Why does Mason Crane have so many aborted deliveries?

2 minute read

White bread, brown bread, sourdough, rye or ciabatta? Faced with an unexpected question after reaching the head of a long, long queue, Mason Crane would not be rushed into a rash decision, you feel. Everyone can wait.

As dozens of pairs of frustrated eyes tried to bore holes in the back of his neck in the hope of somehow rupturing a major artery, Crane would calmly mull his decision over. Bread decisions matter. You have to get them right.

Similarly, if Crane doesn’t want to bowl the ball, then he’s not going to. And you can’t make him.

Some bowlers develop a fear of letting go of the ball, but Crane’s recurrent aborts instead smack of his having the bravery to hold onto it.

Even if 50,000 people are going to be pissed off with him, Crane’s not releasing the thing if he doesn’t feel like his body’s in sync. He’s going to cling onto that ball, do a go-around and try and ensure he comes in at the right trajectory on his next attempt.

And if that doesn’t happen? Well, shut your faces, because he’s going to do exactly the same thing again.

We rather like this. It’s kind of, ‘what I want to do is more important than what you want me to do’.

No-one got anywhere in life by paying any attention to other people. We’re pretty sure of that.