No more confusion, Finn must sort out his game

The confusion over whether or not a bowler disrupting the bails at his end while bowling leads to a no ball will finally be resolved after the Marylebone Cricket Club confirmed it would amend the cricket laws.

Currently, it is within the umpire’s discretion to give a dead ball or not should the bowler interfere with the bails on his run-up, a situation that led to confusion with the England side over their recent tour this winter.

Steven Finn was twice denied wickets against India, the umpire calling a dead ball after England’s paceman ran into the bails on his delivery. It cost his team vital wickets and left Finn with much explaining to do, the paceman himself confused over the laws of the game.

Thankfully, this confusion will end on 1 October when a new law comes into place, insisting that the ball is dead should the bowler interference.

The law also means that Finn must sort out his game if he is to make the England Test squads for New Zealand and Australia this summer. As he wrote in his Michael Vaughan tips column, former England skipper Vaughan knows that current captain Alastair Cook cannot afford to have a meandering bowler in his midst that could cost the team a match.

Finn has already claimed he is working hard on his stride and even shortened his run-up to try and cure the problem. However, having taken just one wicket from his last two ODIs against New Zealand this spring, changing his game has clearly taken longer than expected and he may suffer a reduction in delivery pace because of it – something that has affected the England cricket betting.

Sadly, this could cost Finn his place in the side, so the 23-year-old needs to concentrate on his action over the next few months. With three Tests against the Kiwis coming up he has the stage to perfect a new game but will be given no leeway from umpires should those bails come off at the wrong end.