Field Theory by Hadyn Green

Hey can somebody explain the chucking thing?

Normally, I'd have thought you bowl an illegal delivery, you get no-balled for it, end of story. Why is chucking considered so bad?

It's not as if he twatted a fielder with the bat.

Willem Dafoe may make the advertisement less aweful, but there's nothing he can do to change the product....

Ian O'Brien has done something no one else has been able to, he made interested in cricket.

I was listening to O'Brien getting the hell bounced out of him that day and thinking,wow, can't wait to read his blog about this.

You picked the wrong test match to get interested :)

IOB is being cross-posted to Cricinfo too, but he's still going on his blogspot account too. It's not clear what the 'approval' process is - apparantly the Black Caps' manager was reading his blogs before publiciation in Australia.

I think he's avoided the 'PR team' treatment so far.

I was listening to O'Brien getting the hell bounced out of him that day and thinking,wow, can't wait to read his blog about this.

It adds a whole new dimension, eh? I'd love to read more players' blogs. For Twitterers, Lance Armstrong is a definite follow.

Makes you wish Stephen Fleming had run a blog. Be interesting to hear about his captaincy decisions, probably something that a lot of young players could have learnt. Vettori would make an interesting read as well.

Bracewell's blog would also be interesting, but for different reasons.

Willem Dafoe may make the advertisement less aweful, but there's nothing he can do to change the product....

Case in point

Hey can somebody explain the chucking thing?

Normally, I'd have thought you bowl an illegal delivery, you get no-balled for it, end of story. Why is chucking considered so bad?

It's not as if he twatted a fielder with the bat.

Matthew Sinclair is, um, a bit fiery sometimes. I await the headline along the lines of 'Sinclair's dummy located in changing rooms'.

There is a big difference between an illegal delivery like a wide (it happens, but should be punished to make sure people don't start doing it on purpose), beamers (same, but so dangerous that you're only allowed to bowl one before being kicked off the park) and CHUCKING. If one chucks a ball, there is a very strong possibility that it was done on purpose - before this little incident I thought it was nigh on impossible to chuck one by accident, but I guess I was wrong! Hope Patel keeps working on the doosra though, would make him extremely handy.

The blog is really interesting. Pity the weather, and er, the New Zealand team haven't been quite up to it. Enjoyed Taylor's batting performance yesterday, despite it being a bit chilly.

I didn't really enjoy our bowling attack making average batsmen look good - think Haddin in Oz and McGrath that horrible horrible time a few years back. Full credit though.

Thanks Hadyn :)

I was worried I might have to find four horses for the quartering.

Drake was also a voice I found remarkably sensible from the Rugby commentary box. He actually made me understand scrums sometimes.

As for the cricket, kind of a pity they've had awful weather. The two sides are reasonably evenly matched which would have made for an interesting game.

Hey can somebody explain the chucking thing?

When you allow the elbow to straighten during the bowling action you can make the ball do things that are not possible otherwise.

The original problem was with fast bowlers who could use the throwing action (which is what you get when you start with a bent elbow and straighten it) to get more speed. About an extra 5-10 kph.

The more recent problem is with spin bowlers who get more spin by involving elbow movement in the delivery. A very famous Sri Lankan bowler has been identified on several occasions as straightening his arm too much during delivery, but each time he has gone to a "clinic" where he doesn't straighten his arm.

The ICC recently changed the rules to allow some movement of the elbow. Coincidentally about as much as the above Sri Lankan was moving his elbow.

In short there are rules that make the game what it is, eg bowling from 22 yards away as opposed to 20 yards or 15 yards. Some folks try to bend those rules to gain advantage. Some people call rule benders cheats. It all makes for good column inches.

Hey can somebody explain the chucking thing?

It's also sort of inline with my thesis that sports exists by codifying strange and often impractical things. I mean if there is a game that exists where you can't throw the ball in the direction that you want to go, or one where you have to move through the water in the most hilarious fashion possible, why shouldn't there be one where you have to deliver the ball with a straight arm. Next, someone who thinks that running is a bit naff, will decide to introduce competitive walking...

Personally, I'm looking forward to a ballsport where you are only allowed to move backwards. There's a whole unexplored niche.

At one point I pointed at the stumps and said, "Have a go at those." Edwards replied, "I'm having too much fun to worry about them." Ok, cool!

Now, that's what sledging should be all about. Not quite Oscar Wilde, but better than the everage questioning of parentage.

Somewhat juvenile, but my favorite passage from Ian O'Brien's blog is:

"Dan won the toss, again; just adding to his impressive tossing ability!"

Hey can somebody explain the chucking thing?

I read that article a few times and couldn't work out what the fuss was. People do get righteous about chucking.

I didn't know John Drake, I don't remember him as a player, in fact, I probably couldn't have picked him out of a line up. But I did know his voice

Actually, I feel kind of terrible about John Drake, who in our household was more routinely known as 'Cyclops' Drake for his very subtle form of provincial parochialism, at its most pronounced when Auckland was playing Wellington in, well anything. Now I feel bad because 49 is just too young.

nice thread. Thing I don't understand, (this series aside) just generally, seeing as our one day side has a bit of function and our test team is all out to lunch, why not have the one day series before the test series for a change, get the boys warmed up and get a bit of confidence in dem bones?

Pre-Xmas series normally has the tests first, the post Xmas series has them at the end.

That way NZC can schedule the ODIs back to back in the holiday season when everyone is suitably dumbed down.

For example, after Napier NZ has 15 ODIs and 4 T20 matches on the trot before another 2 match test “series” against India at Easter time.

Not sure that’s what we need.

BTW, biggest news from the just completed test was the way Vettori hung Gillespie out to dry in order to make a point.

Stunning pettiness