Why did Irfan change his bowling action?

[bharat297]

I believe the reason Irfan Pathan has lost considerable pace is because with his current action he is holding the ball out in front and basically putting the ball at a length whereas if you compare it with his previous action (of 2004-2006) he was bringing his arm from nice and high up and getting good shape at pace. I think if he reverts to his original style, he could regain some of his pace back and be that real wicket taker that we need. Come on Venky ... don't let this guy simply become a fringe bowler. He was our best swing bowler 2 years ago.

[Kartikey]

Very True. Up until the West Indies Tour of 06, he was our premier fast pace bowler. He had a bad series there and got dropped. Then he had one good game in the Champions Trophy against England but lost his form again, I believe this was due to some psychological thing. And although he performed well after his return in the T20's, I dont believe he was as threatning as he used to be, he hardly had any swing, and he was bowling cutters which can stop runs but not get you many wickets. So i reckon he should go back to his old action or change it again because he is very talented.

[Fontaine]

I believe the reason Irfan Pathan has lost considerable pace is because with his current action he is holding the ball out in front and basically putting the ball at a length whereas if you compare it with his previous action (of 2004-2006) he was bringing his arm from nice and high up and getting good shape at pace. I think if he reverts to his original style, he could regain some of his pace back and be that real wicket taker that we need. Come on Venky ... don't let this guy simply become a fringe bowler. He was our best swing bowler 2 years ago.

Pathan had to change his bowling action because his delivery where he looped the ball from behind his head was too complicated and left little margin for error. Even at his best (when he took the hat trick against Pak) he was bowling around 80 mph with that looping delivery action so he wasn't an express pace bowler. Lillee simplified his action because it meant little could go wrong and it's a better action in theory. Swing comes from a good wrist position and placing the seam correctly, not the bowling action before delivery. Lastly, he's not a fringe bowler. In swinging conditions he's a number three bowling allrounder. What Pathan needs to do more than anything else is work on his accuracy. It's no good trying to swing the ball if you're bowling strays towards leg side, too wide or too full. At his pace he can't get away with those types of deliveries. I think it's a case of too much IPL/ODI cricket where he's trying too much. Bowling around/over the stumps, trying yorkers, bouncers etc. Get your rhythm right first and find the line and length for swing bowling. Then you can get fancy with all the extras and variation. He'll come good though, you can't judge him on his recent ODI performances on a flat batting track. Also changing your bowling action is no small feat. You can't just ask a bowler to change it because it takes years to get comfortable with it. You ask him to go back to his old action then he'll be out for at least a year trying to get used to it if he can't do it all. It's not like changing your underwear. I can't ever remember a bowler changing his action twice so I would say it's an impossibility.

[bharat297]

But I found with his old bowling action he was getting it to swing much later than he is now ... now the swing is quite early and gentle, bar that Perth test where he got some late swing aswell. Not much point having swing unless its late swing.

[Brainfade]

Pathan had to change his bowling action because his delivery where he looped the ball from behind his head was too complicated and left little margin for error. Even at his best (when he took the hat trick against Pak) he was bowling around 80 mph with that looping delivery action so he wasn't an express pace bowler. Lillee simplified his action because it meant little could go wrong and it's a better action in theory. Swing comes from a good wrist position and placing the seam correctly, not the bowling action before delivery. Lastly, he's not a fringe bowler. In swinging conditions he's a number three bowling allrounder. What Pathan needs to do more than anything else is work on his accuracy. It's no good trying to swing the ball if you're bowling strays towards leg side, too wide or too full. At his pace he can't get away with those types of deliveries. I think it's a case of too much IPL/ODI cricket where he's trying too much. Bowling around/over the stumps, trying yorkers, bouncers etc. Get your rhythm right first and find the line and length for swing bowling. Then you can get fancy with all the extras and variation. He'll come good though, you can't judge him on his recent ODI performances on a flat batting track. Also changing your bowling action is no small feat. You can't just ask a bowler to change it because it takes years to get comfortable with it. You ask him to go back to his old action then he'll be out for at least a year trying to get used to it if he can't do it all. It's not like changing your underwear. I can't ever remember a bowler changing his action twice so I would say it's an impossibility.

Just a quick thank you for your well-thought-out, rigorously analyzed posts. Keep posting.

[Brainfade]

I believe the reason Irfan Pathan has lost considerable pace is because with his current action he is holding the ball out in front and basically putting the ball at a length whereas if you compare it with his previous action (of 2004-2006) he was bringing his arm from nice and high up and getting good shape at pace. I think if he reverts to his original style, he could regain some of his pace back and be that real wicket taker that we need. Come on Venky ... don't let this guy simply become a fringe bowler. He was our best swing bowler 2 years ago.

Nice, well-reasoned post. For someone who like me who is not well-versed in the nuances of the game at that highest level, threads like this make ICF a great pleasure.

[Predator_05]

Pathan, good pace between 2004-2006 ? Seriously, which Pathan were you watching ? He was bowling at 125 kmph on average back then. The quickest i ever saw him was against Australia when they toured in '04. He got injured after that and when he came back, he was bowling at 125-130 and stayed in that range for 2 years until he was dropped from the team. If anything, his new action has made him FASTER. Remember how he bowled in Australia - clocking high 130's. In the Melbourne, Adelaide ODIs, he was bowling that range. I don't know what has happened now. It's true that he has lost his swing though.

[bharat297]

Well I remember him clocking low 140's in Perth in 2003/04. What was his pace at Perth this time round? Are you honestly telling me Pathan has not slowed down since then? In the Asia cup he was bowling at 110. His previous action allowed him to get late swing at about low 130s, whereas now, its simply swinging out of the hand at mid 120s, which means batsman have time to adjust when its short, or when its full they get forward and negate the swing. But his pace is not the main issue, its just that im not sure that his current action enables him to get late swing. Praveen Kumar is the same pace but swings it later, giving batsman less time to adjust. Ive seen them both in the nets side-by-side, Praveen's late swing makes him seem alot quicker.

[Predator_05]

Well I remember him clocking low 140's in Perth in 2003/04. What was his pace at Perth this time round? Are you honestly telling me Pathan has not slowed down since then? In the Asia cup he was bowling at 110.

He was bowling as low as 110 kmph in '05 and '06 too. You are going a bit too far back. In his first season, he definitely had some pace but injuries and poor coaching from Chappell ruined him. I didn't watch most of the Australian test series, but i did see a lot of him in the ODIs which followed and he was easily pushing 130. Same thing in the IPL. Right from the time he made his comeback in the T20 World Cup, he looked much quicker than he did in '05 and '06. He has slowed down only recently, and i don't know why. Maybe he is having some trouble with his fitness ?

[MalikBrother]

It always bother me that how did he pace all of the sudden? He became my favorite player even though he was only one to get Hattrick against Pakistan. But now, can't stand of his bowling anymore.