You know what really grinds my cricketing gears?

[the big bambino]

The slow, creeping realisation that you're just not very good

Being unemployed, a lone session spent down at the local nets sending down solo leg breaks against an imaginary foe is a common pastime of mine. For me it's relaxation, although every ball is critiqued and there's always the surge of annoyance when you know you've lost your length. I've been doing this a few times a week, couple hours each time, for the past few years.

Next thing you know, you're in a net session with your mates and somehow the wrist goes limp, the shoulder drops and you spray it under pressure. And the good balls? The line, length and flight is perfect. They just don't turn. That's right, I'm a leggie who struggles with lateral spin. They bounce wickedly sometimes but I get found out early enough. All you need to do is charge.

Having a bat, I'm castled half a dozen times, twice by this bloke bowling textbook outswingers. A few good off-drives against the part-timers starkly juxtaposes against the sweaty toil you went through bowling at the same bloke to get a borderline stumpng after he started slogging you out of boredom.

The swing bowler tries a leggie as the session ends. He gets it to drift in and jag away - viciously - without the least effort or warm-up. I would give my firstborn to bowl with such turn, bite, but most of all - nonchalance. I've spent years rationalising to myself that my balls would surely turn more on a turf deck. This bloke doesn't need that reassurance as he rips it at right angles.

At the end of the day, I've been working my craft for years, and the solitude blinds me to the fact that blokes who wouldn't qualify for grade cricket can and will still whomp you off the park.

I'll still go down, find an empty net, and bowl my leggies.

But from what I've seen, not many teams would have a use for them. And that's depressing.

Nah that's love. You're in love with the game. Good on you. I love the jilting game too.

 

[Prince EWS]

Switch to offbreaks and bend that elbow a little.

Chucking is actually far more difficult than you'd think.

 

[Daemon]

Chucking is actually far more difficult than you'd think.

Comes naturally to me tbh

 

[benchmark00]

Spark

 

[OverratedSanity]

Comes naturally to me tbh

I do it effortlessly and get it to turn feet tbh. Accuracy improves too. All my legal deliveries turn out to be innocuous top spinners with no bounce or loop.

 

[Shri]

Comes naturally to me tbh

We aren't talking about those chuckings where somewhere holds your head above the toilet.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Batsmen tapping the pitch with the bat.WTF does it even achieve? If it does have any effect on the pitch, and if ball tampering is illegal then this should be as well. ****ing batsmen get away with everything

 

[G.I.Joe]

They're not trying to affect the pitch. They're assessing the character of the pitch.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Batsmen tapping the pitch with the bat.WTF does it even achieve? If it does have any effect on the pitch, and if ball tampering is illegal then this should be as well. ****ing batsmen get away with everything

For some guys it becomes more like a habit, don't even do it for any reason; maybe to give them something else to think about in between balls.

 

[ajdude]

i do it on astroturf pitches just to look like a dickhead and get a laugh.

admittedly i don't have to do it at all to look like a dickhead. still worth it for the laugh though

 

[benchmark00]

It's a mental thing. if you have a tuff of grass sticking up in front of you due to a spike mark you want to pat it down so you don't have anything in your mind when the bowler is running in other than watching the ball. You want to give yourself no excuses.

 

[OverratedSanity]

For some guys it becomes more like a habit, don't even do it for any reason; maybe to give them something else to think about in between balls.

Agree with that. I've seen guys like Rohit Sharma tap the pitch inside the batting crease FFS. It's just gives them something to do before the next ball

 

[G.I.Joe]

If he's doing it within the batting crease, it's not the equivalent of ball tampering. Over reaction, IMO.

 

[OverratedSanity]

As if Rohit is smart enough to pitch tamper. And the Ball tampering bit in my post wasn't serious tbf

 

[uvelocity]

i do it on astroturf pitches just to look like a dickhead and get a laugh.

admittedly i don't have to do it at all to look like a dickhead. still worth it for the laugh though

Stole my post you bastard. I also tell our spinners to hit the rough

 

[Daemon]

I thought people do it to pat down loosish bits of turf.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

It's to make sure the bat is in the right place for a straight backlift

 

[Prince EWS]

I thought people do it to pat down loosish bits of turf.

Yeah, there are numerous reasons for it.

1. Flick debris off the surface.
2. Push down raised bits of rough.
3. Get a sense of how the pitch feels in a certain spot.
4. Exhibit hubris after being beaten by a delivery.
5. Nervous habit.

 

[Jono]

More saving face than hubris imo.

Hubris is Laxman's face when he gets out.

 

[karan316]

Batsmen tapping the pitch with the bat.WTF does it even achieve? If it does have any effect on the pitch, and if ball tampering is illegal then this should be as well. ****ing batsmen get away with everything

I hope this is not a serious post.