Anil Kumble v Stuart MacGill

[SJS]

It's amazing how it still seems like no one has figured out what the hell Kumble is doing. He just keeps prodding the ball in there with deadly accuracy and minimal turn and batsmen are confused as to how they're managing to get owned and how they should play him.

Batsmen are so much tuned to tackle lateral movement that most of the time, most of them are on the look out for the same (if anything) and build there defenses around which way they think the ball is going to move.

Along comes a bowler who has minimal lateral movement (though not too much is required to beat half the bats width of less than two and a half inches) and sticks to line and length with most variations in vertical movement rather than lateral - meaning variations in speed and bounce. This is what defeats batsmen in Kumble's case (and in Chandra's before him.

Batsmen find there lateral-movement-counter-measures defeated and the fans, so used to measuring a spinners worth in the amount of lateral movement, are perplexed how this relatively innocuous looking spinner gets batsmen out !

You cant see the subtle variations in speed and bounce while you can so easily see and appreciate the lateral movement.

Its not just a different art (craft if you please) but also a very difficult one to master.

 

[Sanz]

Kumble, pretty easily.

 

[Jono]

An idea pitch for him is the one that has bounce, not turn. For Warne/Murali and most other spinners, they like turners. Obviously a turner will help him a lot, but a bouncy pitch is where he will thrive the most.

Not bounce, uneven bounce.

 

[Pratters]

Regarding Kumble - it is very interesting how in the 90s when he was troubling every one Cronje suggested they play him like a medium pacer. After that, for a period Sri Lanka especially flogged him very badly. Kumble his accuracy soon after in that period itself which meant that he couldn't keep the pressure on and it was all pretty interesting.

It shows immense mental fortitude apart from skill to come back strong from the tough phase in his career (not to forget the injury). The subtle variations in length Kumble has mastered over his career is being appreciated a bit more now and it is good to see.

 

[Matt79]

Kumble. I watch him and imagine it must be like what Tiger O'Reilly was like as a leggie - quick, bouncy, less turn, and very effective.

While I agree with the consensus for Kumble, I'll add a 'hear hear' to whoever suggested it would be interesting to see what kinds of bowlers they would have turned into if it was Kumble, not MacGill, having to contend with Warne for a spinners spot. Kumble has vastly more "runs" on the board, so to speak, but he's also had much more opportunity to play, and to establish himself. It must be damned hard keeping to a competitive international level, much less improving, with the limited chances MacGill gets.

 

[C_C]

Actually, one thing i was told by a friend of mine (he was a wicketkeeper for a club side and then went on to play for the regional side for a few years) is that keeping to Kumble is much much harder than keeping to a big turner of the ball ala Murali or Warne.
According to him, Kumble's subtle variations in length,bounce and speed, coupled with the fact that he bowls at a considerably faster clip than most spinners make it far harder to keep to him than just 'playing for the turn'.

 

[aussie]

Kumble pretty easily for me, MacGill can be deadly on his day on a pitch that is helping him but he can waste it as much as was shown in Sri Lanka in 2004.

 

[Beleg]

I'm aware of that, but I'm also aware (as I'm sure you are) that MacGill didn't bowl particularly well in that series, and Dravid, Laxman and company aren't the most forgiving bunch to have a bad series against as a leg-spinner.

That's one of the worst excuses I have ever seen. MacGill wasn't able to perform; doesn't matter if its against Dravid, Laxman or a club team. You dont try to excuse bad series and bad performances.


That being said, MacGill is the fourth best spinner in the world at the moment.

 

[Burgey]

Anil Kumble, quite handily.

 

[R_D]

Kumble no contest.

 

[Anil]

Not bounce, uneven bounce.

true, on a pitch offering even bounce, good batting sides tend to play him like a slow medium bowler and almost immediately he loses most of his effectiveness...