I read today an interesting article about the gathering of the great fast bowlers and how the art is dying because of the wickets that are being made batsman friendly.
I was a fast bowler, and for those people who suffered injuries at my hand they will testify to how fast I was. I still remember one match when I was playing against York in the Yorkshire league, before helmets had really become widespread, Barry Wood tossed me the ball and said go on see if you can do some damage. It was an interesting turn of phrase because the opening batsmen got the first ball under the chin and the second uprooted his middle stump with a yorker. Number 3 came in all cockily and told me I had been lucky so you guessed it, chin ball, to which his response was, after he picked himself off the floor, can I get a helmet out here please. He didn't last very long either. Mind you I had just come off the back of 7-32 and 7-19 in my previous Varsity game so I was kind of on a roll.
That said I think here lies the problem. It's not the pitches as such it's the fact that batsmen look like medieval knights now. Protection has advanced so much that it is really difficult to intimidate top batsmen like you could do in the olden days. Sure the even bounce has made life easier the days of Sabina Park wickets are probably done and dusted but great fast bowlers have always found a way on batting tracks. That is what made them great.
I remember a great batsman called Sir Vivian Richards once saying that he didn't need a helmet because he had a bat. And maybe that's what we need to do ban helmets for batsmen. Bugger the health and safety and the political correctness. Keep them for children like rugby players and boxers have done but once you step out as a professional then ban them.
Then to quote Kipling .......Then you will be a man my son!
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