Cricket: Fleming - We need the evidence to be chucked up

By RICHARD BOOCK

Rival captains Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming want the International Cricket Council to release more information on their controversial throwing proposal.

Their comments came in the wake of intensive media interest in the ICC initiative, which would effectively allow some bowlers to chuck, as long as they didn't bend their arm more than 15 degrees just before delivery.

The recommendation has caused a furore throughout the cricketing world, with many commentators suggesting it has been motivated solely from a desire to accommodate the suspect action of Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

However, ICC sources have claimed that the biomechanical analysis results are so clear cut that even smooth-action practitioners such as former West Indian great Michael Holding, who is on the committee studying the evidence, have accepted that they probably didn't bowl with a completely straight arm.

Asked whether it was time for the evidence to be made more widely available to the game's stake-holders, Fleming said anything that would lead to more informed debate would be better than some of the emotional statements made recently.

"There's a lot of emotion out there about it, but I'd like some more information to help me understand what exactly is in store, and what's being done," said Fleming, who met Australian players' advocate Tim May yesterday.

"It's a massive issue and I know New Zealand Cricket have been very pro-active about it in the past 24 months. One thing we're happy about is that there's at least been some movement.

"For far too long it wasn't being talked about; it was the ugly sister of cricket. But now that it's out in the open there are some positive steps being taken".

Newspapers have been full of stories this week about Muralitharan's alleged comments about the suspect actions of Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, although the Sri Lankan spinner has now distanced himself from the report.

Fleming said there was no need to hide the information if it was as compelling as suggested.

"It shouldn't be secretive, but what we have to be careful of is knee-jerk reactions and emotive type of reporting," he said.

"I'm very conservative on this topic.

"I would like to see more information before judging it, but I would also like to see it move forward as quickly as possible."

Ponting met May for a briefing this week and said he now knew more about the topic, without having a full understanding.

"I think it is a lot clearer to us all, but we still don't know a lot about it. The best thing about hearing from Tim was that we were able to gain some information.

"We haven't got any control over it so we need to just get out on the park and compete against whoever we're playing."

It was also reported this week that the ICC has a list of seven international bowlers who will be targeted by the new chucking law.

They are Chaminda Vaas, Mutiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), Harbhajan Singh (India), Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik (Paklistan), Jermaine Lawson (West Indies) and Sanwar Hossain (Bangladesh).