Ashley Giles defends leg-side theory

JAIPUR: England spinner Ashley Giles has defended his strategy of bowling down the leg side, saying it was just an attacking way of taking wickets.

The 33-year-old left-arm spinner said it was wrong to term his leg-side line as negative.

"I don't think there is anything called negative bowling, particularly in one-day cricket. It is either good or bad bowling," said the bowler who is with England's Champions Trophy squad to continue his rehabilitation from a hip surgery.

"The opposition is trying to score runs and you are trying to curb them. In Tests, you are trying to get wickets. By bowling over the wicket down the leg, I am attacking to get wickets."

Giles was highly successful with his strategy on the tour of India in 2002 under the leadership of Nasser Hussain.

The tactics, shaped largely by Hussain, came in for criticism but they did succeed in tying down the Indian stroke makers, particularly Sachin Tendulkar.

In the third and final Test at Bangalore, with England trying to level the series, Giles used the leg-side theory to have Tendulkar out stumped. It was the first time the batsman was dismissed in such fashion in his career.

Hussain defended his tactics by saying people could not have expected England to win a series in India with its world class batting line up with nothing up their sleeves.