5 bowlers with unusual actions who faded away

They were the queers on a cricketing pitch. Wrong footed, straight bodied, eyes-on-the-feet at the time of delivery - time and again, cricket has thrown up such mavericks who’ve redefined the way bowlers bowl. These bowlers arrived with a bang but vanished with a whimper, mostly because they got found out by the batsmen.From Pakistan to Sri Lanka; India to South Africa, each nation has produced bowlers who set the stage on fire with their unusual bowling actions.Sportskeeda takes a look at five such bowlers who amazed initially, hung around for a bit till their surprise element wore off and fell out of the radar soon after.

#1 Paul Adams (South Africa)

Paul Adams broke into the scene as an 18-year-old in 1995 with his “frog in the blender” action. The action was so quirky and different that the results were instantaneous. In his debut series, despite playing just two of the five Tests, he ended as the sixth highest wicket-taker. Over the next three years, he picked up 82 wickets from 27 Tests, confounding batsmen with his element of surprise.

But soon this success started to wear off as more and more batsmen deciphered his enigma. With fleeting returns across formats, Adams found himself out of favor with the South African selectors and played his last Test in 2004. He never quite managed to kickstart his ODI career either but hung around in the domestic setup, picking up wickets in a heap.

He announced his retirement from the game in 2008 and is currently associated in a coaching capacity with the Cape Cobras cricket team.

#2 Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka)

From being a little-known cricketer in the Kolkata Knight Riders outfit to tormenting the Indian batsmen in the Asia Cup finals – Ajantha Mendis’ rise was exponential. Referred to as the ‘mystery spinner’, Mendis further validated his status as Team India’s chief tormentor when he went on to pick up 8 wickets on his Test debut versus the Men in Blue in 2008. He ended his wicket tally for the series at 26, a record for a 3-match debut series.

Mendis’ shock value came in the form of finger-flicked leg breaks, thereby he also helped in popularising what is nowadays known as the “carrom ball” delivery. It almost appeared as though Sri Lanka had found a successor to the great Muttiah Muralidaran, but like is the case with most mystery spinners – Mendis’ mystery wore off thereby exposing him as unidimensional and far from filling Murali’s huge boots.

While he continued to fare decently in the limited-overs format, Mendis never managed to become a permanent member of the Sri Lankan outfit, often shuttling in and out of the squad.

He last played a Test for Sri Lanka almost two years ago, and did not make it to Sri Lanka’s 2016 World T20 squad.

#3 Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan)

It’s been over six months since Sohail Tanvir played an international game for Pakistan. More than a year since he last played an ODI and more than eight years since he played his first and only Test series.

Originally slated into the team as a batting all-rounder, Tanvir gained notoriety with his wrong-footed left-armed bowling action. He turned out to be Pakistan’s X-factor in their 2007 World T20 campaign and later went on to play a pivotal role in Rajasthan Royals’ magic run in the first season of the Indian Premier League.

Tanvir picked up 43 of his 71 ODI wickets in his first two years of international cricket thereby implying how he failed to create an impact beyond the first couple of seasons. His T20 fortunes too, dwindled till he picked up 11 wickets for Pakistan in 2015, thereby staking his claim to a spot in the Pakistani bowling attack. However, he was outrun to the spot by Mohammad Amir – making Tanvir’s future as an international cricketer quite blurry.

Tanvir managed to draw enough interest in the Caribbean Premier League auctions mainly because of his exploits in franchise cricket.

#4 Debasis Mohanty (India)

A bowler based on whose action the ICC designed the logo of the 1999 World Cup, Debasis Mohanty was one of India’s most promising fast-bowlers of the late 90s, who eventually failed to have a fulfilling career.

The lanky pacer took the Indian cricketing fraternity by storm with an unusual bowling action where he landed on the wrong foot after flailing his hands in the air before delivery. Mohanty was reasonably successful when India played in conditions that favored seam bowling, making his last minute inclusion in the Indian squad for the 1999 World Cup, a masterstroke.

However, his deficiencies were exposed under harsher subcontinental conditions where the pitches didn’t offer much to the fast bowlers. Mohanty played 2 Tests and 45 ODIs for India between 1997 and 2001, but ended up losing his spot to more promising players such as Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan.

#5 Shaun Tait (Australia)

It wasn’t all too surprising when Shaun Tait announced his retirement from first-class cricket in 2008, just six years into his first-class career and merely three years after his Test debut. The Australian fast-bowler who bowled with a shoulder strong action, Tait’s raw pace and slingy bowling style reminded the world of a young Shoaib Akhtar.

Tait’s ability to hit the 150 kmph mark became his USP and he soon became one of Australia’s more potent weapons in the limited overs format.

However, as fate would have it, recurring injuries due to the extreme load on his back and shoulders, coupled with inconsistent form, led to a promising career being cut short. More than fifty percent of Tait’s ODI wickets came in his debut season, and his Test career never managed to take off.

Even in the game’s shortest format, Tait never managed to become a regular in the Australian line-up, finding himself out of the XI on most occasions. His best performance in T20Is came in 2010 when he picked up 22 of his career’s 28 T20 scalps. But that was about it.