I read this story in The Guardian with interest, because many of the techniques used for doctoring the ball are the same, in principle and practice, as those used in baseball, just as the sports share a lot of gameplay.
{ 2007 04 13 }
The Cheater’s Guide to Baseball Blog
Baseball, Cheating, and Rules discussion at the author’s blog for the Cheater’s Guide to Baseball
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theberle | 15-Apr-07 at 10:46 am | Permalink
I’ve been talking with a friend of mine who is a big cricket fan and not much of a baseball fan. I think what he told me is that in cricket, they only use one ball throughout the match (or per team, or per over/inning, I’m not sure which). Thus, each team’s lineup relies on “fastball” hitters at the top of the lineup, and guys who can hit the googly at the bottom of the lineup, since the ball gets rougher (and I think they only go through the lineup once per “over”).
I could have this all wrong, but since you brought it up, I thought I’d mention it.
See you in Portland on April 26th.
John Beamer | 16-Apr-07 at 2:17 pm | Permalink
If you have any interest whatsoever I am going to give a short primer on Cricket next week at the Hardball Times.
I really enjoy the sport, but it takes time to get into and appreciate. Superficially it looks dull
Edward | 24-Apr-07 at 10:59 am | Permalink
In cricket, they do occassionally bring out a new ball, but very rarely. One other thing to mention is ’scuffing’ or ‘polishing’. The bowlers keep one half of the pall polished clean (by rubbing it on their trousers’, and leave the other half dirty. This has a major effect on the ’swing’ (curve) of the bowl.