India’s Kumar knuckles down to beat the booming bats
The Kiwis have surprised with their impressive and flamboyant style of play throughout the opening fortnight of the Rugby League World Cup — and the players say it’s all down to coach David Kidwell.
Little more than a month ago, all hope seemed lost among a New Zealand public disillusioned with the 13-man game, after yet another disappointing Warriors NRL campaign and the Kiwis dramatic fall from grace over the previous 12 months. The Kiwis were being written off before the World Cup even kicked-off and Kidwell was the man in the firing line.
Two weeks into the tournament, however, and the belief is back within the Kiwis side after two dominant wins over Samoa and a lacklustre Scotland side, ahead of today’s showdown with Tonga in Hamilton.
“Kiddy’s done a terrific job in bringing this group together,” said halfback Shaun Johnson.
“After all the stuff that was published R Tuivasa-Sheck D W-Zelezniak Dean Whare Brad Takairangi Jordan Rapana Kodi Nikorima Shaun Johnson Martin Taupau Thomas Leuluai J W-Hargreaves Simon Mannering Joseph Tapine
Adam Blair (c)
William Hopoate Daniel Tupou Mahe Fonua Konrad Hurrell David Fusitua Tuimoala Lolohea M Hingano Andrew Fifita Sione Katoa
Sio Siua Taukeiaho Manu Ma'u
Sika Manu (c)
Jason Taumalolo leading into our campaign and some of the things that have been written about him as well as a coach, he’s done a great job in giving us the tools to connect and feel like we’re all equal.
“That’s been the most enjoyable thing about this camp. There’s no hierarchy and everyone’s on the same page and we’re all here for the same cause,” said Johnson.
“We have expectations of one another now and that’s something that probably got lost over the last couple of years so it’s really cool to have that feeling back.”
It’s a dramatic turnaround from this time last year, when the Kiwis were struggling through their failed Four Nations campaign in England, during Kidwell’s first assignment after replacing former coach Stephen Kearney.
One win from six starts was all he had to show when they returned home and the crisis deepened earlier this year when the Kiwis were towelled up by the Kangaroos in the The need for bowlers to be inventive to keep themselves afloat in the battle with the booming bats and short boundaries of the modern game has never been more important.
So step forward Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India’s skilled new-ball bowler who has given the game his knuckle ball.
It’s a version of the baseball pitch used by those who can’t muster the near 160km/h bullets of the fast ball hurlers in America’s Major League.
The pitch is said to have originated 100 years ago and one of its earliest practititioners was Chicago White Sox’s Eddie Cicotte — one of eight Anzac test in Canberra. The side fell into free-fall the next day when captain Jesse Bromwich and back-rower Kevin Proctor were caught using cocaine while out on the town in the players banned for life for his part in the infamous 1919 World Series fix — who gripped the ball with his knuckles, hence the name.
Another favoured method is holding the ball with the fingertips, to stop the ball spinning on its way to the batter. In Kumar’s case he has developed a way of stopping the ball from rotating en route to the batsmen.
The effect is the ball wobbling in the air, and providing an option on a routine slower ball.
Kumar said he’s worked on it as the ball doesn’t swing much in Indian conditions and with only two close catchers in the modern limited-overs innings he felt he had to try something different.
“It took me around 1½-2 months to just get the control right for the Australian capital. It all seemed to be going against Kidwell but things got worse for the 40-year-old two days before naming his World Cup squad, when star forward Jason Taumalolo
Kiddy’s done a terrific job in bringing this group together . . . he’s done a great job in giving us the tools to connect and feel like we’re all equal.
knuckleball,” Kumar has said. “I won’t say I have perfected the knuckleball. There is still room for improvement. I have used the ball in the Indian Premier League, and have also taken a few wickets with it. When you take wickets with a new variation, your confidence increases.”
Kumar dismissed New Zealand openers Colin Munro and Martin Guptill with quality deliveries which totally deceived the batsmen during the recent series.
In baseball, the wobble provides the difficulty in hitting the ball; in cricket it disguises the speed at which the ball is travelling.
New Zealand’s champion bowler Richard Hadlee is full of admiration for the skills of the modern fastmedium bowler. and three other players snubbed the Kiwis in favour of representing Tonga.
Questions over his coaching credentials and ability to effectively communicate to his players and the Kiwis fan base increased and the side’s chances of competing with heavyweights Australia — and the suddenly impressive-looking Tonga — were widely dismissed.
We all sniggered when he delivered corny lines such as “the Key is in the We” and rolled our eyes as he
Some of the shots they play are unbelievable so bowlers clearly have to counteract that.
Richard Hadlee
“There’s no doubt we’ve seen plenty of innovation from both batsman and bowlers, particularly with the advent of T20 cricket. It’s gone to another level,” said the former test world record holder with 431 wickets.
“Some of the shots they play are unbelievable so bowlers clearly have to counteract that, coming up with subtle variations. I had two slower balls but bowlers today have four or five variations and Kumar’s knuckle ball, that’s the first time I’ve seen it, and [he uses it] to good effect.”
Hadlee believes modern players are “far more skilful” than in his time of the 1970s and 1980s — which is not to say he believes they are better cricketers.
“But they have to be more skilful and be innovative to be selected to play in other forms of the game. The game has gone to a new level.”
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh’s use of a slower ball, bowled over the top of his hand, was a cracking delivery, and now widely attempted with varying degrees of success.
There have been no shortage of mystery spinners of whom West Indian Sunil Narine and Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis are two who have enjoyed plenty of success in recent seasons.
“We might see more people using the knuckle ball but it will require a hell of a lot of practice,” Hadlee said. “Some of the shots and some of the slower balls are high risk. If you don’t hit the mark, you go out of the park which makes the contest intriguing.”
But Hadlee reckons if players of his era attempted some of the modern shots and they didn’t come off “you’d be dropped”. Players who try variations these days are given more latitude.
“Players go out and play with more freedom. If you try something different and it doesn’t work, you’ll get another chance; if it does, you win the game. I think that gives players a bit more confidence.”