Thursday, April 4, 2002 Controversy titillates and enlivens the human fabric. And cricket and controversy have seldom been apart. Ever since I was interviewed in the February issue of Wisden Asia Cricket, I have had numerous calls from cricket experts the world over, complimenting me on my stand on chucking.

Honestly, I can do without such backing. I am quite happy to be in a minority of one, holding up the virtues of the laws as well as the conventions and spirit of the game. With or without the support of Bob Woolmer and Michael Holding, my belief that the ICC and many of its affiliated units are turning a blind eye to chucking remains unflinching. My grudge is not against the evildoer, but the evil itself. There is no room for racial bias whatsoever, so let us not get distracted by vested interests.

"Cricket is my life. Anyone who harms cricket harms me." This was the feed I was brought up on in my formative years. The quote came from the greatest of them all, Sir Garfield Sobers. A young superstar then, Sir Garry felt utterly disenchanted after his first trip to Pakistan, back in the 50s. He was livid with the umpiring in Pakistan and even threatened to leave for home, so disgusted was he with the deliberate attempts to cut short his brilliance with the bat.

I have no claims to be a genius in Sir Garry's mould, but I do have enough of a conscience to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong without any fear of colour, caste or other prejudice.

And I'm proud to say that I've seldom compromised on my principles. I may have been a loser in the long run but I never had any regrets in giving freedom to my expression. Allow me to ask all fair-minded cricket experts, past and present, to put their hands on their hearts and give a clean chit to all the chuckers currently playing for their respective countries. This is not the first time this problem has cropped up, and it won't be the last either. History has recorded illegal bowling as early as 1780. It sprang up again in the 1950s and 60s. Ian Meckiff, Cuan McCarthy, Tony Lock and Geoff Griffin were all called at various times in their careers.

Ian Peebles was considered an authority on throwing. His book, Straight From The Shoulder, with an introduction by Sir Donald Bradman is quite an eye-opener. If only modern cricketers had some knowledge of the game's history. Between 1900 and 1967 there were as many as 58 instances in which bowlers with suspect actions were called for throwing. Before that, 10 first-class bowlers were called between 1822 and 1898: and this, remember, was a time when cricket was considered a simple, social outing.

But now, with so much commerce at stake and numerous scientific gadgets available, the ICC can ill-afford to not get serious about dealing with chucking. To my mind, there is only one infallible cure. Bowlers with suspect actions must not be allowed to bowl. In 1901 and 1902, 14 bowlers were ousted from county cricket by a consensus among county captains. In doing so, they were successful in putting an end to throwing for quite a while.

Such a move could be just as effective today. Unless, of course, we think that further degeneration in bowling is just a part of the game, and that the decline in general standards in cricket is worth ignoring.

Bishan Bedi took 266 wickets for India in 67 Tests between 1966 and 1979.

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