Any bowler with ambitions to push his boundaries to their maximum would be well advised to get his hands on Brian Wilkins' latest book, Cricket – The Finer Arts of a Great Game.
Wilkins has turned a lifetime love affair with the game into a vehicle to understand the game's, and especially bowlers', inner workings. This book represents the benefits of a lifetime of application in areas where many are guilty of accepting the status quo.
Most widely known for his work in wind tunnels to gain a better understanding of what makes a cricket ball swing, Wilkins has extended his studies to look at other aspects of what the cricket ball, in the right person's hands, is capable of doing.
Technical, it is in parts, but enough explanations and examples are interwoven with observations and anecdotes to make this a fascinating read.
These are not quick fixes. They are intended to be worked on, analysed, moulded for individual use and, as anyone who knows their cricket will understand, developed over time.
Wilkins' own life is an example of that. His has been a constant quest for knowledge.
Reinventing the wheel is a problem common to many sports.
But, Wilkins has provided experience and evidence aplenty for willing students to avoid lost years so many suffer by not talking to those who have been there and done that.
Wilkins' preface offered a classic example of dismissal in his preface when describing a reaction from former New Zealand Test captain and Test referee John Reid after a public talk when told that Wilkins was in the audience.
"How many Tests has he played?" was Reid's response
It's a response offered by many who have had the good fortune to achieve at sport's highest levels.
It is a defence mechanism. A retort to the question is, how many male gynaecologists have ever had babies?
But that's another subject.
Wilkins starts from the premise that there are six misused words in cricket: spin, turn, pitch, wickets, swing, and swerve.
Applying the correct meaning to these words, and their effect on bowling, is a prelude to what follows.
Wilkins says spin is not the 'turn' often referred to by commentators. Bowlers can spin the ball, but unless the ball grips the pitch enough to make the ball change direction, it doesn't turn.
The pitch is the 22 yards between the stumps at either end. The wickets are the three stumps at the ends with bails on top.
Swing is when the ball curves in flight and does not require spin.
Swerve refers to curving flight achieved when the ball has spun.
Breaking up points he makes throughout the book, Wilkins highlights the misuse of descriptions applied by less thoughtful users of mother English, usually in commentary boxes but not confined to them.
Understanding the air conditions for games is essential to have the most significant effect when bowling, whether for swing or spin bowlers. Wilkins' study has shown that still air conditions, with little wind, were the best for swing bowling – in spite of what people may say about humidity or the overhead conditions.
Understanding how pitches play was also important. A dry pitch was not necessarily an assurance the ball would spin. Wilkins said the friction provided by the pitch surface was a factor. Understanding friction's degrees could help a bowler's effectiveness.
An investigation into what was called reverse swing but is now termed 'reverse' is fascinating and rightly highlighted by Wilkins as commentators not understanding their subject.
Similarly, he describes the process of cutting the ball. The value of its application and development of different deliveries from many tried and tested methods is discussed.
A chapter on Sydney Barnes, a bowler who had such a significant impact while only playing 27 Tests and spending much of his career in league cricket in England, was of interest. As a bowler who could swerve and turn the ball both ways, at medium or above pace, he was a bowler who was unique.
Given his success, Wilkins wondered why no one had ever bothered to replicate his methods.
In his study of spin bowling, Wilkins finds the potential for spin bowlers is vast, and his guide to understanding the fundamentals of spin is developed far beyond the element of off and leg-spin bowling.
But, in completing his study, he points out that success as a bowler can only happen when working with a captain who understands what a bowler is trying to achieve.
He highlighted how success in a game like cricket occurred because of a confluence of events. It took the 11 contributing parties in a team to work towards the greater good.
Understanding the match conditions and what bowlers were attempting to achieve against batters all contributed to the outcome.
This book is a reminder that there truly is nothing new under the sun.
There are still variations of more common bowling themes worth probing to make differences in effectiveness in all the conditions in which cricket is played.
Brian Wilkins has challenged modern cricketers to reignite skills lost in the mists of media obfuscations. Many comments on what is happening in games have misrepresented the facts.
Cricket deserves better than that, and Cricket – The Finer Arts of a Great Game, is a handy starting place towards ensuring all is not lost.