Dravid: Chucking is a fault, not a crime

Cricket365
September 13, 2014

Former India batsman Rahul Dravid says bowlers reported for chucking should get the benefit of the doubt, not be labelled as cheaters, because a breach of the flex rule is more than likely a technical fault.

Dravid said, referring to the recent spate of reported bowlers, with Kane Williamson, Saeed Ajmal and Sachithra Senanayake all banned, that bowlers weren't trying to cheat, and that they should bet help and then be brought back.

Dravid said at the annual Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture: "Personally I don't think we should see chucking as a crime as such. It is just a technical fault that people have. So if you have a technical fault in the action, you correct that and come back.

"When you overstep the line, nobody says you are cheating. You say, okay, come back behind the line. And here we are saying, come back within 15 degrees [of elbow flexion] and play the game."

Dravid went on to say that the ICC were right to keep an eye on players previously reported and cleared, saying they needed to be vigilant about it, especially with the invention of new deliveries.

He added: "I think the ICC has a rule in place. They reviewed a lot of the old footage and they found out that the elbow bent to about 15 degrees was pretty normal and that is what everyone was doing.

"Glenn McGrath had a slight bend in his elbow up to 15 degrees. I am not suggesting that Glenn McGrath was chucking. They have a system in place and what I am glad about is that they are really enforcing it strictly.

"They are reviewing people, they are getting people caught. I give them the benefit of the doubt. I always give the bowler the benefit of the doubt. Murali went through every test possible at that time so you have to give him the benefit of doubt.

"What the ICC is doing now is they are being vigilant. What they are saying is that if once you are cleared in 2009, you can't [not] be checked again.

"You have got to keep monitoring, watching it closely and they see bowlers developing new types of deliveries, then why not go into the lab and have it checked."