Moeen Ali was adamant. ‘All young English off-spinners should be taught to bowl the doosra,’ said one of the rising stars of the domestic game. ‘I’ve been working on mine with Saeed Ajmal and I’m ready to bowl it in a match.’
It is what came next in his wide-ranging interview with Sportsmail earlier this month that was most fascinating. ‘I’ve bowled it in front of a lot of people in the nets, including umpires, and 95 per cent of them think I can get away with it.’
When he said ‘get away with it’ I was pretty certain he meant 95 per cent of those people thought the delivery was legal but the terminology is indicative of attitudes towards what is, to English players at least, mystery spin.
Soon after Ajmal, the best practitioner of the art, had cut swathes through the Essex batting for Worcestershire this week, Michael Vaughan posted a picture on Twitter of him bowling with the caption: ‘You are allowed 15 degrees of flex in your delivery.’
Stuart Broad, one of the more straight-talking members of the England team, joined in the virtual conversation by tweeting: ‘This has to be a fake photo?’ And then added: ‘Bowlers can bowl very differently in a lab while being tested compared to needing wickets in the middle.’
Ajmal was not pleased and Pakistan have asked the ECB for clarification of Broad’s comments.
On Wednesday it was revealed that Broad will be reminded about his responsibilities on social media but will not be disciplined by England.
The more important point is whether England should embrace the ‘art’, as Moeen believes, or keep to our traditional view, seemingly endorsed by Vaughan and Broad, that there is something not quite right about unconventional spinners.
There is still a strong feeling within the game that the doosra, when the ball turns away from the right-hander with an off-spinner’s action, cannot be bowled legally.
It was Bob Willis, never afraid to start a debate, who questioned Ajmal’s action during the Test series in the United Arab Emirates two years ago when he destroyed the England batting. Many within the England camp agreed but it was too sensitive to comment publicly, particularly as it would have looked like sour grapes.
Sri Lanka, of course, are the kings of unorthodoxy and it was Muttiah Muralitharan who inspired the law change to allow 15 degrees of flexibility in a bowler’s elbow after he had been called for chucking by Australian umpires Darrell Hair and Ross Emerson.
Such was the backlash and acrimony then and with other mystery spinners that umpires will no longer call a bowler for throwing but are encouraged to report questionable actions.
There are a few who will always raise suspicion, not least another Sri Lankan bowler causing mayhem, Sachithra Senanayake, who bamboozled the England batting at Durham with four wickets gained with, shall we say, an unusual action. He, like Ajmal, has had his action cleared but that does not stop many raising their eyebrows when they watch him.
Graeme Swann proved that conventional off-spin can still be effective and England’s biggest problem is finding someone to replace him.
If it is to be Moeen, should Alastair Cook encourage him to bowl the doosra, or be suspicious that it could cause a whole heap of trouble?
It is a question that should be addressed before Moeen attempts it in a match. England really do have to be certain he can ‘get away with it’ before he tries it in a Test.
Final word
There is no more intriguing situation in English cricket that that of who will keep wicket in the first Test on June 12 should Matt Prior, as is looking increasingly likely, fail to prove his fitness.
Two weeks ago I advocated a recall for James Foster and support is growing for Essex’s master craftsman. This was new England selector Mick Newell on the subject this week: ‘The keeper situation is massive,’ he said.
‘There are two camps of keeper – there is the Kieswetter, Buttler, Bairstow group and there is the Foster, Read group, more of the old-school keeper. I watched Foster last week and he was terrific.
There will be an interesting debate there. If you have a batsman who bowls spin in your side, like Moeen Ali or Samit Patel, and an all-rounder like Ben Stokes or Chris Woakes, then your keeper could come in as low as eight.’
That last comment is the biggest clue to England’s thinking. They may well decide that the time is right again for Foster.
