Around the bend

His fascination with the man with the bulging eyes multiplied as success on the tennis-ball circuit led him to serious cricket,and eventually to the India under-19 team. Dreaming of replicating the success enjoyed by the Sri Lankan at the highest level,Parmar became a Murali duplicate.

But in the week when the Indian batsmen dug in deep at Motera to slow Murali’s menacing march towards 800 Test wickets,the 21-year-old was wondering if he would even get the chance to take 13 more wickets to reach his first career milestone — 100 first-class scalps. With his Ranji team in Hyderabad,he was on the bench as Gujarat played an away match. The young offie with a back-of-the-hand doosra is tightlipped,but those close to him say that Parmar has stopped believing that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Perpetually on the Indian board’s suspect list since representing the country at the 2006 junior World Cup,Parmar has gone through several corrective measures,and seen several highs before dealing with a new low this season.

Earlier this year,when the start of the new domestic season coincided with the BCCI cracking the whip on bowlers with suspect actions,Parmar’s world changed. Not just he,but several others with dodgy bowling actions on the domestic circuit found themselves staring at a possible dead end. Three beady-eyed men sitting at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore had watched videos of every junior and senior game played in the country in the last year,and had come up with alarming findings. A committee consisting of former Indian skipper S Venkataraghavan,umpire AV Jayaprakash,and paceman Javagal Srinath had issued cricket’s equivalent of the red-corner notice to 52 bowlers who umpires and match-referees had to keep an eye on.

On November 3,the day the Ranji season started,the BCCI sent a letter to all its affiliates informing them about the 10 bowlers who had been called for chucking during the domestic T20 tournament. Topping the list was Parmar. Expecting that those backing the bowler would come up with the Murali argument,pointing to the complexity of the permissible 15 degrees straightening of the arm before the release of the ball,there was an interesting line in the letter,a copy of which is with The Sunday Express. “Umpires and referees should not encourage any discussion with reference to the 15-degree criterion,or comparison with any international bowler who may have a peculiar action,” said the letter,marked to all its units and on-field officials. Zero tolerance across the board was the BCCI’s message.

Sudden move
Parmar’s visit to the NCA after being called during the T20 tournament didn’t attract too much attention,but all hell broke loose this month when a few long-serving domestic performers were called during Ranji Trophy matches. There was panic in the domestic circuit when bowlers with over a decade of first-class experience — Kulamani Parida (Railways),Rajesh Pawar (Baroda) and Sarandeep Singh (Himachal Pradesh) — were no-balled for bending their elbow joints too much. A virtual geometry box protractor was now constantly on the bowler’s arm as the on-field umpires couldn’t take any chances.

The Chief Administrative Officer of the BCCI,Professor Ratnakar Shetty,says that this scrutiny wasn’t an overnight development. It started a couple of years ago when the BCCI,worried about the standard of umpiring at the domestic level,decided to play Big Brother. It invested Rs 3 crore in purchasing cameras,laptops and software to record every domestic match and analyse the on-field officials.

“While watching the umpires,we noticed that there were several bowlers who were blatantly chucking. In the first year we drew a list and asked them to visit the NCA for corrective measures,but many didn’t heed the advice. This year,too,out of the 52 players only 32 came to Bangalore. That’s why we have intensified our efforts,” says Shetty.

But the team managements of domestic teams are not so sure about the BCCI’s intentions. Gujarat didn’t play their leading wicket-takers Parmar and paceman Amit Singh in the Ranji games after they were called during the T20 tournament,while Parida was dropped from the Railways team after he was pulled up in the first match of the season. Players have been called in the past,but the ambiguity over their punishment had meant the teams continued to take chances.

Such has been the impact of the all-new umpire activism that several bright performances with bat and ball have been overshadowed by the leg umpire extending his arm to signal a no-ball. Since they have the names of the dodgy bowlers on the suspect list,the men in black-and-white are dreaded by those in flannels more than ever this year.

Umpires under pressure?
Baroda coach Paras Mhambrey doesn’t agree with the new policy,saying there is too much pressure on the umpires to take harsh decisions. “The umpires,coaches and match referees know they are being watched. They can be penalised or even banned for a year if they fail to call a bowler. This has made them trigger-happy,” says Mhambrey,who was handicapped in the first Ranji game of the season when two of his bowlers,Rajesh Pawar and paceman Salim Veragi,were called.

He adds that while he appreciates the initiative by the BCCI,the state units need more clarity about certain issues. “We played Pawar and Veragi (two players on the suspect bowler list) during the T20 tournament but they weren’t called there. So we decided to play them in the Ranji Trophy,and suddenly both were no-balled for chucking.”

But Shetty counters the argument by saying that coaches need to be prepared and read through the detailed BCCI action plan given to the affiliated units. “We have advised the umpires to call only when they’re very sure. The coaches also need to show initiative. The BCCI has given high-tech software to watch replays to every state unit,and provides the DVD of each game to coaches. They should do their own scrutiny and advise players to change actions. There is a need for a collective effort,” he says.

“Yes,we have now decided to come down heavily on the umpires who don’t pull up a bowler with suspect actions,and for good reason. And why only umpires,even coaches wouldn’t be spared. We have recommended that the accreditation of a coach whose team has a repeat offender be revoked.”

Why now?
But the biggest question that surfaced when experienced bowlers such as Parida,Sarandeep and Powar were called was: Why now? The old boys on the domestic circuit have strong views on the issue. “There is no point in calling guys like Sarandeep and Parida,who have played for 10-15 years,” says Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer. “It is unfair to them. Where will they go at this stage of their career?”

Parida,in fact,said he would rather quit than go for remedial measures after more than a decade of first-class cricket.

The BCCI,however,has a ready answer. “A player may have escaped for 10 to 12 years because he bowled only one illegal ball in an over — and that was the one that got a wicket. It was near to impossible to spot it with the naked eye. But now that all the six deliveries are filmed and examined,the room to escape is minimal,” says Shetty,adding that those on the suspect list shouldn’t be seen as victims. “There are bowlers who have come and confessed to us that,at times,their coaches asked them to bend their elbows. This is unfair to the batsmen. We don’t want to tolerate that.”

Another big grudge that the coaches and players have is their inability to challenge a decision taken by the authorities. HP coach Rajdeep Kalsi,after closely watching Sarandeep’s action on the team’s laptop after the day’s play,says he found nothing wrong with the way his offie bowled. “We have to abide by the umpire’s judgment. There is no forum through which we can challenge his decision. We get to see the videos at the end of the day,and I believe the umpires should be asked to justify their decisions,” he complains.

Parmar’s shattered dream is certain to get him some sympathy. Perhaps when he first saw Murali bowling a doosra on television,there should have been a ticker at the bottom of the screen with the statutory warning: Don’t try this at home.

(with Bharat Sundaresan in Mumbai)

BCCI’s watchlist

Out of the 52 bowlers on suspect list,32 turned up at the NCA for action correction. After watching replays,experts have categorised them according to the degree at which a player’s arm bends while bowling

Between 0 to 15 degrees:Achyut Reddy (Baroda),Utkarsh Patel (Baroda),Debanth J (Tripura),Kundan Singh (Jharkhand),M Kumar Singh (Tripura),Mohnish Parmar (Gujarat),Sunil Raju (Karnataka),Swarupam Prygakastha (HP),Sarandeep Singh (HP),Syed Ali (Hyderabad),Amit Singh (Gujara),Salim Viragi (Baroda)

Between 15 to 20 degrees:Kartik Kathri (Gujarat),Mohammed Hasim (Vidarbha),Abhijith Dey (Tripura),Ganesh Kukade (Maharashtra),Kedar Deodhar (Baroda)

More than 20 degrees:Keyur Patel (Gujarat),Prasant Nathe (Maharashtra),Sadem A Das (Kerala),Sadanand Anish (Kerala),Amit Das (Bengal),Sameer Khajuria (J&K),Rakesh KJ (Kerala),Konwar A (Assam),Chetri B (Assam),Rajesh Powar (Baroda),Ritum Kundu (Bengal),Shakeer MA (Hyderabad),Fahadh AK (Kerala),Mani Shankar (Tripura),Samir Debbarma (Tripura)

Bowlers called during the domestic
Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament:Mohnish Parmar (Gujarat),Sagar Sawant (u-19,Maharashtra),Mohammad Noman (UPCA),Yogesh Nagar (Delhi),Ankur Jund (Punjab),Rohan Thapa (Baroda),Amit Singh (Gujarat),Sayed Zaki (Orissa),Vibhar Bisen (Vidarbha),Debabhakt Jamta (Tripura) and Arlen Konwar (Assam)

Bowlers called in Ranji Games:Rajesh Pawar (Baroda),Salim Veragi (Baroda),Sarandeep Singh (HP),Kulamani Parida (Railways) and Yogesh Nagar (Delhi)

Frequently asked questions
How does the BCCI prepare the list of bowlers with suspect actions?
The Indian cricket board has set up a committee comprising S Venkataraghavan,AV Jaiprakash and Javagal Srinath. After watching the videos of all the games during a season,the committee prepares a list of players who it thinks have suspect actions. The list is meant to be only a reference document for umpires,who aren’t supposed to form a bias on the basis of it.

Are the bowlers on the suspect list warned before being called by the field umpires?
During the pre-game meeting,the match referee conveys a warning to the captains in case they have any such bowlers in their teams. After that the field umpire doesn’t need to issue any further warnings and can call a bowler. For the bowlers who are not on the list,the umpire can call if there’s a case of blatant chucking. But if there are doubts,the umpire warns the captain first.

When can a bowler be stopped from bowling?
If a bowler has been called thrice,he is stopped from bowling in the game. However,he can play the next game.

What are the corrective measures?
The bowlers usually go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for action correction. However,it’s the prerogative of the player and the association. He can wait for the season to get over or go just after the game in which he is called.

When can a bowler be banned for life?
If a bowler continues to bowl with suspect action for two years even after corrective measures,he can be banned for life. But he can still play as a batsman.

Is it possible to spot with the naked eye whether the bend of arm is within the permissible15-degree limit?
In case the umpire has doubts,he can watch the replay of the action at the end of day’s play along with the coach and the match referee. He can then call the bowler the next time he bowls an illegal delivery.

Can the coach be held responsible if a bowler of his team is called?
There is a recommendation that the coach of a team that has repeat offenders can be pulled up. His coaching accreditation — level 1,2 or 3 — can be revoked.

Can the umpires also be banned for failing to spot a suspect action?
The umpires can be banned for a year for such a lapse. If the match referee doesn’t agree with the field umpire over a suspect bowling action,he can independently report it to the BCCI.

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