Book that was recommended by a friend, who was reading The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida A Booker Prize winner book by the author. The author of Chinaman too!
The moment I heard about the title! The Australian bowler Brad Hogg came to my mind a bowler who is known as the chinaman bowler.
The book was indeed the concept of the spin Balling and Bowler but in contemporary fiction writing.
Chinaman is a story about a retired sportsman W.G Karunsena who is dying.
He spends his final months drinking arrack. ( A traditional alcohol from Sri Lanka) upsetting his wife, ignoring his son & tracking down Pradeep Matthew an elusive spin bowler whom he considers the greatest Cricketer in the world.
On his Quest to find this unsung genius, W.G. uncovers a coach with six fingers, a secret bunker below a famous stadium, an LTTE warlord and startling truths about Sri Lanka, Cricket and himself.
The Book is one of the best books on Cricket and Sri Lanka I have come across and read.
Explaining, the whole concept of the game. The rules and the type of delivery bowled by a spinner.
The writer also believes what a perfect team should look like by giving his breakdown.
A perfect team should be:
- Two solid openers
- Three Aggressive batsman
- Two genuine all-rounders
- One Agile Wicketkeeper
- Two unplayable fast bowlers
- One Genius Spinner
The book is thought-provoking for a fan, reader and as a player from the sport. On the value and respect the sport offers.
“But, once in a while, the very best of them will bowl a ball and bring an entire nation to its feet. There isn’t any practical use in that, but there is certainly value “
The book also touches upon The Superstitions in cricket , the Betting & fixing.
The way he describes a single over is like a team going to war.
“An over is six bullets in a gun! I don’t mind firing some into the sky if one hits the target”
The struggles to keep dreams and hope alive for the sport We play because we have talent & passion.
But, talent will leave the game if you earn no money
With the pressure, outsiders have to deal with to prove themselves , Tamils have to be twice as good as Sinhalese to be recognised
A few true incidents in the sport are highlighted too one of them being the use of
Aluminium Bat by Dennis Lillee an Australian cricketer in 1978 Ashes used an aluminium bat.
On racism
On changing rules:
Whites have been writing the rules for centuries. It’s time we added ours.
The writer also in the book compares cricket to other sports like Table tennis: You switch services every 5 points and race to 21.
Badminton: You fight for service. only service grants you points.
Tennis: Four units of 15 constitute a game.
Games accumulate into sets.
Some keywords of the game:
All arounder:
A genuine all-around should be able to make the team on either bowling and batting skill alone. A genuine one is as rare as a punctual Sri Lankan.
Maiden over: A over of six balls when there aren’t any runs scored.
Follow on: When the team can’t score the sufficient runs required for the other side to play.
Carrom Ball: The ball is released by flicking of finger between the thumb and a bent middle finger in order to impart spin.
Chinaman: Is considered to be a leg-spin delivery by a left-arm bowler
The Lissa Ball a type of delivery was invented by Clarrie Grimmet Aussie player in 1930. Snapped his fingers along the ball axis and made it skid off the pitch, keeping low and often connected with the wicket.
Floater: A Traditional chinaman, but bowled with an open chest and shrug of the shoulder causing the ball to linger in the air
Double Bounce Ball: The Mystery of Mystery Balls. A ball that bounces and changes direction twice.
A K H I L N A N D A 