have stood the test of time....until now that is.
In Australia there has never been such a shortage of wrist spinners. I believe the need to address the handling of these special bowlers requires urgent attention. There was a time when every Australian state boasted more than one wrist spinner of first class standard.
Currently there is not one playing in Sheffield Shield cricket apart from Steve Smith from New South Wales who is a batsman who also bowls.
It would be terrible to look back in 10-15 years and identify the lack of understanding of what spin is as the reason for the game being filled with quicks, seamers and diddly dobblers.
Yes the game continues to move forward but it must continue to take with it the successes of the past.

Drift

I receive a lot of e-mails asking about drift or curve.
For a right arm leg spin bowler the drift he/she is seeking is in toward a right hand batter which tends to square the batter up and then ideally the ball will spin away toward slip after landing.
Shane Warne created havoc with batsmen because of the drift and spin he achieved.
How does it happen?
Genuine drift, which should not be confused with the ball angling in to the batter by a slicing action at release, comes from several basic areas.
1) side on alignment toward the target area.
2) revolutions on the ball (mostly side spin)
3) strong shoulder rotation (180 degrees)

Breeze over the left shoulder can also encourage the ball to drift in toward the batter.
If, as a couple of boys have told me, the ball is "drifting" toward slip it is most likely the shoulders are rotating around the front leg creating an angle of release in that direction.
For a ball to genuinely drift toward slip the revolutions on the ball would normally be the opposite of the leg break eg; Googly or off spin.
The more over spin (top spin) on the ball at release the more the ball will "drop" on the batter and the less it is likely to curve inwards.
As a rule chest on spinners struggle for drift.
So, improve your alignment and impart lots of spin on the ball and await the outcome.

Overseas

I am looking forward to a couple of coaching trips early in 2009.
Firstly my third visit to the MAC Spin Foundation in Chennai has been pencilled in for 2-6 February and later in the same month I am hoping to return to the UK for a few Spin Doctor Clinics.
My initial plan is to endeavour to conduct a clinic either in Leeds or Manchester the weekend 14-15 Feb or 21-22 , depending on availability of indoor facilities and the number of spinners we can attract.
Closer to London the 23rd-25th Feb has been pencilled in at Westbrook Hay School in Hemel Hempstead.
We are seeking expressions of interest during the next fortnight before booking an airline ticket, accommodation and venues.
So, if you or your son/s are looking for coaching from the Spin Doctor prior to next season, now is the time to contact me at tjenner@tjevents.com.au