Botha banned for chucking

[stan]

The "ICC" has suspended South African off spinner Johan Botha for bowling with an illegal action.

The ban takes effect immediately and has been handed down after independent analysis found that Botha was bowling with an illegal action during South Africa's third Test with Australia last month.

The ban will apply until Botha can show he has remedied his action.

"The independent report has identified excessive levels of straightening in both his off-break and doosra deliveries," "ICC" General Manager David Richardson said.

"It is now up to Johan to remedy the concerns that have been identified ahead of a reassessment which will be necessary if he is to return to international cricket."

"Johan is a young player and there is nothing to stop him making a successful return to international cricket with a remodelled action."

It is the first time that Botha has been reported under the regulations for the review of bowlers with suspected illegal actions.

[rod_rooster]

Absolute joke. Not saying he doesn't have an illegal action but if Murali isn't banned, no-one should be.

[stan]

The report about Murilies action said that when testing his bowling action with all type of deliveries at most he would only bend his arm 14.6 degrees when the limit is 15. and the least amount was 12.9 degress. Even know thats close to the limit, its still within the rules

[Booney]

How come,how fargen come,are you allowed to bend your arm anyway.Now,it may be physically impossible to bowl with a dead straight arm,but years back,a dodgy action forced people,who wanted to continue playing cricket,to learn how to bat better, and play the game as a batsman.Not get given a few months to "adjust" your action.Load of shit if you ask me.

[stan]

How come,how fargen come,are you allowed to bend your arm anyway.Now,it may be physically impossible to bowl with a dead straight arm,but years back,a dodgy action forced people,who wanted to continue playing cricket,to learn how to bat better, and play the game as a batsman.Not get given a few months to "adjust" your action.Load of shit if you ask me.

Well he has been banned by the "ICC" until he can prive to them that his action complies with the law. So its not like he is still bowling, it will probably take him a while as in my opinion the ability to bowl the doosra comes from the bending in the arm.

[blink]

I remember reading in the Advertiser, only recently, that Dan Cullen had his action tested last year, purely out of curiosity at the same place that they tested Murali in WA. His arm had 0 degrees bend when bowling all his stock deliveries and only 2 degrees bend when bowling his doorsa.

Surely Murali, Botha, Harbijhan & Co. can adjust their actions to bowl the doorsa within the rules... If Cullen can bowl it like that, then so should they.

Also, if Cullen only has 2 degrees for his doorsa, that makes the rule of 15 degrees seem severely over-stated and bent, so to speak, to accomodate Murali.

[stan]

I remember reading in the Advertiser, only recently, that Dan Cullen had his action tested last year, purely out of curiosity at the same place that they tested Murali in WA. His arm had 0 degrees bend when bowling all his stock deliveries and only 2 degrees bend when bowling his doorsa.

Surely Murali, Botha, Harbijhan & Co. can adjust their actions to bowl the doorsa within the rules... If Cullen can bowl it like that, then so should they.

Also, if Cullen only has 2 degrees for his doorsa, that makes the rule of 15 degrees seem severely over-stated and bent, so to speak, to accomodate Murali.

Pretty much on the ball there with murili. Im still of the opinion that the bend in the arm is what is giving them the ability to bowl the dosra so well. You'll notice that Cullens dosra does not turn as much the other way. Raises a very good question doesnt it?

[ORDoubleBlues]

Well if he get's banned (now adopting Ian Turpie's voice)....Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbajan Singh - COME ON DOWN!!!!!!!
Know Murali's been tested but it's a shame they can't hook these wires up to him during match conditions. Both bowler's Doosras in particular are extremely dicey and can anyone think of any other off spinner in history (Saqlain Mushtaq perhaps? and he wasn't much better IMO) who has been able to get the ball to go the other way?
I'm a big fan of Botha's potential as a batsman and I hope he gets extra help with this and is kept around the South African setup for this part of his game to flourish.

[stan]

Thats a very good point there ORDB. When your being tested it is easy to change your style a bit. I still think that his action when he bowls the doosra is suspect. Even though in tested conditions he has only gone 14.6 degrees, but remember this is not in match conditions, so i really would have to question the credability of these tests.

[stan]

Here is another article about the same topic but from baggygreen.com


Johan Botha banned by ICC

Cricinfo staff

February 7, 2006


The "ICC" has announced that Johan Botha, the South African offspinner, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket. The decision follows his action being cited during the third Test against Australia at Sydney last month.

Dave Richardson, the "ICC's" general manager - cricket, said that the ban will apply until Botha can be shown to have remedied his action. "The independent report has identified excessive levels of straightening in both his off-break and doosra deliveries," Richardson explained. "It's now up to Johan to remedy the concerns that have been identified ahead of a reassessment which will be necessary if he is to return to international cricket. Johan is a young player and there's nothing to stop him making a successful return to international cricket with a remodelled action."

Botha, who underwent independent testing by a team led by Professor Bruce Elliott at the University of Western Australia on February 1, had not been reported before. He now has to submit to fresh independent analysis to establish that he has remedied his action. The timing of any reassessment is at the discretion of the United Cricket Board of South Africa and the player.

Botha has 14 days to appeal. But if he returns to international cricket and is again ruled to have been bowling with an illegal action with 24 months of his return then he faces an automatic one-year ban.

Botha is the fifth player to have undergone an independent review of his action since a new process for the review of suspected illegal actions was introduced in March 2005. The other players are Harbhajan Singh, Shabbir Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Jermaine Lawson.

[ORDoubleBlues]

Thats a very good point there ORDB. When your being tested it is easy to change your style a bit. I still think that his action when he bowls the doosra is suspect. Even though in tested conditions he has only gone 14.6 degrees, but remember this is not in match conditions, so i really would have to question the credability of these tests.

As I'm sure yourself and others are aware Stan, let's not forget that the bend in the arm was relaxed from 10 degrees to 15 degrees a couple of years ago as well. Why, I'm not sure but it allows some to be okay that wouldn't be under the 10 degree limit.
Does anyone remember about 12 years ago when former New Zealand batsman Ken Rutherford was fined 75% of his match fee for picking up the ball while he was batting, bowling the ball back to Muralitharan and saying "that's how you bowl"? Really the issue should have been adressed there and then but it never was and Darrell Hair and even more so Ross Emerson had their credibility tarnished for doing what most other umpires wanted to do but didn't because they knew it could cost them their career.

[doggies4eva]

How come,how fargen come,are you allowed to bend your arm anyway.Now,it may be physically impossible to bowl with a dead straight arm,but years back,a dodgy action forced people,who wanted to continue playing cricket,to learn how to bat better, and play the game as a batsman.Not get given a few months to "adjust" your action.Load of shit if you ask me.

You would have all batsmen and no bowlers - would make the game difficult to play! All this is a bit rich considering Aust once won a ODE by bowling underarm

[GWW]

How come,how fargen come,are you allowed to bend your arm anyway.Now,it may be physically impossible to bowl with a dead straight arm,but years back,a dodgy action forced people,who wanted to continue playing cricket,to learn how to bat better, and play the game as a batsman.Not get given a few months to "adjust" your action.Load of shit if you ask me.

You would have all batsmen and no bowlers - would make the game difficult to play! All this is a bit rich considering Aust once won a ODE by bowling underarm

At least Australia never stooped to the poms level of "bodyline" bowling!!

[Booney]

How come,how fargen come,are you allowed to bend your arm anyway.Now,it may be physically impossible to bowl with a dead straight arm,but years back,a dodgy action forced people,who wanted to continue playing cricket,to learn how to bat better, and play the game as a batsman.Not get given a few months to "adjust" your action.Load of shit if you ask me.

You would have all batsmen and no bowlers - would make the game difficult to play! All this is a bit rich considering Aust once won a ODE by bowling underarm

At least Australia never stooped to the poms level of "bodyline" bowling!!

So,the point is Dg-4-eva,if you cant bowl within the rules,(the degrees of bend allowed changed recenly) you shouldnt be playing test match cricket.ie:Trevor Chappell

[ORDoubleBlues]

One delivery at the end of a match is a bit different to tens of thousands of deliveries throughout a career and as far as the excuse that Murali's a good bloke - to quote Dennis Lillee "well, so was Ian Meckiff"

[Rik E Boy]

I've been banned from a few places for chucking a few times myself...

regards,

REB

[Booney]

I've been banned from a few places for chucking a few times myself...

regards,

REB

Royal (Torrensville),Hilton (Hilton)............LMFAO

[ORDoubleBlues]

Interesting that KG has just mentioned on the radio about the action of NSW player Aaron Bird possibly being suspect (No Rik, it has nothing to do with Sunday on my behalf as NSW deserved to win, it was only Tait that kept us in it). Knowing that this is what held Bird back from playing first class cricket for so long in the first place, has the problem been fixed?

[Blue Boy]

A bowling action is hard to change - I had problems with it when young and had to do a lot of work to fix it and then I thought stuff it so I became a keeper.

[stan]

Interesting that KG has just mentioned on the radio about the action of NSW player Aaron Bird possibly being suspect (No Rik, it has nothing to do with Sunday on my behalf as NSW deserved to win, it was only Tait that kept us in it). Knowing that this is what held Bird back from playing first class cricket for so long in the first place, has the problem been fixed?

Im not saying he chucks it at all but im glad someone said something. I was kind of looking at his action and it seemed a bit strange that something wasnt quite right there. But hes young so if there is any problems he should be able to sort them out pretty easily.