Chucking Resolved ??

The question marks are in place still because this is such a haunting issue that it is always prudent to be cautious. Many efforts have been made to resolve this issue - most well-intentioned, like the biomechanical tests which concluded that the 15 degrees rule should come into effect, Muttaiah Muralitharan's arm-in-cast experiment and such. But as long as the Bedis of this World have their right to speech and the Broads their right to - well, referee - a position which is a complete waste of time, the issue will never really die down.

But what matters most is not what these souls think - what matters is whether my independent thought process convinces me of the validity of the ICC ruling. To this end, I tried out what Matthew Engel in his editorial notes in the Wisden Cricketer's Almanac suggested:

"Sit in the bath and strectch your arm straight ahead of you. Then raise your forearm until the elbow is at right angles, as if flexing your biceps, Popeye-style. Then go back halfway between the positions: that's 45 degrees. Then reduce that angle by a further two-thirds: that's 15 degrees. Can you tell if your arm's straight or not ? Then imagine yourdelf wearing a long-sleeved shirt running in to bowl at full-pace, and tell me if someone can judge a 15-degree arm movement from square leg. ICC has got this one right."

I am convinced. Try it out for yourself.