Flintoff's vision of the future is just a rehash of the past
Just to help those deluded enough to think that like sexual intercourse and Philip Larkin's 1963, cricket only began with the inauguration of the IPL, and that all skills and thinking prior to that were Neanderthal, here is a brief and by no means
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Just to help those deluded enough to think that like sexual intercourse and Philip Larkin's 1963, cricket only began with the inauguration of the IPL, and that all skills and thinking prior to that were Neanderthal, here is a brief and by no means exclusive list of things that were around in the misty past, writes Mike Selvey in the Guardian.
1. Yorkers Have players not heard of Ray Lindwall, Charlie Griffiths, or the Big Bird, Joel Garner? Have a look at footage of the 1979 World Cup final and marvel. You do not just decide to bowl a yorker and do so: it needs to be felt, as readily as a natural length. The change of length amounts to a third of a pitch. A top bowler should be able to shut his eyes and find a length. The same should apply to yorkers.
2. Slower balls A one-day staple, with increased variety and invention. But bowlers have always used them. Mine was crap, I admit, like Steve Harmison's, but even that has its moments. Three decades ago I was bowled out by Eddie Barlow with something that simply disappeared, while no one has ever bowled a more destructive slower ball than the Barbadian all-rounder Franklyn Stephenson.
The argument that IPL and Twenty20 have taken one-day cricket to a new level and England players are in danger of missing out is a cunning but false one, writes Mike Atherton in the Times.
It is difficult to understand how the IPL is going to help England to turn around their one-day fortunes. On form, who would be a potential buy for franchise owners feeling the chill winds of recession? Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, for sure, and maybe men such as Ravi Bopara and Samit Patel. Agents may have sore knuckles from knocking on the door of franchise owners, but other clients have not exactly made a compelling case for inclusion this past month.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo