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Graeme Swann: Ball of the 21st century

cricfan967

cricfan967

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Swann's 'brilliant off-break' dubbed English "ball of 21st century"


Who remembers this?

England spinner Graeme Swann's brilliant off-break to bowl Pakistan opener Imran Farhat in the visitor's second innings at Edgbaston, has been declared as the ball of the 21st century by most English dailies.

Swann clean bowled Farhat with a vicious off-break, the third ball of a match-winning spell of 6/65 off 37 overs during England's Second test victory at Edgbaston.

Comparisons are now being made between that ball and the ball that Australian leg spinner Shane Warne bowled to claim the wicket of Mike Gatting in 1993. Som papers are saying that Swann's delivery was the better of the two.

The Age quoted Swann as saying: "That's the best ball I've ever bowled, but it was a bit of a fluke. You try to put the ball in the right place, but don't expect it to pitch outside leg and hit off. I'm delighted."

"That's the best ball I've ever bowled and our bowling coach (Victorian David Saker) said it was the best ball ever ball ever bowled at Edgbaston," he added.

The Sun newspaper's headline read: "Ball was Swann in a million"he Independent's contribution was: "Swann puts new spin on ball of the century"

Attacking off-spinner Swann shapes as a key player in the upcoming Ashes series. He was relatively expensive the last time he played Australia, his 14 Ashes wickets costing 40 apiece, but he twice took vital four wicket spells to play a key role in series-defining victories at Lord's and The Oval, and his star has continued to rise ever since.


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Commentator and former Test star Rodney Hogg calls Swann "England's only X-factor" in the upcoming Ashes series.
 
Amir's to Johnson was better

Swann himself said afterwards that he did not intend for it to spin that much.
 
I thought only Pakistanis needed walking sticks after a good match. The English need Zimmer frames for their knee-jerks.
 
To be honest, that was one of the most amazing deliveries I have ever seen. However, you have to take in account the batsmen who were facing when comparing Warne vs Gatting and Swann vs Farhat. If we're just going on extravagance, I'd say Shoaib Akhtar vs Giles yorker in 2006 was by far the best bowl ever bowled.
 
This is stupid. Good ball but countless better balls have been bowled in international cricket than this.
 
Sledger said:
Asif to Laxman, anyone?
Click to expand...

Asif would probably take 5 out of the 10 top spots of balls of the century, and that would definately be top. Spinners get that much turn all the time, it just rarely hits the stumps. It did this time. Big deal.
 
Oh god, over rated. A positive player would have swept that way.

Ball of the centry should be unplayable by anyone, which could really be a deadly fast swining yorker
 
Wasim to Lamb. What made this better than warne and swans delivery was that it's was delivered in a WC final. And more importantly it was not a fluke because we all know Wasim replicated that delivery on few occasion during his career.

Left arm around swinging into leg, pitching middle and leg and then hitting off Stump -all at 90+ mph
 
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skip to 2:48, like, an unfair ball, replay has to be seen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wsTcONIJ6w

Literally unplayable, not just for a no.8:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfMZIvV5e2c

and a sadly forgotten snorter, remember what a genuinely class player of spin Mr. Martyn was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mESB4zb3Wg

also try and find Steyn to Vaughan from 2004 in Port Elizabeth...all the way back for Steyn's test debut, one of the best outswinger's I've seen, even on the replays you cannot even see the ball.
 
DCP said:
To be honest, that was one of the most amazing deliveries I have ever seen. However, you have to take in account the batsmen who were facing when comparing Warne vs Gatting and Swann vs Farhat. If we're just going on extravagance, I'd say Shoaib Akhtar vs Giles yorker in 2006 was by far the best bowl ever bowled.
Click to expand...

I think you haven't seen this .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwkHY94JqNA&feature=related
 
Wow.

Warne's delivery was miles better then Swann's. I can't believe they compared both.

I am not saying Swann's wasn't an absolute snorter of a delivery. It was. However, Warne's "ball of the century" was truly something out of this world. It was unplayable.

Plus, Mike Gatting was a decent player of spin. Imran Farhat is one of the worst.
 
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Warne's delivery was immense...was it his first ever ball in test cricket? and to Gatting, one of England's better players of spin. the quality of the delivery and the circumstances make it the best of the best.
 
ball of the 21st century.. umm yea english I guess.. they dont have many
 
Whippy said:
Warne's delivery was immense...was it his first ever ball in test cricket? and to Gatting, one of England's better players of spin. the quality of the delivery and the circumstances make it the best of the best.
Click to expand...

First ball in Ashes cricket.
 
sultanator said:
Swann whines about the nominations and now this surfaces O_o
Click to expand...

Swann didn't whine about the nominations. His boss made an extremely good case as to why he should have been included to the ICC, who rightly saw that he had a better year than many bowlers already on the list, and added his name as a result.
 
shan said:
Ok this win. How can left hand fast bowler swing in the air both ways before pitching the ball? And that to when bowling round the wicket.... amazing
Click to expand...

It's not 'swinging' both ways, it comes in with his left arm angle and reverse swings away (that's why the movement is so late).
This is exactly what Amir was doing to England but his line of attack was a full length wide of off as compared to this Akram yorker length.
 
I cant find Akhtar yorker to Kallis in ODI game in Pakistan. I think it was 3rd ODI.
 
Sledger said:
It's not 'swinging' both ways, it comes in with his left arm angle and reverse swings away (that's why the movement is so late).
This is exactly what Amir was doing to England but his line of attack was a full length wide of off as compared to this Akram yorker length.
Click to expand...

But Wasim ball was swinging both way in the air. It was a full toss.
 
Warne Ball of the Century 1

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Warne Ball of the Century 2

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That was easily Akhtar's best spell in test cricket ever. Bloody hot and humid conditions too.

Nothing's ball of the century material though.
 
yeah definitely. just thought I'd throw something different in.
 
Sledger said:
It's not 'swinging' both ways, it comes in with his left arm angle and reverse swings away (that's why the movement is so late).
This is exactly what Amir was doing to England but his line of attack was a full length wide of off as compared to this Akram yorker length.
Click to expand...

Yep.

With Wasim's it reversed so so late, that it was impossible to play. Even the umpire was clueless but Waz knew it was going to hit half way up middle stump.
 
Ball of the century was Asif to Laxman back in '06.
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Its the one he bowls at 01:05. Skip to 01:10 for the replay where they show a close up of the ball through the air. Swings away and then moves back in a mile after pitching. To me, this is better than Wasim's Lamb and Lewis deliveries and easily the ball of the 21st century so far.
 
StarTV is Indian channels right? How can anyone watch cricket there? I mean look at the adds all around screen.
 
There was also an amazing ball Anderson bowled to McCullum during his 7for (I think) which pitched middle and leg and swung to knock the off pole a long way back. Not sure about the year but I think it was in England.
 
^ Just read the highest rated comment on that video about Yuvraj. :)))
 
Not the ball of century, but its pretty good one!

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^ its a offcutter not an 'inswinger' but still a good ball
 
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Sledger said:
The Laxman ball is actually here played in real time at 0:45.
Click to expand...
Whenever I see this clip I always crack up at Arun Lal's comments, around the 3.28 mark, for the ball that bowled Sehwag in the 2nd innings.

"...and then this one just held its line..."

replay shows the ball cut about a foot off the seam

"...coming in, as well, a little bit."

:)))
 
LOL......

It was good ball...but the way farhat played it looked like a ball of century...

very poor technique ..what was he doing ..was he trying to play it as a full toss.....so much front foot defence for a bowler like swann.....despite knowing he is a off spineer and can spin it away from him...also so much air in the ball.....bad technique....
 
For sheer unplayability - Steyn to Vaughan has got to take it (after Warne's original "ball of the century").

Wasn't the English and Australian media dubbing Swann's dismissal of Ponting the new "ball of the century"?
 
Saurav said:
no yaar,its inswing,watch the seam.n it was bowled at 138ks,dont think u ca bowl offcutters at 138k,not Ishant atleast:))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKWt_9cy_J0
Click to expand...

Errmmmm, swing happens in the air and that ball did not move a micrometer in the air. It darted back into the batsman after pitching, that's cut, not swing and I agree, Ishant can't bowl a 138kph off cutter (or anything above 125kph these days) but the ball could have landed on a rough spot and jagged back in. Whatever the explanation for the movement off the pitch may be, swing, it was not.
 
tanzeel said:
Errmmmm, swing happens in the air and that ball did not move a micrometer in the air. It darted back into the batsman after pitching, that's cut, not swing and I agree, Ishant can't bowl a 138kph off cutter (or anything above 125kph these days) but the ball could have landed on a rough spot and jagged back in. Whatever the explanation for the movement off the pitch may be, swing, it was not.
Click to expand...

it did move a little bit just before pitching.It was fairly short of good length,so didnt have that much time in the air to move.also I remember reverse swing happening at that time,so could have been that

no rough there though.
 
ball of century by a "SWAN" not a human,so no need to be hysterical and don`t create any hooplaswan.gif
 
Sledger said:
Asif to Laxman, anyone?
Click to expand...

I would add Umar Gul to Laxman, when Gul was only 18/19 I think. It went the other way though if I can remember correctly.
 
Last edited:
Whippy said:
Akhtar to Dravid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-kSnfY2QA&feature=related

and Asif to...everyone! can't believe these were all in the same match, stumps everywhere! 1st one to Laxman was amazing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hxpd0s8X6o&feature=related
Click to expand...
That was an awe-inspiring performance by Asif. I like his old action better than his new one. It was more flowing. The new action looks a little bit "mechanic". He still reverts to his old action sometimes, though.
 
LG said:
That was an awe-inspiring performance by Asif. I like his old action better than his new one. It was more flowing. The new action looks a little bit "mechanic". He still reverts to his old action sometimes, though.
Click to expand...

He still bowls with his old action. Only uses the new one when he's trying to get the ball to reverse.
 
tanzeel said:
Ball of the century was Asif to Laxman back in '06.
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Its the one he bowls at 01:05. Skip to 01:10 for the replay where they show a close up of the ball through the air. Swings away and then moves back in a mile after pitching. To me, this is better than Wasim's Lamb and Lewis deliveries and easily the ball of the 21st century so far.
Click to expand...

:))) :))) :)))

Why does Laxman always look back all suprised as if it was a no-ball or something.
 
cricfan967 said:
Swann's 'brilliant off-break' dubbed English "ball of 21st century"


Who remembers this?

England spinner Graeme Swann's brilliant off-break to bowl Pakistan opener Imran Farhat in the visitor's second innings at Edgbaston, has been declared as the ball of the 21st century by most English dailies.

Swann clean bowled Farhat with a vicious off-break, the third ball of a match-winning spell of 6/65 off 37 overs during England's Second test victory at Edgbaston.

Comparisons are now being made between that ball and the ball that Australian leg spinner Shane Warne bowled to claim the wicket of Mike Gatting in 1993. Som papers are saying that Swann's delivery was the better of the two.

The Age quoted Swann as saying: "That's the best ball I've ever bowled, but it was a bit of a fluke. You try to put the ball in the right place, but don't expect it to pitch outside leg and hit off. I'm delighted."

"That's the best ball I've ever bowled and our bowling coach (Victorian David Saker) said it was the best ball ever ball ever bowled at Edgbaston," he added.

The Sun newspaper's headline read: "Ball was Swann in a million"he Independent's contribution was: "Swann puts new spin on ball of the century"

Attacking off-spinner Swann shapes as a key player in the upcoming Ashes series. He was relatively expensive the last time he played Australia, his 14 Ashes wickets costing 40 apiece, but he twice took vital four wicket spells to play a key role in series-defining victories at Lord's and The Oval, and his star has continued to rise ever since.


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Commentator and former Test star Rodney Hogg calls Swann "England's only X-factor" in the upcoming Ashes series.
Click to expand...


typical lame, tentative and scared approach by the batsman. Any good class batsman would have powerfully swept it for four.... talk about ball of the century ??
 
KingKhanWC said:
It was a great delivery but if Farhat chose to play it on the back foot, he could have kept it out, so it wasn't unplayable.

This is the ball of the century, imo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O5rVGc3XfY
Click to expand...

Read the 5th comment in the all comments section.


"abhijeetshastri
2 weeks ago

A true left arm off spinner sometimes leg spinner as well.."
ROFL and whats even more hilarious is that an Indian wrote it. Might as well call the kettle and tell it its black while he's at it.
 
tanzeel said:
He still bowls with his old action. Only uses the new one when he's trying to get the ball to reverse.
Click to expand...

No, he doesn't use his old action much now.

Must have something to do with getting swing in English conditions.
 
It wasn't unplayable , Farhat made it look like that , for GOD sake it was a leg spin to him and he was playing straight down the line,,,,,

though i agree a better batsman would have got an edge at least, but not Bowled
 
Why are people getting so annoyed about it?

It was a great delivery by Swann - end of story. There is no such thing as "ball of the century" - it was mainly used to hype up Warne - the new blue-eyed boy of Eng-Aus teams. As much as there is a rivalry between Eng and Aus, they would rather praise someone from the other team than anyone else from any other team in the world.

Nearly all of the deliveries mentioned in this thread are great deliveries in their own right. Appreciate the deliveries and stop crying about bias.
 
On the subject of great deliveries. Most deliveries in the following vid are great deliveries, bu just check the one at around 6.06 mark

[utube]_mGI4In_FiQ[/utube]
 
This one from Mohammad Nawaz to Pooran in the 2nd ODI

I would say was extra special

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/ksqnz5" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
Sultan Yusuf said:
Why are people getting so annoyed about it?

It was a great delivery by Swann - end of story. There is no such thing as "ball of the century" - it was mainly used to hype up Warne - the new blue-eyed boy of Eng-Aus teams. As much as there is a rivalry between Eng and Aus, they would rather praise someone from the other team than anyone else from any other team in the world.

Nearly all of the deliveries mentioned in this thread are great deliveries in their own right. Appreciate the deliveries and stop crying about bias.
Click to expand...

Completely agree with this statement!
 
MenInG said:
I never suggested that.

I feel that the ball was extra special especially to dislodge a set batter
Click to expand...

Sorry was talking about the Swann ball!

I think Imran Farhat made it look like a much better ball than it actually was.

Good ball by Nawaz :-)
 
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