Squash it Mate !!

There has been so much talk about Adam Gilchrist using half a squash ball to improve his batting grip during the World Cup final. He played an innings of a life time – every kid that plays cricket dreams of it, a century in a World Cup final. He scored a magical 149 runs in 104 balls, that even as a Sri Lankan I could not stop myself applauding. He will remember that innings for the rest of his life, not because of the squash ball but because it came in a World Cup final. It is true that he was not in his best form prior to this innings but this isn’t the first time that he’s played an innings of such class. Another innings that comes to mind is a century he scored against the ICC World XI in 2005, which is the fastest ODI century on Australian soil to date. During that innings he scored 4 sixers and 8 fours, on his way to a 73 ball century. That bowling attack included the likes of Akthar, Pollock, Flintoff, Kallis, Muralitharan and Vettori. He did not have a squash ball with him during that innings.

Using extra padding is nothing new to batsmen and wicket keepers. A century ago, a South African, Baberton Halliwell used raw steaks inside his wicket keeping gloves, a method subsequently used by even Alan Knott and Rod Marsh. Batsmen have also been known to use extra padding - Nasser Hussain, who consistently had problems with being hit on his fingers is one of many to have used extra padding inside his gloves. Many batsman use more than one bat grip to increase the width of the bat handle. This is a practice that is very common. Does this give an unfair advantage to the batsman?

I am sure half a squash ball is not for extra padding or for protection but to argue that the innings he played was because of the squash ball is being naïve. It has already been said that this wasn’t the first time he tried this. In November 2006 when he experimented this tactic in a Pura Cup match, he scored 131 off 95 against Queensland. This I am sure is a fact that is currently being discussed by all glove manufacturers around the world and it would not be long before we see a new type of glove in the market.

Some argue that the laws of cricket do not permit the use of a squash ball inside a batsman’s glove, which is very correct. But also the laws do not say that a batsman cannot use extra padding.

All in all, Gilchrist deserves every bit of praise for that innings he played. After all, he holds the record for the highest number sixers in test cricket, a staggering 97 in his career. He has also scored 136 sixers in ODI’s. That should say something about the man’s ability. But this is my point of view – how about yours?