Chesterton used the story to illustrate his principle that you should not be allowed to remove a rule or a tradition unless and until you fully understand the reasons why it was first put in place, and all the effects that its presence has (5). One of the key commentaries in the book is about the warnings of data. Statistics and data are only useful if analyzed from an unbiased point of view. If it is used to prove a personal point or win an argument, then it is of no use. The authors also distinguish Simplicity vs Complexity and how both perspectives are necessary to properly embed data into the context of the game. Quotes Sometimes in the world of data analysis and data science, we can be keen to find the subversive idea that flips perceived wisdom on its head. Yet sometimes, it is just about finding really obvious things to measure and making sure that they are being done well. They analyse the unseen hands that determine which players succeed and which fail, which tactics work and which don't, which teams win and which lose.

When you’re in a battle with a spin bowler, it’s important to not allow them to settle into a rhythm of bowling exactly where they want to. Spinners love nothing more than being able to bowl their line and lengths and land ball after ball in the same spot, while a batsman plays defensively. The worst thing for a spinner to bowl against is a batsman that takes calculated risks and puts them under pressure. This makes it harder for them to find a bowling rhythm! Balance and nuance must remain legitimate tools for useful understanding of many areas of the game to emerge…. But once the exercise becomes about winning the argument, rather than discovering the truth, it is incredibly unlikely that you will achieve the latter.“ This and many other lessons are set out in his new book Hitting Against The Spin, which seeks to explain some of the game’s hidden patterns and overlooked trends. Why India produces relatively few left-handed batsmen (largely because spin is a bigger threat in the early overs). Why Nasser Hussain was (statistically) right to bowl first at Brisbane in 2002. And why the frequent incantations for fast bowlers to “just pitch it up” often do more harm than good. The book refers to these two juxtaposed ideas, which explore whether something that has been perceived wisdom for a long time is true or not, the names come from two stories:Analysis is about making the invisible visible,” Leamon explains. “The analogy I always use is cameras. Being able to slow things down and freeze frames enables a coach to make better decisions, but it doesn’t do the coaching for him.” We are all loss averse, genetically programmed to be, and straying from the accepted path carries a twofold risk, firstly the increased failure rate of the innovation, and secondly the increased criticism and loss of standing that will accompany any failure (72). – Shooting 3 points, running on 4th down, reverse sweep.” The idea being that you shouldn’t remove a rule or tradition unless you understand why it was first put in place. A monk adopted a cat, but the cat would always distract all of the monks while meditating. So they tethered the cat before evening meditation every day. However, over time this became tradition, so when the cat passed away, they went and got a new cat, and also tethered that cat before evening meditation.

The book explores some genuine curiosities, such as why over half of opening batsmen at Test level are now left-handers, why that's not the case in India and Bangladesh, and why this preponderance has surged in recent years. The answers to these questions lie in issues as diverse as pitch speeds, the LBW rule, neutral umpires, Hawkeye and DRS. Spoiler Alert Note: The quotes below are directly from the book in case you are planning to read the book first. Embed from Getty Images 1. Tethered Cats and Chesterton’s Fence What it is? Loved that the book is updated enough to talk about the 2019 World Cup (that was 2 years ago!), and yet talks of Australia's 32 year unbeaten Test run at Gabba (:D) The rise of left handers and why India doesn't produce enough of them was quite insightful, and so was the discussion of swing, line, length, and the vagaries, beauty, and relevance of spin in general and wrist spin in particular in the slam bang age of T20 Also absorbing is an examination as to why there are a disproportionate number of left handed batsmen at Test level in some countries. In addition the numbers that accompany the chapter on the apparent bias of most home umpiring decisions before the introduction of neutral officials are illuminating, if not surprising, as are the conclusions about DRS.And yet it’s still great, just because this is so massively unlike most sports books. What if it wasn’t about teamwork, or inspiring coaching or captainship? What if it was just about understanding what the data tells us and then doing that? What are all the different sorts of ways that data can be used to play, coach and manage the game differently, and what happens when you use it in that way? Chesterton’s Fence (a story made up by the writer and philosopher G.K. Chesterton to illustrate conservative thinking): James held degrees in both English and Economics, and the ability to articulate the world of one with the words of the other was key"__Nathan Leamon on Bill James, who spawned Sabermetrics, whose story and execution was best exemplified in the popular book/movie Moneyball