While watching cricket, particularly Test matches, you probably noticed the bowlers making the ball swing both ways.
Moreover, swinging a cricket ball is not only a technique but also a very few bowlers can handle it perfectly. Wasim Akram, James Anderson, and Dale Steyn are some of the great swing bowlers.
But have you ever thought of how they are doing it? I will be talking about the ball swinging and its different forms in this article.
What is Swing Bowling in Cricket?
Before we go further I would like to clarify the concept of swing bowling first.
When we say swing bowling in cricket that means the ball moves in a direction sideways through the air after the bowler has released it.
But not every bowler is able to bowl such deliveries. A spin bowler for instance cannot swing the ball. Only a fast bowler can because it is a bit more speed that is required.
In addition, swing bowling is the most important weapon for pacers against batters. They use it for deceiving the batter and making him/her play the wrong shot so as to get his/her wicket.
Having laid the foundation already, let us now discuss the relevance of ball maintenance
Types of Swing Bowling
Among the three major types of swing bowling—inswing, outswing, and reverse swing—the in-swing, combined with the out-swing, constitutes the basic swing bowling technique.
In Swing
In-swing is the movement of the ball in the air towards the batter.
In case the batter does not read the path of the ball correctly, the ball will either strike the wickets or the pads of the batter. The latter might result in LBW dismissal too.
To in-swing a right-handed batter?
Position the ball so that the seam is straight up and pointing towards the leg side.
Have the shiny side facing the off side.
As the ball moves through the air, the seam should be kept vertical and angled.
The ball will then swing from off side to leg side towards the batter.
Out Swing
Outwing is just the opposite of in-swing. The outswing is that the ball gets to the batter in the air but in the opposite direction.
If the batter would, however, like to peek at the ball, there’s a good chance of the ball being edged to the keeper or the slip fielder.
To bowl outswing to a right-handed batter?
Position the ball’s seam straight up and pointing towards the third man.
Have the shiny side facing the leg side.
As the ball moves through the air, keep the seam vertical and at an angle.
The ball will swing from leg side to off side away from the batter
Reverse Swing
The bowler can reverse swing the ball when it ages, gets rough and loses shine on one side. The reverse swing is thus called because it makes the batter at the crease a fool.
How is this possible? If you want to do a reverse swing delivery, then hold the ball as you would for an outswing bowler. The ball, rather than moving away, will move towards the right-handed batter, thus confusing them.
For a reverse swing to have its full effect, you will need to up your bowling speed. You must reach a speed of at least 140 kph.
How to Bowl a Reverse Swing Delivery? (Right-Handed Batter)
One side of the ball must be shiny, while the other side should be dry and scuffed
Position the ball’s seam in the upward direction, pointing towards the third man
The shiny side should be directed toward the leg-side. So that the ball moves toward the shiny side, increase your bowling speed
Swing bowling is a fascinating skill that can make the game of cricket so much more interesting. By learning about the different types of swing and practicing the right techniques, bowlers can get this art down and become a major force on the pitch.
So take on the challenge, play with it and reveal the mysteries of swing bowling.
