The ball tampering saga – not for the first or last time!

A young cricketer rubs some sand on the ball and the whole world goes berserk using words like SHAME, CHEAT and sundry to describe not just the player but his entire team and management.

In no sport, other than cricket, does a ball become of such paramount importance almost sacred in a sense that “touching it inappropriately 😉” can lead to punishment.

However, in the chaos created mostly by Australia haters apart from cricket lovers and media (who came up with Sandgate???), the core concept of justice may as well be forgotten one more time. As I write this, Steve Smith (Commander-in-chief -Sandgate), Cameron Bancroft (Executioner – Sandgate) and David Warner (Mastermind – Sandgate) have been banned for 9 months to one year. Smith and Warner have been stripped of Captaincy and Vice-Captaincy of Australia respectively and of the captaincy of the IPL franchisees and also banned from IPL altogether. Some have described this as a very harsh punishment and some have called for a life ban. All for rubbing a little sand on the ball.

Now, I might come across as an Australia (the trio in particular) sympathizer or cricket hater to you. But my last writing was on Rahul Dravid – the man with no blot ever. Hence proven, I am not a cricket hater. Now as far as basics of natural justice go, the idea is not just to punish those guilty of misconduct, but also understand the root cause that created it and address the same in some way.

WHY SHOULD A CRICKET TAMPER WITH THE BALL IN THE FIRST PLACE?? WHY? WHY?

I have played some cricket at club level and I remember very well discovering the joys of moving the ball the other way (we used to call it reverse swing but actually it would just seam the other way) during our young days. I and another friend were so good at “maintaining” the ball that even today, I can make an old ball which has seen out a 20 over match shine like a semi-new one in 5 minutes. I am saying this to just share that I know a thing or two about ball maintenance and reverse swing.

The only reason anyone would ever tamper the ball is to make the situation swing (pun unintended) in their favor. The core reason behind this is the long-standing imbalance between the bat and the ball which is not a recent phenomenon. I sometimes feel that the bat is a metaphorical man and the ball a female. Man can do what he wants but the woman is bound by all sorts of restrictions.

To counter this, cricketers have been picking the seam for ages in club and even first-class cricket across the world. The likes of Sarfaraz, Imran, and the two Ws discovered the art of reverse swing only to counter the imbalance and were at the initial stages accused by everyone of ball doctoring which later was accepted by everyone once an English bowler was able to do so.

Until the balance between the bat and the ball is restored, there will be many more SandGates and whatnotgates ruining careers not just of Australians. The cricket community and its ceremonial heads ICC and MCC better pull their sleeves up and go to work on this.

I have been thinking of how Bat and Ball are both equipment of equal importance in the game and yet governed so very differently. While the bat is left to the whims and fancies of bat makers and batsmen, the ball must adhere strict guidelines enforced by the ICC (off the field) and the umpires (on the field). On one hand, rules favor the batsmen almost always including the benefit of doubt, ever reducing boundaries, ever-evolving wood compression technology and ever stricter bowling laws (I can hit as high as I want – You can’t bowl high please). On the other, the bowler can do nothing except wait for the ball to come back from the stands so that he bowls one more to be sent there. Through this article, I want to propose some radical but necessary measures that can restore the balance. These measures may be looked upon as whimsical and outlandish today, but hey who in 1970, thought we could ever play with a white ball under lights in a pajama?

Situation: Personalisation of equipment

Rule for Bat: Each batsman can get the manufacturer to make a bat personalized for his height, grip, style and shot making as long as it remains within the general guidelines size.

Current rule for ball: All bowlers, irrespective of their height, hand size, bowling style, must bowl with the same ball that has been manufactured in accordance with strict size, weight, shine and shape parameters defined. No alteration allowed at all.

Proposed rule for ball: A leg spinner and a fast bowler may not always relish bowling with the same ball. Let every bowler go to the manufacturer and get a ball designed for his own style and palm grip as long as it adheres to general guidelines of size and weight. Let the bowlers decide if they want the ball shiny on one side or two or none as per their bowling preference.

Situation:  Change of equipment mid-game

Rule for Bat: M S Dhoni comes to bat in the 35^th over with a light-weight willow so that he can place the ball in the gaps and take quick runs. In the 45^th over, he calls the 12^th man with bats and chooses a heavy one so that he can clear the ropes with. What does the bowler do? Wait for the ball to come back from the stands or hope it gets lost so he can get another ball.

Current rule for ball: You get one ball. You get another chosen by the umpire (why???) after this one is lost in the crowd or breaks because of MSD’s heavy bat.

Proposed rule for ball: A bowler can choose to bowl with any ball from his kit, as long as it conforms to guidelines. James Anderson can begin with a ball that is shiny on one side and end with a new ball as it swings more in the evening. Ravi Ashwin can choose a ball which is scuffed up on both sides but has a proud seam and change it when he thinks that the seam is dying. I mean, why not?

So by and large I am suggesting that bowlers can have a kit of their own where they keep different kinds of balls that are personalized to their palms, have seam and shine according to their bowling styles and match situations as long as they all conform to general shape and size guidelines by ICC. Now they don’t need to apply Vaseline, Logenzes, Jelly or Zinc cream to the ball or even pick the seam to sand it when they want it to move or not move. As for the batsmen, so for the bowlers, let the choice be theirs as long as it is within the general rules.