Jake and the magical art

Of the colossal range of charms and intricacies in cricket, perhaps the most charming and intricate of all is wrist spin.

Wrist spin is, of course, quite ridiculous. And utterly unnatural. When Neanderthal man went hunting for food, he did not throw his spear with a twisted wrist. When ancient farmers scattered their seeds, they did not twist their hand so that the seeds would sail through the air then, upon landing, deviate to the left. Peasants in the middle-ages did not wrist-spin rotten fruit and veg at miscreants in the stocks. They just threw it, like any normal person would.

Yes, wrist spin is ridiculous and silly and inane and very difficult to do and that's why it, and wrist-spinners, are among cricket’s most treasured jewels.

Jake Lintott has purveyed his left-arm wrist spin in competitions all over the world and speaks fascinatingly to Reports from Arbroath about that art but there is much more to his story. It is a story of determination and persistence; of self-belief sustained in the face of setbacks; and of meeting the challenges that keep on coming when you have finally “made it” as a professional cricketer.

Jake, a teacher until finally breaking into professional cricket at the age of 27, also speaks passionately about his love of coaching, and his work in that role with Warwickshire’s women’s team. Plenty of games and wickets still lie ahead of him as a player but it is evident from his honest, enlightening and engaging chat with Reports from Arbroath, that an excellent coaching career could follow his playing days.    

Go for it, Jake…you are better placed than most to help keep the magical, mesmeric, mystical light that is wrist spin burning bright in the great world of cricket!