A great bouncer whizzing past the batsman’s ears, a Yorker crushing the batsman’s toes, a prodigious in-cutter & out-swinger bamboozling the batsman were a common sight during the Tests matches played in Dunedin, Wellington & Kanpur over the fortnight.
Indeed, I must confess that it is a great spectacle to witness fast bowlers steaming in to the wicket, rearing to go at batsmen. And that’s what transpired over the few weeks with the likes of Shane Bond, Sreesanth& Mohammad Asif winning matches for their respective teams with some hostile bowling.
It was a fine display of bowling from Asif, who was immaculate with his line & length. Bond was hitting the deck hard, constantly disconcerting the batsmen. As a result, both went on to pick 8 wickets each, a match-clinching haul. On the other side of the world in Kanpur Sreesanth managed to pick up 6 wickets for his side with his skill and perseverance.
All three bowlers had one thing in common: they were making a comeback into Test match cricket. Incidentally, this happens to be the toughest format of the game to make a comeback.However, Much to the delight of their fans,they defied all odds and went on to deliver match winning performances with the ball.
Unfortunately, the last two years had the three caught in the quagmire of controversy, which deprived them of key opportunities. Several times they have been reprimanded for their antics and dare I say this may be the last time.
Yes, looking back it was very unfortunate that these gifted bowlers were hounded by controversies which kept them away from their national side for nearly two years. Having said that, it was very pleasing to see these fast bowlers operate with good rhythm this time around. And yes, test match cricket needs the likes of Bond, Sreesanth & Asif to be at their best at all possible times, given the old adage: that bowlers win you test matches.
Perhaps Asif, Bond & Sreesanth would do well to keep away from the unwanted and just do what they are best known for, much to the delight of ardent believers in their bowling worldwide.
I agree... Those were some amazing comeback performances. Loved watching Bond fire into the Pakistani attack. Furious Pace. Sreeshanth was good too.. the last test didnt go good but had a solid comeback. He is surely in for the next series. His agression on field is fun to watch. Asif was top quality.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Gentlemen!
refreshing to see bowlers who can swing the ball both ways.. asif and bond were always among the top notch bowlers in world cricket.. sreesanth has the talent, only that he has to be more consistent with his line and length.. due credit must be given to all three though.. they bowled really well.. as an indian, i would be keen to watch how sreesanth progresses from here.. India can afford to have a bowling coach to help improve their bench strength of fast bowlers..
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