Saturday, February 6, 2010

Ball Tampering - Let's give the bowlers a chance

The modern game is no longer a fair battle between the bat and the ball. In a game which tries to preach equality, its very basic rules donot help the case.

Bowlers in the modern game are allowed only two bouncers per over, why so when batsmen today wear every sort of protective equipment? Powerplays and free-hits give bowlers no room for error whatsoever. To add to their misery, officials ask for flatter pitches in order to bring more crowds to see the sixes raining, not knowing this act of theirs is turning cricket from a game to a circus where the ringmaster (the batsman) whiplashes the elephants (the bowlers). Even those elephants have organizations ( like PETA) to lookafter them, but the Bowlers?..they are still being abused.

Although I don't support Shahid Afridi's recent ball tampering act, but I believe its time that we legalise it. Ball tampering is a unique and common part of Pakistani Cricket, like how sledging is for the Australians and choking is for the Saffers(:P).

If any one of you feel that reversing a tampered ball is easy, then your are grossly mistaken. To get the perfect reverse swing, one needs pace and accuracy coupled with a good angle and wrist position. It isn't something meant for the layman but only a select few can get to reverse the ball at their mercy. So, tampering the ball is just one of the aspects of good ball-keeping that can aid reverse swing. But, reverse-swing isn't all about ball tampering solely. So, why not give the bowler a certain degree of freedom if it is going to just make the game a bit more entertaining and bit more gamely. Every ardent cricket lover, who loves to watch a batsman hoicking one over the stands, loves to watch fast bowlers let it rip in equal measure. Its time that the ICC legalize ball tampering.

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