Cricket's Great Myths

[Burgey]

If Warne revitalised leg-spin why hasn't Australia had a great leg-spinner since him?

Because it's really, really difficult to do at an elite level.

I think a lot of the idea of Warne revitalizing leg spin is because he came along at the end of a massively pace-dominated era from the mid-70s through the 80s. That was especially emphasized here because the Windies used to tour nearly every second year in the 80s, for either tests or ODIs. I recall a number of articles around that time seriously talking about the dominance of pace bowling eventually leading to spin dying out. It was a real point of discussion at that time.

So Warne comes along and his first performance of note (aside from taking 4 in SL, which at that time was regarded as nothing special because they were rubbish) was taking 7 fer against none other than the WI at Melbourne in 92/93.

And true it is there was a lot of spin bowling going on in the SC and particularly India through the 80s and early 90s, but Aus barely ever toured there in that era, so it was largely out of sight out of mind. They went in 1970 then not again til 79/ 80 then 86/87 followed by a one off test in 97. We just didn't tour there. It wasn't until the late 90s it really became a regular thing.

 

[Daemon]

Because it's really, really difficult to do at an elite level.

But surely to revitalise something means it should be alive and thriving. Australia haven't even had a mediocre leggie since Warne.

 

[Burgey]

Nah I think he revitalized it in the sense he made it a thing again here. It just wasn't on the radar before him. We'd sort of play a token finger spinner or someone like Sounda occasionally, but the emphasis was really on pace.

 

[Migara]

Another one,
ICC changed the throwing laws to suit Muralitharan

 

[Senile Sentry]

I recall a story about a fast bowler (I can't remember the name) who bowled a ball that went for six byes, broke a picket in the fence and killed a sleeping dog on the other side.
This allegedly occurred well before WWI and it was a story I took with a very large grain of salt.

Like pretty much all those pre war accounts of what resembled cricket back then

 

[subshakerz]

Nah I think he revitalized it in the sense he made it a thing again here. It just wasn't on the radar before him. We'd sort of play a token finger spinner or someone like Sounda occasionally, but the emphasis was really on pace.

A thing in only an anglocentric sense.

Reality was that 90s had a general spin resurgence as a standard attacking option after a lull in the 80s and he was a part of it.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah, and as I indicated in my later post, no one really gaf about SC cricket here until the late 90s. It's not right, but it's how it was.

 

[Line and Length]

Lots of myths involve W.G.Grace.
Did he really pick up the bails after being bowled then replace them and blame a nasty breeze?
Was his comment, after being given lbw, really, "The crowd came to see me batting, not you umpiring"?
A version of the second story has him telling the bowler who dismissed him, "They came to see me bat, not you bowl."
Another story involves the long-lost tradition of bowlers having a practice ball. He was supposedly bowled first ball on one occasion only to toss the ball back to the bowler saying, "Nice practice ball son."
One substantiated story involves him declaring while he was on 93. Apparently that was the only score from 0 to 100 that he hadn't registered.

 

[Senile Sentry]

Growing up in the 90s , there was this famous story about how Kapil Dev turned.up to bat pitch drunk and then went on to slam a hundred.

 

[Burgey]

See, I desperately want that to be true

 

[ankitj]

More believable if that was about Shastri

 

[the big bambino]

Like pretty much all those pre war accounts of what resembled cricket back then

Actually I think there was a similar story about Thommo.

 

[Burgey]

Thommo told it himself lol

 

[the big bambino]

Thommo and Hoggy would make a great comedy duo. I'm collecting all their stuff.

 

[shortpitched713]

Lots of myths involve W.G.Grace.
Did he really pick up the bails after being bowled then replace them and blame a nasty breeze?
Was his comment, after being given lbw, really, "The crowd came to see me batting, not you umpiring"?
A version of the second story has him telling the bowler who dismissed him, "They came to see me bat, not you bowl."
Another story involves the long-lost tradition of bowlers having a practice ball. He was supposedly bowled first ball on one occasion only to toss the ball back to the bowler saying, "Nice practice ball son."
One substantiated story involves him declaring while he was on 93. Apparently that was the only score from 0 to 100 that he hadn't registered.

All painting him as a rather unsporting and selfish ****, to be honest.

 

[wpdavid]

Actually I think there was a similar story about Thommo.

And by now, the dogs' owner was getting thoroughly fed up with it.

 

[Migara]

So Warne comes along and his first performance of note (aside from taking 4 in SL, which at that time was regarded as nothing special because they were rubbish) was taking 7 fer against none other than the WI at Melbourne in 92/93.

Four seasons earlier Narendra Hirwani decimated West Indies with a much stellar bowling performance against a far better WI side.

 

[honestbharani]

More believable if that was about Shastri

Spot why it can't be, @ankitj

Growing up in the 90s , there was this famous story about how Kapil Dev turned.up to bat pitch drunk and then went on to slam a hundred.

 

[subshakerz]

Are nightwatchmans making a difference be a great myth?

 

[Burgey]

Four seasons earlier Narendra Hirwani decimated West Indies with a much stellar bowling performance against a far better WI side.