Let's. Play. Darts.....again

As devoted Gloucestershire fans we are sure that you all picked up on our inability to hear the news that Jack Taylor had been banned from bowling at the end of last week. In fairness, we weren't alone. Even the official Glos Cricket website stated that Taylor had had "two quiet games" in the two T20 wins against Middlesex and Kent.

Sadly though Taylor has indeed been banned. having had his action reported a few weeks back the independent bowling analysis discovered his action to have greater than the permitted 15 degrees of flex. This is the second time this has happened in young Taylor's career and really couldn't have come at a worse time for a player who had become a cornerstone of Gloucestershire's team in all formats.

In 2013 when this occurred the Jessop Tavern was heard scoffing into its cup of tea that if he had an illegal action how come he wasn't giving it a comedy tweak. If you are going to be done for chucking you might as well be done whilst hilariously turning your doosra square. However, that was 2013. Taylor came back and bowled steadily in limited overs games all of last season. Admittedly with an 'unusual action', but one that clearly was good enough to get through a season.

So why has this occurred now, and who is to blame? Is it a coincidence that Taylor's sudden up turn in form, particularly in the championship where he has 14 wickets, has occurred at a time when his action has once again come under scrutiny? Having come through this once we presume that Jack is at least well accustomed to remodelling his action.

In the meantime it will be interesting to see what Gloucestershire choose to do. Taylor has been in prolific, match altering form with the bat and it is to be hoped that Glos and Taylor use this time to develop him into a batsman of significant substance. Didn't that Steve Smith bloke use to be primarily considered a bowler who could bat? Here is hoping that whilst working on that action Taylor continues to use that 15 degrees of flex to continue pumping second division bowling attacks around various county grounds.