"Delivering. Like a postman delivers a council tax bill. Like a waiter delivers a round of drinks. Of all the verbs used to describe the bowling of a ball, this one speaks to the deep-seated cultural inequity that has plagued this sport since its inception. If there was ever a word that proves we live in a batter's world, this is it."
"That's just an area where a batter isn't sure if he can go forward or back, if he can leave or defend it away from his stumps, explains Dale Steyn, the South Africa quick who claimed 439 Test wickets at 22.95. Think of it like a blind spot in your car mirror, where you can't see someone coming past you for a split second."
"Most balls that land in this corridor usually on a so-called good length, somewhere near a fourth-stump line are given special names. These are nuts, seeds, peaches. Harmison is fond of the jaffa. And while these arcing, hooping and ragging pills might turn a batter inside out, sometimes they are too good. You feel chuffed when it happens, and it's sort of a moral victory, but they're meaningless, Harmison says."
The word "deliver" emphasizes a batter-centered culture in cricket and highlights a perceived inequity favoring batters. Bowlers must balance line and length precisely to avoid being punished for width, fullness, or shortness. The optimal target is the so-called corridor of uncertainty on a good length near the fourth-stump line, creating batter indecision. Exceptional balls in that area earn nicknames such as nuts, seeds, peaches and the jaffa. Visually impressive deliveries can feel gratifying yet fruitless without a wicket, while apparently poor balls sometimes produce the most effective dismissals.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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