Spinning mystery

www.trinidadexpress.com/20161030/sports/spinning-mystery


West Indies cricket continues to treat the specialist spinner with scant regard.

Yesterday’s bewildering utili­sation of Devendra Bishoo on the opening day of the final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah was typical. True, the leg-spinner made the final session of the day his own with four wickets, complementing the increasingly impressive fast bowler Shannon Gabriel to leave the hosts uncomfortably placed at 255 for eight at stumps.

Up to the tea interval, though, with Pakistan reasonably poised at 148 for three and opening batsman Sami Aslam well entrenched alongside captain Misbah ul Haq, Bishoo had only been allowed four of the 54 overs bowled. As has become the norm since his debut against India in Antigua last July, Roston Chase’s still developing off-spin was first out of the blocks before lunch. And based on what has transpired over the past 12 months, it was half expected that Kraigg Brathwaite’s part-time stuff would get a tryout before the frontline slow bowler.

Yet there was Bishoo at the end of the day, dominating proceedings to the extent that it delayed the taking of the second new ball, and with Gabriel removing the dangerous wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed to added to the dismissals of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq in the first over of the match, West Indies were able to reflect on their best day in the field on what has so far been a wretched campaign in the Arabian desert.

But this sort of treatment has been nothing new for the incumbent or any of the other previous wearers of the “specialist spinner” tag going back four decades. Almost without exception, it’s as if they are only useful to give the faster bowlers a rest and block up an end with no real expectation of success. If for some unexplained reason a wicket or two fall, well then they are the toast of the town... at least until the next innings when the indifferent attitude returns.

This has been the trend and initially I thought the element of surprise is what the skipper was after but time and time again it seems if Bishoo's workload is far too high, he is somehow not given that respect of the premier spinner.

It is a West Indian trend actually and the career of one of the best spinners Dinanath Ramnarine was cut short for whatever reason. The psyche of reverence to the fast bowler may still exist.

This may be quite wrong but it appear the selectors and Captain do everything to make certain players fail.

I have always maintained Bishoo is a match winner and shows signs of batting aptitude which he needs to work on.

Bishoo now needs to develop more variations including a good googley.

Chase is considered the lead spinner as an offie.

Leggies are the "go to" guy !

From a bowling Coach perspective :

Offies are considered more reliable and runs controlled ; than Leggies.

TD, they should be bowled in Tandem ?  :-\

Still, leg spin is always more threatening, especially to right handers. Leg spinners might leak more runs - especially as Bishoo still struggles with line/length - but the wicket possibilities are worth the risk.

Leg spinners are more threatening but the fact is, statistically, there are more off spinners than leggies so Offies may seem to dominate.

There is an image issue with spinner in the west indies full stop.

Leggie becomes an Offie : to a Left handed Batsman  !  :

You are correct and that is not in dispute.

The issue was more about offies given priority and statistically there are more orthodox offies.

IF a Squad is loaded with LHBs, the Leggie is really an Offie.

One would have to examine a Leggie's capture of LHB wickets.

to substantiate your claim.

Opener Sami Aslam captured by Bishoo on 74 in the 1st innings is a LHB

so is Mohamed Nawaz wicket he copped, stumped !

Misbah and Wahab c behind and lbw: were the other 2 RHB

2 Lefties, 2 Righties for Bishoo's  Leg Spin