**Official** County Cricket 2016

[Furball]

If his action was dodgy then surely you whip him out of First Class cricket and get him tested?

 

[fredfertang]

I'm beginning to wonder if someone at Lord's has been listening to my brother - he's the most zealous member of the Chucking Stasi there is, and has only ever been known to accept two* spinners as having fair actions - last summer we went up to Lord's for the first day of the Lancashire v Middlesex game - there were a surprisingly large number of Lancashire supporters all enjoying watching Hameed and Petersen batting for most of the day - not our kid though - whenever Ollie Rayner was bowling out came the opera glasses and the chuntering started - no one around us could see anything remotely wrong with his action but to listen to him you'd think Rayner's arm was bent double

*The two are, perhaps unsurprisingly, Jack Simmons, and then thirty years later at Southampton after a long hard look, he nearly caused me to fall off my seat - the opera glasses had been out and we'd had all the usual muttering and eye rolling between deliveries before he declared that there was nothing wrong with Michael Carberry's action and why couldn't all spinners model themselves on him (and to save you looking it up Carberry's career figures are 17 wickets at 62.88)

 

[Scaly piscine]

There must be surely plenty of Somerset highlights on YouTube, it all seems rather strange to me.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Somerset, Maynard, are apparently incensed at the ECB for the leaking of this news.

 

[BoyBrumby]

There must be surely plenty of Somerset highlights on YouTube, it all seems rather strange to me.

He's on the ECB's own channel, no less, taking 4/31 v Surrey.

Very high arm action, practically brushing his ear hole in fact and looks quite fast through the air. Hard to draw any conclusions from a two minute clip, but not much in the way of flight or dip I could see.

Maybe the tiniest hint of elbow in a couple, but had I not been looking I may not have noticed.

Ansari's action looks a lot worse to my eyes.

 

[Compton]

I've never noticed anything in Leach's action that would be illegal.

Also, since when is issuing a statement calling out a county player's action an appropriate thing to do? Selectors shitting the bed with their picks and then trying to deflect the attention.

 

[theegyptian]

Leach hasn't been on tv for years iirc. He took a five for in a championship game a few years ago but had barely played before this season and doesn't play much white ball cricket. Judging if someone chucks by eye at the ground or on youtube probably isn't the wisest choice. Seems far fetched to me that this is a conspiracy by the ECB and that they just made up the test to screw over Leach. I'm sure there are others in the county game who look fine but are over the 15 degree limit if they were tested. Just Leach was getting close to selection and had to go through the standard analysis of his action - presumably with the intention of seeing if they could make any adjustments/improvements and for reference, rather than checking if he chucked but the tests flagged up something abnormal.

For example for those that think this doesn't happen here was a ECB article (with video) about the tests they put through the young fast bowlers at the start of the winter. https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/118671. Motion analysis of their actions and everything. Presumably the spinners had similar tests.

 

[fredfertang]

Leach hasn't been on tv for years iirc. He took a five for in a championship game a few years ago but had barely played before this season and doesn't play much white ball cricket. Judging if someone chucks by eye at the ground or on youtube probably isn't the wisest choice. Seems far fetched to me that this is a conspiracy by the ECB and that they just made up the test to screw over Leach. I'm sure there are others in the county game who look fine but are over the 15 degree limit if they were tested. Just Leach was getting close to selection and had to go through the standard analysis of his action - presumably with the intention of seeing if they could make any adjustments/improvements and for reference, rather than checking if he chucked but the tests flagged up something abnormal.

For example for those that think this doesn't happen here was a ECB article (with video) about the tests they put through the young fast bowlers at the start of the winter. https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/118671. Motion analysis of their actions and everything. Presumably the spinners had similar tests.

I sincerely hope there is something wrong with Leach's action as if not this is unforgiveable, but even so there is still no need to hang the bloke out to dry

 

[Furball]

I'm not necessarily crying conspiracy, I just don't believe that nobody has noticed his action or called it into question yet the ECB apparently have concerns and won't pick him.

 

[theegyptian]

From what I understand nobody really had concerns with his action, he was just going through the standard testing that all the young England players go through and it flagged up that he was chucking it by quite a distance.


In chronological order as I understand it.

ECB didn't pick him for the initial Bangladesh tour. Nothing to do with with his action. No idea why they didn't select him. Lack of experience, lack of maturity have been mooted as possible reasons.
He was picked for the Lions and was going through the standard testing that all players go through to analyse their actions and make improvements. His tests came back and to everybodies surprise they found he was chucking it and not by a small margin.
England pick tour squad for India and replacement for Ansari but at neither point can they select Leach because he's doing remedial work on his action.
As Leach puts it he 'worked my nuts off' to make the adjustments to his action, and goes off with the Lions to play in the UAE with his new remodelled action and does ok.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Vic Marks wrote a piece the other day saying how he'd watched Leach loads of times and never spotted anything wrong. Now I know that Marks plied his trade at Somerset, but he's never struck me as being narrowly parochial at all, so his view carries some weight imo. And I think we'd have heard before now anyway if there had been grumbles on the county circuit.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of players who bowl orthodox spin to be pushing the limits. I just don't see why they'd be scanning/testing him before he gets into the international system, when he seems to have had a pretty good action to the eye.

 

[Prince EWS]

I just don't see why they'd be scanning/testing him before he gets into the international system, when he seems to have had a pretty good action to the eye.

Apparently it's something they do for spinners as soon as they get picked for England A now.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Holier than thou horseshit.

 

[S.Kennedy]

I fear for DCCC. I think we'll become like Leicestershire or Derbyshire, just this unbelievably **** team.

 

[SeamUp]

Handscomb has signed for Yorkshire.

Also see Pierre De Bruyn is getting his SA expertise in at the Foxes with Dieter Klein joining Cameron Delport and Colin Ackermann.

 

[fredfertang]

Gilo back to Edgbaston and Lanky take the cheap option and appoint Chappy ('for now' but we all know what that means) - still as the man who was skipper when the 77 years of hurt ended he deserves a chance, and hopefully will get the miracle or three he's going to need to keep us up next summer

 

[Tom Flint]

Middlesex really need an overseas top order bat. Bailey was poor last year. If he doesn't retire maybewe could get Voges as his international career seems to be over. Darren bravo would be a good option to for the second half of the season after the WI matches are done. Think we might struggle in the spin department too as I thought ollie rayner massively punched above his weight last season

 

[SeamUp]

Allan Donald offered Kent coaching role

Allan Donald, the former South Africa fast bowler, has been offered a senior coaching role at Kent.

Donald is currently negotiating with the club about the position, thought to be director of cricket, which would see Matt Walker, officially assistant coach at present, promoted to work alongside him. The exact hierarchy and official designations are among the points that require finalising.

It is understood Matthew Mott, currently the Australia Women's coach, was originally favoured for the director of cricket role but, after having talks with the club, decided against it.

Donald is a hugely experienced bowling coach - he has held positions with the South Africa, England and, most recently, the Australia and Royal Challengers Bangalore teams - but taking responsibility for all aspects of a club will be a less familiar experience.

He was promoted to head coach at Pune Warriors in 2013, and also held a short-term role at Knights (the Bloemfontein-based franchise). More recently, he was interviewed by his former club, Warwickshire, for one of the roles subsequently filled by Ashley Giles and Jim Troughton.

The Kent role was vacated when Jimmy Adams resigned in October after five seasons in charge. Adams has subsequently been short-listed for the West Indies coaching position.

 

[SeamUp]

Looks like another set-back for Topley

Reece Topley, the England left-arm seamer, has suffered another injury setback after picking up a shoulder problem which will require surgery.

Topley, 22, experienced discomfort while throwing during a recent training session ahead of joining the England Pace Programme in South Africa. A Hampshire statement said they are hopeful of him being fit for the start of the domestic season in April.

"Reece is a determined character and although it is disappointing news for him, we're very hopeful that he'll be fit and raring to go in time for the new season," Giles White, Hampshire's director of cricket, said.

He had been returning from a stress fracture of the back which meant he only played one game for Hampshire in the 2016 season following his move from Essex. In his one outing last summer he broke his hand while batting and it was during training following that injury when the back problem was diagnosed.

Topley has played 10 ODIs and six T20s for England, including being part of the World T20 campaign in India last year.

 

[theegyptian]

bollocks by Hampshire

Their strongest team now includes Abbott, Ervine, Edwards, Roussow, Bailey. None of whom are eligible/ will play for England. Wheal too isn't eligible yet afaik.