RE: Test Cricket In Danger Of Disappearing
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I understand the problem. I have played cricket through college in India. I was a leg spin googley bowler and number 7/8 batsman. This was before IPL, otherwise probably managed to play a small club team if it was today :)
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Interesting as I was also a leg spin bowler with a top spinner/flipper. For some reason I could not perfect the googly and spent hours practicing. I played in the intercity league in Durban which we won and played against some of the West Indies players who toured in 1986 as part of the rebel tour and stayed behind. We had Collis King and Hartley Alleyne in our league along with Malcolm Marshall who was more into coaching then. Who knows how we would fair today and maybe you just needed a break or have been spotted for your chance.
Back then you can only play for the state team and then national team. With a near billion people even back then you not only have to be very good but also very lucky. I was neither.
Plus I also had all kinds of injuries that didn’t help.
These days there are 15 IPL teams plus many other secondary leagues that pay more than the national team back in our days. Opportunities in India are endless today.
Googly it’s basically just the ability to turn the wrist backwards. Some people can’t do it because how their wrist bones are. There is nothing you can do about it in that case.
Clearly you must remember Anil Kumble, who could even turn the regular leg break most of the times, but still was the highest wicket taker for India during his time!
So turn is not everything clearly. He was deadly fast and accurate and with insane bounce.
I do like to see these very young cricketers coming through in India today showing there is opportunities if you are good enough. Kumble was brilliant and he did bowl much faster than the average spinner plus he was very accurate which made him a threat on any type of pitch. When I played in the UK what I found strange was the wickets early in the season offered very little spin and was very different to SA pitches which use different grass. It was fantastic to experience and play on different pitches. Injuries do not help especially if it affected your bowling action.
You can look it up. That is the condition I developed. I still have it :) That was the end of my career.
That is what bowling googly can do to you. Mind you back in those days lot of biomechanics and kinesiology was not available to common people. Today I probably would have corrected my action quickly.
No harm done :) hindsight 50-50.
Just reading up about this and that is a serious injury and no wonder you had to stop playing. Yes these days they have the medical information and this possibly could have been prevented if treated early enough. Do you have permanent nerve damage now? Yes hindsight which does not help after it has happened. Good to know and thanks for sharing as this I find interesting.
Yes I did have permanent nerve damage and not just there at various other places too which I have gathered later.
All good fun :)
I have shared my life widely at hive :)
https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@azircon/bionic-oilman
Wow I did not know that is some hectic and serious stuff you have been through. I had to stop becoming a professional rugby referee due to my prolapsed disc. I went in for key hole surgery on my knee and came out of hospital bruised with a back injury. I was medically boarded from work plus my future career as a professional referee had now also been taken away. I was being fast tracked by England Rugby being one of 3 referees on their program. Life sucks and I feel for you having to deal with this and has the operation helped you?
Yes. I am fine now.
Well that is good news then.