“Cricket lovely cricket, it is Lords’ where I saw it” is a line from a popular calypso by Lord.
Beginner many decades ago.
But it is not lovely when the vexed issue of chucking or “pelting” by bowlers is brought into focus.
Former New Zealand player and television analyst Simon Doull raised a hornet’s recently with his claim that serial offender Sunil Narine is back to chucking his off-spinners in the current Indian Premier League (IPL).
In a match-winning performance, Narine produced a miserly four-over spell, conceding a mere 19 runs to go with one wicket to spur the Kolkata Night Riders (KKR) to its narrow four-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, to bowl-off the former team’s 2024 campaign.