The Art of Bowling – Techniques and Strategies
The art of bowling in cricket goes well beyond just delivering the ball to the batman.
Cricket is a sport where the bowler and batsman are both looking to outwit each other, using different techniques and strategies.
As any cricket fan would know, there are lots of ways to deliver a ball to a batsman.
A bowler’s aim is ultimately to dismiss the batsman from their crease, but also to try and limit the flow of runs that the batsman makes in the meantime.
Bowling Basics
There are two broad types of bowlers in cricket – pace and spin.
Pace bowling can intimidate the batsman and force them to make very quick decisions, while spin bowling adds rotation to the ball which makes its movement hard for the batsman to predict when it bounces.
There are two main types of spin bowling – off spin and leg spin.
Off spin bowling aims to spin the ball from the off side to the leg side of the batsman, while leg spin goes in the opposite direction.
Bowling Techniques and Strategies
Pace, Swing and Seam
Whether you are a pace or a spin bowler, mixing up your deliveries is a great way to outwit any batsman.
The best bowlers can control their pace, being able to deliver quick balls as well as slower deliveries with deceptive control to catch the batsman off-guard.
By using different grips and release points, bowlers can also generate very different deliveries.
Swing bowling – which generates movement of the ball in the air – can deceive batsmen with late movement in either direction.
Seam bowling – which generates movement of the ball off the pitch – can create unpredictable bounces and lead to edges from the batsmen – and ultimately wickets if the field is well placed.
Line and Length
The line of the ball refers to its trajectory down the middle of the pitch and whether it heads towards the middle stump or instead is delivered to the off side or leg side of the batsman.
The line of a ball can dictate the shots available to the batman and target any weaknesses.
The length of the ball refers to how far down the pitch towards the batsman that the ball bounces and is another important weapon in a good bowler’s artillery.
Short balls – also referred to as ‘bouncers’ – are an attacking ploy which aim to have the ball bounce at head height of the batsman.
Standard ‘good length balls’ generally bounce about 6-8 metres in front of the batsman for fast bowlers, or 3-4 metres for spin bowlers.
Bowlers can also deploy ‘Yorkers’, which are full-length deliveries that bounce at the batsman’s feet and trouble the batsman’s timing and decision making.
Understanding Opponents, Conditions and Situations
Skilled bowlers can read the batsman, observing their stance, technique and any weaknesses in their game.
Part of the art of bowling is being able to target those weaknesses and anticipating a batsman’s shots, allowing you to set up the field accordingly and provide the best chance of dismissing the batsman.
Adapting to situations and conditions within a match is also important, including adapting your bowling based on the behaviour of the pitch.
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