"number of runs to win with only three batsmen dismissed, they are said to have won by seven wickets. The word ""wicket"" is also sometimes used to refer to the cricket pitch itself. According to the ""Laws of Cricket"", this usage is incorrect, but it is in common usage and commonly understood by cricket followers. The term ""sticky wicket"" refers to a situation in which the pitch has become damp, typically due to rain or high humidity. This makes the path of the ball more unpredictable thus making the job of defending the stumps that much more difficult. The full"
"green. A ""sticky wicket"" – a pitch that has become wet and is subsequently drying out, often rapidly in hot sun – causes the ball to behave erratically, particularly for the slower or spin bowlers. However, modern pitches are generally protected from rain and dew before and during games so a sticky pitch is rarely seen in first-class cricket. The phrase, however, has retained currency and extended beyond cricket to mean any difficult situation. As a match progresses, the pitch dries out. The ""Laws of Cricket"" bar watering the pitch during a match. As it dries out, initially batting becomes"
"ones who have lost their concentration, can be deceived completely, expecting the ball to move one direction off the pitch, only for it to move the other direction. If the batsman is expecting a leg break, he will play outside the line of the ball after it spins. This means the ball can either strike the pads for a potential LBW appeal, or may fly between the bat and the pads and hit the wicket. The googly is a major weapon in the arsenal of a leg spin bowler, and can be one of the bowler's most effective wicket-taking balls."
"example, influenced the lexicon of these nations, especially the English language, with various phrases such as ""that's not cricket"" (that's unfair), ""had a good innings"" (lived a long life) and ""sticky wicket"". ""On a sticky wicket"" (""aka"" ""sticky dog"" or ""glue pot"") is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance. It originated as a term for difficult batting conditions in cricket, caused by a damp and soft pitch. Cricket is the subject of works by noted English poets, including William Blake and Lord Byron. ""Beyond a Boundary"" (1963), written by Trinidadian C. L. R. James, is often named the"
"""sticky wicket"", ""hitting for six"", ""played with a straight bat"" and ""bowled over"". The twelve Test-playing nations regularly participate in tours of other nations to play usually both a Test and One Day International series. Twenty20 is becoming more popular in international competition. The amateur game has also been spread further afield by expatriates from the Test-playing nations. Many of these minor cricketing nations (including the USA and Canada and other nations, such as the Netherlands, which do not have a British heritage) compete to qualify for the Cricket World Cup. The very first international cricket match was played between"
"the ball. Less skilled batsmen, or ones who have lost their concentration, can be deceived completely, expecting the ball to move one direction off the pitch, only for it to move the other direction. If the batsman is expecting a leg break, he will play outside the line of the ball after it spins. This means the ball can either strike the pads for a potential lbw appeal, or may fly between the bat and the pads and hit the wicket, or catch the edge of the bat. The googly is a major weapon in the arsenal of a leg"
"cricketers who recognised the potential of the googly. Previously, some bowlers occasionally bowled unintended googlies, but were unable to control them. Although batsmen were accustomed to off break or leg break bowlers, it was an unprecedented problem to face a bowler who could bowl both types of delivery at will, disguising which one he bowled. Bosanquet persuaded teammates to remain silent as he wished to maintain the impression that his off break was an accident so that batsmen were not expecting it. He further tried to play down his successes: he feigned surprise, acting as if they were similarly accidental."
"moisture for an extended period. It helps bind the wicket better, making it a harder surface eventually. It also slows the process of wearing down. Pitches are generally dusty and shorn off grass; the rain here also makes for a ""sticky wicket"". Wickets are generally flat and don't offer much bounce – however, the pitch at Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy offers generous bounce and favours fast bowling. Bowlers get help under the lights. Spin is the key in these conditions, and spinners have fine records on the pitches in Sri Lanka. The heat requires an extreme level of fitness, while sweaty"
"face the rear of the bowler, faces the front. When the Cricket ball rolls out of the hand (from the side near the little finger, as in a normal leg break), it emerges with clockwise spin (from the bowler's point of view). A googly may also be achieved by bowling the ball as a conventional leg break, but spinning the ball further with the fingers just before it is released. The change of wrist action can be seen by a skilled batsman and the change of spin allowed for when playing a shot at the ball. Less skilled batsmen, or"
"with the highest strike rate in Test history), Nourse, Tancred, all-rounder Faulkner, Sherwell, Snooke, and White, the South Africans developed the world's first (and arguably greatest ever) spin attack which specialized in googly. Greatest among the South African googly quartet was Schwarz, who inspired by English googly bowler Bernard Bosanquet, regarded as the inventor of the googly, developed into the most devastating googly bowler of his time. He taught diligently the secrets of the googly to allrounder Faulkner, medium-pacer Vogler and specialist batsman White, and together the four formed a quartet which began to lead South Africa to unprecedented heights"
"His ""Times"" obituary stated, ""No man probably has in his time had so important and lasting an influence on the game of cricket"". Bernard Bosanquet (cricketer) Bernard James Tindal Bosanquet (13 October 1877 – 12 October 1936) was an English cricketer best known for inventing the googly, a delivery designed to deceive the batsman. When bowled, it appears to be a leg break, but after pitching the ball turns in the opposite direction to that which is expected, behaving as an off break instead. Bosanquet, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex between 1898 and 1919, appeared in seven Test matches"
"Bernard Bosanquet (cricketer) Bernard James Tindal Bosanquet (13 October 1877 – 12 October 1936) was an English cricketer best known for inventing the googly, a delivery designed to deceive the batsman. When bowled, it appears to be a leg break, but after pitching the ball turns in the opposite direction to that which is expected, behaving as an off break instead. Bosanquet, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex between 1898 and 1919, appeared in seven Test matches for England as an all-rounder. He was chosen as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1905. Bosanquet played cricket for Eton College"
"scored two centuries, including one in the final; however, New Zealand still won by four wickets. The same year, Ganguly tried his hand at county cricket career in England but was not successful. In ""The Wisden Cricketer"", reviewers Steve Pittard and John Stern called him as ""The imperious Indian—dubbed 'Lord Snooty'. They commented: ""At the crease it was sometimes uncertain whether his partner was a batsman or a batman being dispatched to take his discarded sweater to the pavilion or carry his kit bag. But mutiny was afoot among the lower orders. In one match Ganguly, after reaching his fifty,"
"will apply most of the spin. The wrist is cocked as it comes down by the hip, and the wrist moves sharply from right to left as the ball is released, adding more spin. The ball is tossed up to provide flight. The batsman will see the hand with the palm facing towards them when the ball is released. A googly is a type of delivery bowled by a wrist spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie, an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet. While a normal leg break spins from the leg to the"
"a narrow first innings lead of 22 and, at close of play on the second day (a Monday), Hobbs and Sutcliffe had taken the England second innings score to 49–0, a lead of 27. Heavy rain fell overnight and next day, as the sun shone, the pitch soon developed into a ""sticky wicket"" on which it was generally assumed that England would be bowled out cheaply and so lose both the match and the series. But, in spite of the very difficult batting conditions, Hobbs and Sutcliffe put up a great defence of their wickets and gradually increased their partnership"
"in the role of the proud parent, I ask forgiveness."" Until the invention of the googly, bowling was expected to be predictable, and the googly may initially have been considered an underhand tactic. On one occasion, Nottinghamshire batsman William Gunn was stumped after running down the pitch in an attempt to stop a ball bowled by Bosanquet. Gunn's teammate Arthur Shrewsbury then protested that Bosanquet's bowling was unfair. On another occasion, when asked if the googly was illegal, Bosanquet is said to have replied, ""Oh no, only immoral."" For many years, the googly remained known as a ""Bosie"" in Australia."
"the ball in an area that the batsman was unable to play a scoring shot, even making last moment adjustments to ""follow"" a batsman should they move within the crease to negate the bowlers tactics. Whilst this is primarily a defensive style, wickets were achieved by forcing a batsman to make a rash stroke or even bowling at the stumps instead of the retreating batsman. Another wicket taking method was to impart more spin on the ball than usual, and surprise the batsman. An exponent of this style of bowling was ""Flat"" Jack Simmons who played for Lancashire in the"
"came during the 1897/98 season when he scored his only first class century (130) playing for New South Wales in a match against the touring England side. Alick retired at the conclusion of the 1909/10 season. As a reward for his services to the game he was named as manager of the Australian side that toured New Zealand from February to April 1910. Alick Mackenzie was a contemporary of H. V. Hordern who is well known as the first Australian cricketer to develop the ability to bowl the googly (wrong 'un) delivery. The googly is a delivery bowled by a"
"record that was to stand for a quarter of a century. Wilfred Rhodes took 15 wickets in England's second Test win at the MCG –a record that was to stand for thirty years. In the fifth Test England were dismissed for 61 in their first innings on a rain-affected pitch. In 1905 Australia toured England and were beaten 2–0 with three matches drawn. Notable batting performances in the series included centuries by A.C. MacLaren, F.S. Jackson (2), Johnny Tyldesley (2) and C.B. Fry. B.J.T. Bosanquet, the inventor of the googly, took eight wickets in an Innings in the First Test."
"cricketers until it became firmly established. In later years, the googly was blamed for a deterioration in the quality and attractiveness of batting. Bosanquet refused to accept any blame and published a defence in ""The Morning Post"" during 1924, later reprinted in ""Wisden"", which humorously downplayed the impact of the googly. He wrote: ""It is not for me to defend it. Other and more capable hands have taken it up and exploited it, and, if blame is to be allotted, let it be on their shoulders. For me is the task of the historian, and if I appear too much"
"spin bowler, and can be one of the bowler's most effective most important wicket-taking balls. It is used infrequently, because its effectiveness comes mostly from its surprise value. Left-arm unorthodox spinners, commonly known as ""chinaman"" bowlers, can bowl with the googly action using the left arm. This delivery is usually known as a chinaman googly and turns away from a right-handed batsman, like a leg break or left-arm orthodox spinner. The googly is similar in principle to the doosra, the ball from an off-spinner which turns the opposite way from his stock ball. Chambers Dictionary describes the whole of etymology"
"20th century. At that time, pitches were not covered to protect them against rain, so the batsmen were at a distinct disadvantage on the proverbial sticky wicket. These problems were exacerbated since Tests in England were in those days played over three days rather than the five days that is now usual. Two of the matches between England and Australia were drawn due to the weather, with the final match being played on a pitch said to be ""better suited to water polo"". In addition, disputes between the players and management in Australia meant that six leading Australian players refused"
"aggrandise their statistical performances against teams he considered to be weak. In 2000, he was named in the Australian Cricket Board's Team of the Century and criticised modern day batsmen, noting that players in earlier eras had to play on sticky wickets saying ""these guys who play out here are a little bit spoilt in my opinion. They play on flat wickets all the time and they grizzle if ... the ball does a little bit off the pitch, and whatever ... But we had to put up with that"" and going to assert his opinion that the current players"
"half-Blues for hammer-throwing and billiards, and also played ice hockey. Bosanquet is remembered as the inventor of the googly, a delivery designed to deceive the batsman. When bowled, it appears to be a leg break, but after pitching the ball turns in the opposite direction to that expected, behaving as an off break instead. However, Bosanquet was a pace bowler in his university days. ""Wisden Cricketers' Almanack"" described his bowling from this period as ""very useful ... but that was all, and had he kept to his original style real distinction at cricket would only have come to him through"
"James Pycroft's ""The Cricket Field"" - one of the earliest books about cricket - ""...that is the time that some sure, judicious batsman, whose eminence is little seen amidst the loose hitting of a scratch match, comes calmly and composedly to the wicket and makes a stand;..."" Another early and notable use of the term is from 1874, when The Wanderers, who had just lost an FA Cup match for the first time, were due to play a match against Upton Park. In the words of the contemporary report, ""unfortunately the Wanderers failed to put in an appearance. In order,"
"from 1891 to 1896, before gaining his Blue at Oriel College, Oxford. He was a moderately successful batsman who bowled at fast-medium pace for Oxford University between 1898 and 1900. As a student, he made several appearances for Middlesex and achieved a regular place in the county side as an amateur. While playing a tabletop game, Bosanquet devised a new technique for delivering a ball, later named the ""googly"", which he practised during his time at Oxford. He first used it in cricket matches around 1900, abandoning his faster style of bowling, but it was not until 1903, when he"
"showing increasing signs of wear. Overnight, a storm broke and soaked the pitch which, as the sun shone on it through the morning, became what Bradman later described as ""the worst sticky I ever saw"". Even ""Wisden"" admitted that it ""may fittingly be described as a beastly wicket"". Play on the sixth day did not begin until 12:51 and Australia's last two wickets quickly fell with just 4 runs added to their overnight total. Clem Hill reckoned that the state of the pitch was such that ""odds of ten to one against an England success would be generous"" and Hugh"
"stick, or finding a chink in a goaltender's armour and slipping the puck into it … before the goaltender is ready to react."" However, Gretzky denied that he had any exotic innate abilities. He said that many of his advantages were a result of his father's brilliant coaching. Some say I have a ""sixth sense"" … Baloney. I've just learned to guess what's going to happen next. It's anticipation. It's not God-given, it's Wally-given. He used to stand on the blue line and say to me, ""Watch, this is how everybody else does it."" Then he'd shoot a puck along"
"the wicket or the batsman's body. This shot has no strength behind it and is usually played with a light or ""soft"" grip (commentators often refer to ""soft hands"") and merely stops the ball moving towards the wicket. A block played on the front foot is known as a forward defensive, while that played on the back foot is known as a backward defensive. These strokes may be used to score runs, by manipulating the block to move the ball into vacant portions of the infield, in which case a block becomes a ""push"". Pushing the ball is one of"
"for his ability to extract substantial bounce from the surface. In addition to his accurate probing consistency, he possessed a well-disguised googly and topspinner which tricked many batsmen and yielded him many wickets. In his later career, he added the flipper, a combination of the googly and top spinner which was passed to him by Bruce Dooland. Coupled with his subtle variations in flight and angle of the delivery, he kept the batsman under constant pressure. Benaud had the tendency to bowl around the wicket at a time when he was one of the first players to do so; it"
"either the base of a tree or its remaining stump as its wicket, as both 'stow' and 'stob' are dialect words for 'stump'. However, 'stow' could also refer to a frame used to support crawling tunnels in mines such as those lead mines in north Somerset, providing another possibility for the wicket. The ball was made of a leather case, stuffed with boiled quills, and was four inches in diameter, roughly the same size as a modern softball, while the bats, known as 'staves' were shaped similarly to a field hockey stick and typically made of withy or willow. The"
"of frame used in mining). It is notable that in cricket to this day, the uprights of the wicket are called ""stumps"". Of course, the target could well have been whatever was convenient, perhaps even a gravestone (hence Pagula's objection to churchyard play). A 17th-century book on games specifies a stool. According to one legend, milkmaids played stoolball while waiting for their husbands to return from the fields. Another theory is that stoolball developed as a game played after attending church services, in which case the target was probably a church stool. An 18th-century poem depicts men and women playing"
"break; the ball bounced four times and the batsman was stumped (although, writing in 1925, Bosanquet recalled Coe had been bowled). Bosanquet later wrote that the wicket ""was rightly treated as a joke, and was the subject of ribald comment"". Middlesex captains permitted him to try googlies if there was little pressure on, but he later wrote: ""Though I could claim some five or six wickets before the close of the season, my efforts produced far more laughter than dismay in the hearts of opposing batsmen"". But Bosanquet persisted with the delivery and soon began to be noticed by influential"