The Dying Art Of Fast Bowling

Sports Kaleidopedia Feature

It seems eons ago when the cricket teams used to have a battery of fast bowlers on whose shoulders the fate of a match rested upon. Gone are the days when there used to be an even competition between the bat and the ball, when the pitches had enough moisture to encourage the pacers to bowl their hearts out, when the edges and the miss timed strokes didn't clear the boundaries, when the pacers didn't hesitate to bend their backs and when the rules were not partial towards the batsmen.

Those were the good old days when a Jeff Thomson bouncer hit the top of the sight screen, when West Indian wicket keepers stood right next to ropes for the pacers, when Jeff Thomson's deliveries defied the speed limits and when batsmen courageously hooked and pulled without helmets. Many regard that period as the golden era of cricket.

The era saw sparkling batsmen whose skills bettered the quality of their bats, ferocious bowlers whose deliveries had more venom than their sledging, phenomenal all-rounders who were equally skilled with bat and ball, zealous wicket keepers whose agility overshadowed their chattering. Those were the days of the 'Gavaskars', the 'Greenidges', the 'Richards', the 'Boycotts', the 'Lloyds', the 'Sobers', the 'Holdings', the 'Garners', the 'Roberts', the 'Hadlees', the 'Marshalls', the 'Devs', the 'Khans', the 'Bothams', the 'Marshes', the 'Murrays', and the 'Dujons'.

Since then, the game has come a long way, growing further as a commercial sport and hasn't failed to produce great batsmen like Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting, Hayden, Dravid and others. It has even managed to produce world class spinners like Warne, Murali, Kumble and legendary medium pacers like Mcgrath, Akram, Pullock and others. But the breed of express bowlers that has been the game's greatest legacy is facing extinction.

Nowadays, one hardly sees a match (especially a test match) won by a genuine speedster, most of whom are forced to reduce their pace owing to the averse cricketing laws and career shortening injuries (due to lack of rest). Even the pitches are laid and maneuvered in such a manner that they offer no assistance to a pacer, even in the initial overs, deflating the very spirit and zeal which drives an express bowler, forcing him to run for cover.

The game's ruling body, the ICC is mostly responsible for the current disheartening scenario and the plight of the fast bowlers. It injected the game with commercially favorable rules which are extremely hostile to Fast Bowling like the restriction on short pitched bowling, stringent wide bowl and no bowl rules, powerplays, free hits, the over rate criteria, etc. Youngsters no longer dream of being a fast bowler, as they don't want to suffer the fate of an express bowler.

The Cricketing Boards are also least supportive of the rare breed of pacers, not taking the necessary measures to nurture the talent of those gifted with raw pace and instead inveigling them to cut down on their pace in order to prolong their careers (so that over rate and extras can be taken care of) thereby catering to the desires of ICC. It's time that shackles be broken and necessary steps be taken to revive the dying art of fast bowling, giving special attention to the existing breed (instead of cashiering them away), so that the game is not robbed of its greatest legacy.

- Murtaza Ali Khan

The ‘Ice man’ returns to Formula 1

The cat is finally out of the bag! The commonplace has made way for the sublime with the 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen signing a two year contract with Lotus Renault GP, putting to rest months of conjecture. The world of motorsports had been rife with speculations pertaining to Kimi’s F1 return with his name being linked to a number of different teams. Post Italian Grand Prix, there had been several occurrences alluding to his possible link up with Team Williams. There were spiced up talks of Williams trying to strike a deal with Kimi at Abu Dhabi during the penultimate race of the season, but nothing could be substantiated.

However, it is Lotus Renault GP which has finally succeeded in acquiring the services of the Finn. The news was made public by Lotus Renault GP’s team principal and FOTA’s vice chairman, Eric Boullier soon after season finale atBrazil. The inclusion of the flying Finn, who is widely renowned for his inexorable composure and equanimity as a driver, has taken the number of world champions competing in 2012 season to a record six, which already includes Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Raikkonen will drive alongside Vitaly Petrov for the 2012 season.

Post Schumacher, only one charismatic driver has managed to fill in his shoes by winning the world championship driving for Ferrari. Yes, that driver is none other than Kimi Raikkonen! It is indeed ironical that it was Schumacher who had stymied Raikkonen from winning his maiden world championship back in 2003. On his arrival in Formula 1 in 2001, Kimi was downplayed by many as Miki Hakkinen’s dummy, but he proved them wrong through sheer assiduity and managed to carve a niche for himself in the world of high octane and drama. Popularly known as the ‘Iceman’, the Finnish driver is as much notorious for his off-circuit mood swings as he is renowned for his driving exploits. But, when it comes to the on-circuit daredevilry, the Finn comes second to none.

Kimi’s F1 journey has been nothing short of a vivid dream. He entered Formula 1 as a regular driver for Sauber-Petronas in 2001 before joining McLaren Mercedes in 2002. His sublime show at McLaren quickly catapulted him to title contention. He finished second, losing the championship to Michael Schumacher a­­nd Fernando Alonso in the 2003 and 2005, respectively. He joined Ferrari in 2007 and ended up winning the driver’s championship, becoming the highest paid driver in motor sport with an estimated wage of $51 million per year. He left Formula 1 after the 2009 season to try out a career in rallying.

If one goes through the record books, one would find Kimi Raikkonen’s name associated with quite a few of them, especially the ones dealing with raw speed. But, this vivid picture also happens to have a darker side. Harsh questions have been raised over Kimi Raikkonen’s commitment and professionalism after his shocking move to quit F1 in 2009 in spite of being under a contact. His stubbornness and caprice have earned him the notorious tag of a temperamental driver. His critics refer to him as “all or nothing driver”.

Now that Raikkonen has finally decided to make a comeback to Formula 1, he will not only have to once again prove his mettle, but will also have to work extremely hard towards rebuilding his professional image. Raikkonen is reportedly swooned over by the ambitious roadmap laid down by Lotus Renault GP. The Lotus Renault GP team is going through a phase of reconstruction after Renault’s role got reduced to that of an engine provider after it sold its 25 percent stake to Lotus Cars back in December last year. The Lotus Renault GP team is equally excited to have a former world champion within their ranks and are hoping that Raikkonen’s entry would fit well in their plan of things.

However, the question that is lurking on everyone’s mind is whether these two colossi of the bygone era could actually strike some much needed chemistry to spark up their prospects in the 2012 season?

Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!

Please note the article was originally published at sportskeeda.com, the link for the same is:

http://www.sportskeeda.com/2011/12/03/the-ice-man-returns-to-formula-1/

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