'Make Don Bradman's bat the standard'

Reader: bumsonseats

Leeds was my first live Test match at the age of 17, close to 50 years ago. Here was me staying in a big swanky hotel. As I walked to the area in Leeds where the buses left for Headingley, I asked a lady which bus I needed, to which she pointed. So rushing as fast as I could, off I went. BANG, I clattered into a gent waiting to get into a taxi; there was papers flying all over the place. As I turned to help him pick up these spilled papers, low and behold it was Denis Compton. I could remember him as he was one of the voices of cricket for the BBC and his piece in the daily newspapers. I thought after why he did not give me a ride and a free seat to watch the day's play. Perhaps not… hehehe.

Reader: rajivgower

I was too young to remember. 1981. I have mixed feelings about the ground. In 1989, I was eagerly anticipating the first Ashes Test but my hero Gower fatefully inserted the opposition, what followed was 16 years of agony. I visited the ground for the first time in 2012 and saw Pietersen score 149 and get a stumping. Lovely atmosphere, jovial ground, and Leeds is beautiful. However, the pavilion is awful, there is no other word. It is the ugliest building in cricket bar none. Please remove it! I look forward to tomorrow; the England home Test calendar should always start in the north.

Reader: codandchips

Interesting article. I have to agree that watching a genuine keeper is a true delight of the game. As a Hampshire member I was truly distraught when we let Michael Bates go. He is probably the best keeper I've seen in games I've been to. People say the keeper has to be able to bat. But with Michael Bates in the side Hampshire did the limited-overs double in 2012, with Bates Man of the Match in the final. Interesting point about "There's no invitation to a league dinner for our five-fers" etc. I must say as a seam bowler in club cricket, I appreciate the work of a good wicketkeeper, and consider it the hardest job on the cricket pitch (apart from umpiring). Keep up the good work!

Reader: nutcutlet

Lovely article! For those who do not know this part of the world, Howarth and its world-famous Parsonage are well worth a day's visit - you will find a number of alternative-style shops on the high street and please try the local cheese! If the weather is fine, then a leisurely walk to the ruin of Top Withens farmhouse (said to be of the location of Wuthering Heights) is a good idea. Wiki says it's 5km away. An interesting (and very great) contrast can be made with Jane Austen's home in Alton, Hampshire, Fernando. You will find that engaging too. I love it that Cricinfo's writers get out and about when visiting countries other than their own. Keep these articles coming; they are little gems!

Reader: alia juman

Interesting take on waste, Tanya! I was particularly amused at you quoting a fellow journalist, to then draw your conclusion that; "Well, sport gives the corporations that outpost in our heads." For me, I'm pleased that corporations are investing in all sports as I can then enjoy the escapism of the contest in comfortable surrounds, be it a modern stadium or my own lounge room. I find it harder to relax when watching sports that once had corporations supporting them, but have been replaced by constant "Don't do this, don't do that, give up, quit" government social engineering 'advertising'. Great subliminal messages for any budding sportsperson! I'm not naive enough to believe that private enterprise involvement is altruistic. Of course they want you to love them and try and buy their product, but you have the freedom to exercise the lessons taught by older generations about the difference between want and need.

Reader: armchairjohnny

Interesting piece, but I think semantics could never fully capture the subtle complexities of bowling, particularly 'offspin'. When I was a young teenager, I had the ability to bowl a delivery that both I, and others, found impossible to classify. The best way I could try to describe it: it was like a loopy, well-flighted pie which then grubs the pitch and surprises the batsman by gathering speed and becoming a low, fast yorker. If this sounds ridiculous, it's because it was! And yet I could produce this delivery at will, with my natural 'action' of being an 'off-spinner'. I would painfully wrap all of my fingers around the ball as hard as possible and use the top of my thumb to generate additional revs of 'spin'. I was able to bowl this Chandrashekar-esque delivery at will for years, until one day I got the yips and I just couldn't do it anymore. I'm all for the unorthodox, unexpected, and unclassifiable, provided the arm is straight and the action is legal.

Reader: NSC1983

It is clear many believe some rebalancing is required. However, we also need to respect the traditions of the game. The biggest change in the recent era of the sport is the power from the bats and this is where more regulation is required. I cant remember much of Viv Richards, but he has certainly gone up in my estimation when you consider it is only in recent times some of his records are being broken e.g. fastest Test century. I would suggest: reduce bat power, abolish leg byes, loosen field restrictions, increase the height of the stumps. Also worth noting Hawk-Eye and third umpire reviews on run-outs have helped the fielding side.

Reader: AbuHadi

I believe that the game should be an equal contest between the ball and the bat and the solution is a very simple one. 1. Eliminate the fielding restrictions in every format. 2. Restore the size and weight of the bat to its original dimensions. I suggest to make Sir Don Bradman's bat a standard and every player should play with the bat that is an exact copy of Sir Don's bat in terms of size and weight. Then lets see who can feel like he can hit every ball out of the ground.

Reader: critic666

1. At the stadium, it is difficult to see inswing, outswing, legspin or offspin etc. So with these great weapons, a bowler may extract a dot ball or a big heave-and-miss. There would not be much applause from the audience for that. But the same batsman hits a very good or bad ball for a four or a six with a thick edge (leave alone a good shot), the ball travels high or cuts through the fielders. The average spectator just sees the ball gone for the boundary - now there will be a big applause. So you see in the stadium, a flying ball is what is cheered but not a good dot-inducing ball with great skill from the bowler. 2. A mistake from a batsman can cause him to be out, leading to his termination from the innings, but a mistake from a bowler can only give a six at best (or a no-ball) while being able to continue in the game. The batsman gets no chance for redemption, where as bowler gets <60 chances (in ODIs for full quota) to atone for his mistake. So isn't the game skewed towards bowler then?

Reader: a_n_o_n

It's a nice article. I think a few rules must be changed or imposed for the betterment of the game. 1. There must be a standard size of the ground specified by the ICC as FIFA does it for soccer and other associations does it for sports like rugby and field hockey etc. 2. The width, thickness and weight of the bat must be controlled by the ICC. The modern bats are a bit too much. The spectators want only fours and sixes, but that's not how the game is played. Remove the pocket size grounds, that will be more than useful.