Indian Protests At Bumpers

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29778, 22 March 1962, Page 5

Indian Protests At Bumpers

( N.Z.P .A.-Reuter—Copyright) MADRAS, March 20. The president of the Indian Cricket Board of Control (Mr M. A. Chidambaram) said today the future of cricket was bleak if accidents took place periodically because fast bowlers insisted on bowling bumpers, Reuter reported.

“Let us not confuse orthodox fast bowling with bouncers and beaners,” he said. ‘"The latter are unethical in execution. “A fast bowler is an asset to any team and fast bowling should be encouraged, but bouncers and ' beaners which are likely to cause serious personal injury should be discouraged . . .

we play test cricket not only to match our skill, but also as great fun. “I sincerely hope the next Imperial Cricket Conference will bestow serious thought to bump bowling and do something to keep the game alive,” he said. In London, the “Evening News” reported that the injury of India’s captain, N. J. Contractor, who was struck on toe head by a ball from the West Indian fast bowler, C. Griffith, had brought a powerful editorial from toe “Times of India.” Under toe heading “Not Cricket,” it said: ‘The West Indies will perhaps realise that what passed for bowling in Bridgetown has hurt the game of cricket no less seriously than it injured skipper Nari Contractor, » “In a very real sense the injury was not an accident. Rather, it was almost the inevitable result of Griffith’s vicious throwing, which in the West Indies strangely enough passes for bowling.” The “Times of India” criticised Barbados for fielding three fast bowlers “whose action will certainty not pass in England and perhaps Australia.” White and Rock, the other fast bowlers, tended to throw the ball, the newspaper said, “but not quite so blatantly as Griffith.” The Associated Press re-

ported from Madras that the nationally circulated “Hindu,” calling West Indian pace bowling "unfair tactics,” today demanded an immediate ban on “bumpers" In an editorial, the paper urged the Indian Cricket Board of Control to “give urgent thought to this.” The paper said the Indian team would be “fully justified in protesting against this kind of intimidatory bowling to which th,ey are being subjected.”