Prenelan Subrayen might well move on from his inauspicious ODI debut to play many more games for South Africa but the reality is that he will always have an added spotlight on him given the stigma attached to illegal bowling actions – and being reported for a potentially suspect action at the age of 31.
When I described the situation as ‘abhorrent’ in my last column, some readers assumed I was unaware of his record which includes three previous ‘reports’, or ‘citings’. Of course I was aware – but that simply makes his predicament on international debut even more unacceptable. How, and why, could it come to that? A dozen years after his first-class debut?
Vinnie Barnes is one of the best bowlers South Africa never had. As skilful a swing and seam bowler as any the country has produced, he finished his (retrospectively) first-class career with 323 wickets at a jaw-dropping average of 11.95, most claimed in the Howa Bowl before a handful of games for Western Province in the Currie Cup after unification.
He was assistant coach to the national team for almost ten years, first under Mickey Arthur, before moving on to High Performance and Academy duties. Later, his bowling knowledge led to him becoming the country’s ‘go-to’ man whenever there were questions raised about suspect actions. So, obviously, he was the man to ask about Subrayen.
“I did some remedial work with Prenelan in 2016 after he’d had a couple of previous issues in the four years before that, but after 2016 there was no mention of his action again. It had been scrutinised and was found to be legal – so no word about it for eight or nine years,” Barnes said, agreeing that it was ‘very unfortunate’ that the next ‘word’ should arrive on his ODI debut.
“It’s always a good idea to stay in touch with independent opinions if you’ve had trouble (with your action) in the past, but it’s not practical or even necessary to undergo full, biomechanic testing. It is extremely time-consuming and very expensive. All you should need to do is stay in touch with people who know and understand, just ‘check-in’ occasionally.
“Prenelan bowled a quicker ball at around 100kph a couple of overs after Lungi Ngidi bowled a slower ball at 112kph so there’s going to be questions asked, especially with an action that is already unusual,” Barnes said. “I understand that. But it would be nice if the body of evidence was available to those who reported him.”
So why did the umpires report him? “I can’t be certain but it most likely came from the opposition players, and/or their management. That was the case when Johan Botha was reported in 2014. The players led that process. In some ways it’s understandable – the batter who’s facing the bowler has the closest instinct, better than the umpires – one who can’t see the bowler and the other at square leg.”
Botha, you may recall, was cleared to bowl all of his deliveries apart from his ‘doosra’.
Barnes is far too polite to say it, but professional, international umpires are increasingly inclined to wind their necks in, keep a low profile and protect their lucrative and often short-lived careers. But if players and management push their case, the umpires will follow procedure.
It is worth reminding readers – and viewers – that bowling with a slightly bent arm, however incriminating the images may seem, is not illegal. The problem is how much it straightens before the point of delivery.
Aaron Phangiso is another spinner who has worked with Barnes. The now 41-year-old was on the verge of his international debut when he was reported for a suspect action and had to make certain it was cleared before he took the field for the Proteas. As is often the case, it was his quicker ball which caused the problem.
“I recently worked with a young spinner in the Proteas Women’s squad who was told that her success at domestic level wouldn’t be the same at international level unless she could bowl faster and that’s where the problems started. There was nothing wrong with her action but, biomechanically, she wasn’t built to bowl 10 kph faster,” Barnes said. “As with most bowlers, her head fell away, the shoulder opens up and the arm bends,” Barnes said.
99% of bowlers with suspect actions have no knowledge, let alone intention of gaining an unfair advantage. The overwhelming majority simply love cricket and are doing their best to be good at it. They deserve encouragement and support, not stigma and victimisation. If a bowler repeatedly throws and is unable to remedy, introduce them to baseball or rounders. With a smile and an arm around their shoulder, not a cold one.