Bowling wide ball is easier than no ball

PUNE (India) Wide ball is easier to deliver deliberately than no ball, says former Indian medium-pacer, Manoj Prabhakar. Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Aamers first delivery, which was declared a wide by the umpire Billy Bowden in the last infamous Lords Test against England, is also, along with three no balls bowled by him, under scrutiny by the ICCs Anti Corruption unit. Speaking to this scribe from New Delhi, 47-year-old Manoj Prabhakar, who was banned by the BCCI for his involvement in match fixing scandals, said, Unless it is a bouncer, wide-ball cannot be easily delivered naturally in Test matches. And if the bowler bowls it in his very first over, he cannot be a world class Test bowler. Amir had played 13 Tests prior to the Lords Test. Mohammad Amir to Strauss, 5 wides, 136.3 kph, wow, this start is almost Harmison-like, well well wide, but down the leg side and swinging away further, for once Kamran cannot blamed and England are away with a boundary, Cricinfo has recorded about this delivery. To deliver a no ball, extra effort is required but wide-ball in Test matches are most of the time deliberately bowled, Prabhakar, who has re-emerged in Indian cricket as a coach for domestic cricket teams, said. Prabhakar has served as Delhi cricket teams bowling coach, head coach of the Rajasthan cricket team and is currently one of the contenders to become the head coach of the Delhi team. If Amir plays with honesty, he can become worlds top-class bowler. He has that potential, Prabhakar added.

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