is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

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Jim2109

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is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

just wondering if anyone knows, i had a look online at the laws of cricket and couldnt find anything prohibiting it, in my eyes if its not specifically outlawed in the rules then it must be legal until otherwise stated.

im a leg spinner, and what i am asking is whether i can put tape on my ring finger (the spinning finger) to improve its grip? it isnt so much a question of improving the amount of spin i can impart on the ball, with a grippy ball i have no trouble with a bare finger and tape doesnt improve it. but on a dry pitch (and especially in nets where they use astroturf on top of a soft underlay) the ball gets "polished" by the surface and it becomes very hard for me to grip. the result is lots of balls coming out completely wrong because my spinning finger cant properly grip the surface and the ball comes out from my wrist action, rather than my finger action. this results in zero flight and minimal spin and i might as well just be bowling slow and straight. the tape helps.

anyone got any thoughts to clarify the legality of this?

alternatively, anyone got any tips on making the ball grippier without using illegal methods. ive tried spit shining it but that doesnt help, if anything it speeds up the polishing process so the ball loses grip sooner. im wondering if somehow softening the skin on my hands may help, because i dont suffer from soreness on my spinning finger through my action at all, so this wouldnt be a problem. my day job means i have oil on my hands a lot of the time though, making them naturally quite dry, so this isnt really feasible.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

As far as I know, it would come under something like an aid and would not be allowed. I'm sure there have been problems when spinners have bolwed with plasters etc on their spinning hand but don't ask me to actually find a match where it happend.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

yes you are not allowed anything on your fingers(or have to have permission from batsman or umpire), mendis had to remove tape from his fingers in a test match earlier in the year.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

I have faced a smiliar kind of incident....couple of seasons back...
I had injured my spinning fingers in a practice match while trying to attempt a close catch.Fingers were sore and so i applied ice and showed it to my doctor.
I was given medicines but advised to rest the spinning fingers....but i had my league match in 3 days tinmes and had to play in that match...so i applied tape on the fingers.....which i had to remove before starting to bowl my over by the umpire....after the over i asked my umpire wether it is illegal because my finger is injured and i have applied tape to protect it...umpire said that i can apply the tape only while fielding or batting but the spinning finger will not be taped or applied anything on it as it is not allowed.
So i did the same...removed the tape while bowling and re-applied while fielding...
Can anybody revert back is there a written rule on it...

Virender
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

sounds like it wont be allowed then. il just have to keep plugging away with balls that are hard to grip and i guess my fingers will become stronger and more able to spin the ball with reduced grip. long term thats got to be the best solution anyway, at the moment im not playing matches, just practicing. so it doesnt make sense to practice with something that isnt allowed in a match situation so i will just keep going as i am.

thanks for the help though :)
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

It's pretty clear in Law 41.1:

"No member of the fielding side other than the wicket-keeper shall be permitted to wear gloves or external leg guards. In addition, protection for the hand or fingers may be worn only with the consent of the umpires."
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

Heh just do what i do lick your spinning finger.. to gain some extra grip
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

MrOffBreaks;358704 said:
Heh just do what i do lick your spinning finger.. to gain some extra grip
Click to expand...

tried that, it sometimes works, but if the ball is really hard and dry it just doesnt grip. i find that sweat is even more effective, but only really on a newer ball. in a match situation im not sure it will matter, as the ball will be in better condition. its more an issue at the moment for me in the nets using old balls. ive tried using new balls, but i need them to be broken in before they turn effectively. i guess making a ball turn that doesnt want to is a challenge and i should see that as good practice.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

This really is a pain. I'm trying to teach myself to turn a ball, what seems to work for me is leg spin (with option of rotating the hand for googly) but with most of the spin coming from the fingers a bit like Mendis.

Anyhow, with squeezing the ball and flicking it out between my fingers my skin starts to tear away from my thumb and index and middle finger quite quickly and I really need to use some sort of protection. I'm happy to use something which is slightly less grippy than my finger-leather if required but it seems there is nothing I could use that couldn't legitimately be challenged by the umpire or batsmen.

Any suggestions?
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

maninalift;383285 said:
This really is a pain. I'm trying to teach myself to turn a ball, what seems to work for me is leg spin (with option of rotating the hand for googly) but with most of the spin coming from the fingers a bit like Mendis.

Anyhow, with squeezing the ball and flicking it out between my fingers my skin starts to tear away from my thumb and index and middle finger quite quickly and I really need to use some sort of protection. I'm happy to use something which is slightly less grippy than my finger-leather if required but it seems there is nothing I could use that couldn't legitimately be challenged by the umpire or batsmen.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

harden up the skin so it doesnt get damaged. thats about the only long term solution. the only way to do that really is to practice without protection as well, so that the skin breaks and heals many times.

or look at ways to adjust your action so that your fingers are less affected.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

Jim2109;383293 said:
harden up the skin so it doesnt get damaged. thats about the only long term solution. the only way to do that really is to practice without protection as well, so that the skin breaks and heals many times.

or look at ways to adjust your action so that your fingers are less affected.
Click to expand...

I think it's going to have to be the second as the skin isn't just getting friction burns, it is tearing so it isn't forming calluses.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

maninalift;383299 said:
I think it's going to have to be the second as the skin isn't just getting friction burns, it is tearing so it isn't forming calluses.
Click to expand...

Well, the skin on my spinning finger blistered and tore several times before it formed a callus, so wouldn't say that it is impossible for you to form one.The previous summer(2008/2009), my ring finger was in an almost constant state of blister of varying degrees, but that time is long gone now, my skin has been hard and tough where the ball sits for months now. Sometimes I still taken a bit if skin off, but it is nothing really serious. I would just give it some time for the moment and see if it toughens up. Of course, you may have to reduce your bowling to give it some time to form.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

I think you guys are right, I have just noticed calluses forming on the sides of my fingers.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

One option is to attempt to manage the finger. Bowl as much as you can without using plasters/tape - pretty much to the point where the skin may tear and then add something to protect it. Repeat at every training session but try to increase the amount of time/overs/balls you bowl before reaching for the tape.

Of course, this approach can only really be used in the nets/practice but it may save your finger/s enough to get through a few overs at the weekend.

Regardless, it is going to hurt for a while and just when you think you have the skin hardened up, it'll split again!
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

I play guitar, so my fingers already have calluses on them - so I've never really had this problem before. They get a bat read and sore if I bowl for extended periods, but never tearing.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

I have an unusual way to grip the ball for my offies and have actually caused my first finger on my right hand to bend at a different angle to the same finger on the left hand. There is also a callous extending from almost the top down to the second middle joint on the inside of that finger. I have actually seen a doctor about ligament damage from bending it at such a strange angle to impart spin.

For the original question with how to grip the ball more, I just slow my bowling down as soon as it starts to slide in my hand, but that only happens if the ball gets wet and slimy or something like that, never really had the problem before. That or bowl pace if it gets annoying :D
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

Mousey;383448 said:
I play guitar, so my fingers already have calluses on them - so I've never really had this problem before. They get a bat read and sore if I bowl for extended periods, but never tearing.
Click to expand...

It's a bit different though. When playing guitar it's mostly pressing down on the strings (save for slides and hammer ons etc), plus the strings are smooth.

The problem with spinning the ball is that you have a rough(ish) seam ripping against the skin, which can tear it.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

mas cambios;383532 said:
It's a bit different though. When playing guitar it's mostly pressing down on the strings (save for slides and hammer ons etc), plus the strings are smooth.

The problem with spinning the ball is that you have a rough(ish) seam ripping against the skin, which can tear it.
Click to expand...

guitar strings arent that smooth!! and if you strum with your fingers it messes them up. if you strum with a pick and catch your fingers, it still messes them up.

cricket balls are often sharp though on the seam. i bowl leg spin and my natural grip just developed so that my spinning finger just doesnt touch the seam. it sits just next to it. which means it never gets any wear and tear. with finger spin you probably cant easily change to a method where you dont run a finger against the seam. but that is ultimately the only way to completely avoid problems.
 
Re: is it legal to put tape on your finger to improve your spin bowling?

I don't know if anyone's come across a book called "You Are The Umpire", but I heard it recommended during a lunch break on Test Match Special and bought it over Christmas - it's very good and it covers exactly this point of law:

Question:
A spinner, fielding his own bowling, splits his forefinger. He leaves the field for treatment and returns with a plaster covering his two thirds of his damaged finger. When he comes back on to bowl, the batsman insists the plaster gives additional leverage when he spins the ball and demands that the plaster is removed. What is your decision?

Answer:
Ask the bowler to remove the plaster. Some feel that having the plaster on the finger of the bowling hand could give him a better grip on the ball - though in reality it reduces grip. Either way, the law allows it only if the batsman doesn't object.
 
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