The death of Phillip Hughes and the dilemma of a fast bowler

Photo credit: PTI

To sad, too soon... accidents arrive unannounced

Phillip Hughes’ death undoubtedly rocked nations, borders and cultures.  The news produced a deep hurt among all cricket lovers, while it is extremely sad that such a promising player had been cut short in his prime.  Freakish though, as reports suggest that the hit “millimeters either side could have saved him with a mere concussion”.  The leather ball, weighing 160 grams, was travelling at 135 km speed when it left the bowler’s arm to strike “Hughes under the helmet behind the left ear”.  Some biomechanical experts say the impact is “similar to being hit by a bullet”.    

While it is sad day for the game for sure,  a section of the media and cricket fans, as expected, have kickstarted the debate if the “bouncers” (known as “bumpers” in the earlier days) should be banned.  There are cries for the bouncer to be outlawed, and on the face of it, the arguments are compelling.  But one of the reasons Hughes’ tragedy has hit home so hard is its rarity.  Bouncers are used  tactically to drive the batsman back on to his back foot if he has been freely playing his front foot shots.  To this end, they are more or less directed at the line of the batsman’s body, which is not illegal provided the ball bounces on the pitch. Aiming the batsman’s head without bouncing on the pitch is “beamer”, which is illegal.

Momentary reactions should be kept at bay

As former England captain Michael Vaughan recently said: “The bouncer is such an important part of the game.  It is a test of mental toughness.  It is designed to put the batsman off his game, upset his front foot movement and get his head in the wrong position, which is what batting is all about.  I hope that does not change”.  The essence of good batsmanship is the ability to stroke and defend, both off the front foot and the back foot.  Banning the bouncer would produce more kids and less cricketers.  A debate, nevertheless, would continue in the coming days, but it is ill-advised to make snap judgements. 

Any attempt to redefine “the bouncer” would be a major regression to the game, which is already pro-batsman (with fielding restrictions, power plays, limits on number of bouncers in an over, high quality bats ….) than it ever used to be. Again, forbidding bouncers would be ineffective, because occasionally a bowler would accidentally at least, break the rule.  Also, coming generations may not learn how to avoid being hit in the head or the rib cage …; where it would make injuries more likely, not less.  

Batsmen in the pre-helmet days relied on agility and a good eye.  All glory to those stalwarts like Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards, Gary Sobers, G.R. Vishwanath ……  Same delivery. Some defend.  Some hits six.  Some gets out.  Some injured.  In some sports, dire risk is a constant companion.  A single punch in Boxing at the wrong place can kill.  In F1, a miscalculation can decimate in seconds. 

Mark Boucher, Stuart Broad, Raman Lamba
Photo credit: India Today

Australian duo, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, and the Caribbean pacers of the seventies and the eighties were allowed to bowl all day with barely any one, not even the umpire, took any objection.  Viv Richards underwent psychiatric treatment after being at the receiving end of Lillee and Thomson in 1975-76, while Don Bradman said it was “a wonder more batsmen were not seriously injured”.

Aussies, Proteas ….take great pride in the bouncy nature of their wickets.  This  meant that a ball that normally would need to be pitched quite short anywhere else in the world to come up to the head height, can be pitched just short of a length on most Aussie/South African pitches.  Means the ball is going to gear up at an awkward angle in Oz.  It is time some parameters are in place regarding the hardness of the pitch.  It goes the other way in India with the ball hardly going over ankle height!

The game should go on

The simple fact is Hughes’ death was the culmination of numerous factors that cluster to create the perfect storm.  Replays suggest that Hughes head had turned away from the ball as he was still playing the hook.  Had he kept his eye on the ball, at worst, the ball would have hit him on the grill, rather than on neck.  According to Kevin Pieterson, “He (Hughes) did not have a classic batting technique, but he was able to score runs his own way”.  The game of cricket tests everything of a batsman, bouncer inclusive, only then the comprehensive ability is best ascertained.  The helmet manufacturer has reportedly said that Hughes was not wearing the latest version which is far more protective.

A fast bowler would probably say that banning bouncers is akin to banning cover-drives. It is part of the game. In cricket, fielders are also prone to serious risk. Raman Lamba, Mark Boucher, Saba Karim instantly comes to mind. What one would question though is the quality of the pitches, helmet designs, player’s behavioural pattern (like sledging, verbal intimidation….) Sledging that involves threats such as Michael Clarke advising an opponent that he is about to get a broken arm should be outlawed, as it sends a wrong message to youngsters that it is okay to break some one’s arm in the name of sport.

Photo credit: Telegraph

In the modern version of the game, the batsman reverse-sweeps, scoop-hits (Dil-scoop) – and can miss and get gravely injured.  The game is played across the length and breadth of the country in grounds and gullies, with inferior gears, poor pitches and no first-aid, and one can even without bouncers, get hurt. 

If cricket is  not prepared for the funeral of a 25-year old Australian batsman, who was in the process of returning to national duty, then the process of feeling “normal” about cricket will take longer time. To sum up, in the words of Australian pacer Stuart Clark, “as a fast bowler you’ve got to intimidate. That’s part of the game.  It’s been part of the game for a long period of time now and I hope it will  always be”.  

A tiger without ferocity, a cobra lacking venom, and a fast-bowler sans bouncer is not in line with established nature.    Improving the helmet design and better coaching on how to negotiate a raising delivery are a more logical response to the tragedy.  The cricketing fraternity, in the meantime, should wholeheartedly support the cause of restoring Sean Abbott’s normalcy,ensure his return to the run-up with the new ball, and delete the dilemma of a fast bowler.