Biomechanics and all that...

There's masses of information on cricket sites concerning the new science of sport , biomechanics.

Cricket has now a fair number of so-called experts in this area , especially working with bowlers.

Troy Cooley , the Australian bowling coach , working for England is probably the most well known. He's put tremendous effort into all the England seam attack and modified their actions.

To some it's been a godsend - Freddie Flintoff had serious back problems before working with Cooley. He now bowls faster , for longer and has no back problems whatsoever (fingers crossed!!). Steve Harmison was so wayward that he was the butt of so many jokes around the cricketing world. Again , Cooley and his efforts turned him into such an effective bowler that he reached #1 in the rankings.

All well and good , fine and dandy.....then there's Jimmy Anderson. Poor James burst onto the international scene in Australia in December 2002 in the ODI series there. New kid on the block , massive away swing and a bunch of wickets later and he's in the world cup squad!! Further success in that tournament , 4 wickets against Pakistan in an England win at Newlands and he's the country's saviour !!!

Then Cooley got a hold of him , modified his action because all the data said his back was under terrific strain.....and he lost his swing , his rhythm ....everything. Very sad and we're waiting to see if he'll ever be back and exciting us like he did in that period.

Was Cooley wrong to interfere , will Anderson and anyone else you can think of who's suffered the same fate , come good again?

I think Cooley's been good generally , but Anderson has suffered because he changed his action drastically. Do we want bowlers that look like clones of one another - I most certainly don't.

There's room in cricket for the eccentrics as well as the classical cricketers - let's not over-technologicalize (I made that great word up!!!) sport , especially cricket.

Edited by Sledger

Pete i think we dont need to ahh (over-technologicalize)bowlers,as we will just end up with machines.
I tell you what m8 i was astounded to hear Merv hughes lately.He was told recently by a bowling coach that if he had been bowling now,and trying to get imnto the aussie team he would not have got to state level?why?because his action is poor and was not technically correct.
I would ask how shaun Tate can bowl as he does huh?
Just on Mervyn Hughes,i was listening to him on inside cricket,this week,on TV,its an hour show we have here in Aus.
He was on with Geoff Lawson and Brendan Jullian,as well as alan border,he told a funny story .
He said for years he and dean jones would go near Alan Border and a couple of selectors and sit near them during test matches,have a few beers and then start with quotes like,gee this selection job capper must be hard work guys.
You get paid to pick teams that never change unles injured,never lose,and the side nearly captains and picks itself with so much experience.Border and co would just ignore them.
Then next test same thing,Jones and hughes every time they were near them or at the team rooms or bar would start up with,Gee what an easy way to get a couple of hundred grand,a monkey could pick that team and it would still win.
Border just kept coping it on the chin,and said it wasnt as easy as he thinks. This went on for about 3 years until AB finally steped aside as a selector.and was replaced by>>>>>>
You guessed it,one mervn Hughes,Who was all nerves as he set about helping to pick his first team. He seaked out border for some tips.
Border told him to go in and tell the other selectors who he thought should and shouldnt be in the team,and stick by it.

Merv done as told and pushed for some new blood into his first ODI,got his way.
During the match he could hear alan border and dean Jones now with there tour groups in the stands behind Mervyn,screamming out things like,Who picked this bloke and that bloke,they should sack these bloody selectors.
His first game as selector was against Bangladesh in the ODI in England,and aussies lost,merv said he could only here AB and DJ screaaming with laughter and cheering every wicket that fell as australia collapsed to hand banga a good win,he says he will never ever say its an easy job again,

Of course he tells it funnier than i do,but AB even backed up that it was the first and only time he has gone for the oposistion V Aust,and he said merv was very quiet as the crowd all called for the selectors bllodhahaha,murphys law huh????????????????????