Wrist Spin Bowling (part Five)

[doc8176]

So I bowled to some of my mates from the club this afternoon. I tried my new release focusing on getting the tips of my finger over the ball.

I found I was getting way more movement in the air than I usually get, but was struggling for purchase off the synthetic. That might be because I was also finding it easier to bowl a little faster, and that would make it harder for it to grip. I was also using a fairly hard ball on old worn out synthetic.

But yeah I was getting tons of drift and dip, got 2 or 3 caught behinds which is quite unusual for me. Almost bowled someone off stump with a peach of an arm ball that tailed away and beat them on the outside edge.

Like I’ve said a few times on here, I’d rather rely on beating people in flight than off the pitch. You can beat someone with flight on any pitch but you won’t always be able to turn the ball.

 

[SomeblokecalledDave.]

Is this one of your best seasons ever?

Yeah definitely since probably 2005, maybe longer. I had a year where I was bowling very accurate Wrong-uns mixed with Flippers (No Leg-Breaks) and had a series of games where I had 3 four-fers in a row and was taking wickets in every game. I seem to remember I had a very good strike rate that year, but played a lot less games. For me this has been a very good season - massively helped by playing in 3rd XI games and mixed games where there's young blokes that can run and take catches.

 

[Leggy88]

Yeah definitely since probably 2005, maybe longer. I had a year where I was bowling very accurate Wrong-uns mixed with Flippers (No Leg-Breaks) and had a series of games where I had 3 four-fers in a row and was taking wickets in every game. I seem to remember I had a very good strike rate that year, but played a lot less games. For me this has been a very good season - massively helped by playing in 3rd XI games and mixed games where there's young blokes that can run and take catches.

Nice, wow three four fas in a row is awesome. Was that when you had googly syndrome?

Good fielders are key for spinners.

 

[Leggy88]

So I bowled to some of my mates from the club this afternoon. I tried my new release focusing on getting the tips of my finger over the ball.

I found I was getting way more movement in the air than I usually get, but was struggling for purchase off the synthetic. That might be because I was also finding it easier to bowl a little faster, and that would make it harder for it to grip. I was also using a fairly hard ball on old worn out synthetic.

But yeah I was getting tons of drift and dip, got 2 or 3 caught behinds which is quite unusual for me. Almost bowled someone off stump with a peach of an arm ball that tailed away and beat them on the outside edge.

Like I’ve said a few times on here, I’d rather rely on beating people in flight than off the pitch. You can beat someone with flight on any pitch but you won’t always be able to turn the ball.

Nice, that sounds great. I don't get much turn on syntho, but just as long as I am getting that fizz off the fingers, and the dip and drift in the air, which you seem to have now, it should turn big on turf.

 

[doc8176]

Have any of you tried a drill where you make a line of rope as high as your wrist at the top of your bowling action, and about 1/4 of the way down the pitch.

You try and bowl over it and onto a length, found it basically fixed my flight and loop. I used to bowl too slow so I had started bowling darts. But the drill basically helped me to find out how fast I can bowl to still get it above the eye line and land it on a length.

 

[Leggy88]

Have any of you tried a drill where you make a line of rope as high as your wrist at the top of your bowling action, and about 1/4 of the way down the pitch.

You try and bowl over it and onto a length, found it basically fixed my flight and loop. I used to bowl too slow so I had started bowling darts. But the drill basically helped me to find out how fast I can bowl to still get it above the eye line and land it on a length.

No, never tried that, but I think it would be very worthwhile. Definitely something I'll give a go in the next few weeks, should help with dip too technically?

 

[doc8176]

No, never tried that, but I think it would be very worthwhile. Definitely something I'll give a go in the next few weeks, should help with dip too technically?

I feel like dip is mostly an illusion caused by flight and change of pace. There is obviously a Magnus effect part to it too though.

But yeah that’s the general idea, just to get that Nathan Lyon kinda loop on the ball. It helped my release too because it made me really spin over the ball more.

 

[Leggy88]

I feel like dip is mostly an illusion caused by flight and change of pace. There is obviously a Magnus effect part to it too though.

But yeah that’s the general idea, just to get that Nathan Lyon kinda loop on the ball. It helped my release too because it made me really spin over the ball more.

When you do this drill do you mostly use topspin or do you vary it and bowl with sidespin too? Wondering cause sidespin deliveries are generally flatter.

 

[doc8176]

When you do this drill do you mostly use topspin or do you vary it and bowl with sidespin too? Wondering cause sidespin deliveries are generally flatter.

It’s just for your stock ball really. Mine is slightly more topspinned because I’m bowling off spin of synthetic.

The point in it is get your stock ball just above their eyeline so it’s hard to read and they have to readjust to it but they don’t have much time to do so. You can use it for your topspinner and wrong’un too, can’t see why not. Actually it would be quite good to practice your topspinner, gives a great point of reference for how different the spot it pitches in is.

It obviously won’t really work like sidespinners, sliders or just quicker deliveries because you don’t necessarily want them above the eyeline.

I like to think of spin bowling as a game of pushing your limits. Like for this, how fast can you bowl the ball onto a length while still keeping it above their eyeline. Another one I like is how short can you pitch the ball while still making the batsman come forward.

 

[doc8176]

I’ll also add I tend to talk very favourably about about top spin:

A. Because it’s much harder to bowl as an off spinner given the action naturally produces back spin. Whereas a legspin action naturally produces top spin

B. It’s arguably more effective for an off spinner given it’s turning in and can produce more chances for short leg, getting top edges off of slogs to cow corner, and getting edges off of cut shots.

 

[Leggy88]

I’ll also add I tend to talk very favourably about about top spin:

A. Because it’s much harder to bowl as an off spinner given the action naturally produces back spin. Whereas a legspin action naturally produces top spin

B. It’s arguably more effective for an off spinner given it’s turning in and can produce more chances for short leg, getting top edges off of slogs to cow corner, and getting edges off of cut shots.

True, whenever I've tried offspin I've always bowled sliders haha.

Yeah that all makes sense. I really like that idea of seeing how short you can bowl whilst getting the batsman forward too.

 

[doc8176]

Played a scratch match today, first game for the season.

Got bowled first ball middle stump by a full ball that didn’t move.

Took a couple of good catches.

Was really happy with how I bowled though. Really nice loop and fight, took 2-15 off 3.2 overs. Got hit down the ground for 6 and then got him out next ball in my first over. Beat a younger bloke through the gate at least 3 times, first one managed to get through a cricket ball sized gap between his bat and off stump, the other 2 went over the stumps by no more than an inch.

Tried to bowl 2 variations and both went down leg lol. First wicket was caught at cow corner and the other one was an outside edge off a drive that carried to point.

 

[Leggy88]

Played a scratch match today, first game for the season.

Got bowled first ball middle stump by a full ball that didn’t move.

Took a couple of good catches.

Was really happy with how I bowled though. Really nice loop and fight, took 2-15 off 3.2 overs. Got hit down the ground for 6 and then got him out next ball in my first over. Beat a younger bloke through the gate at least 3 times, first one managed to get through a cricket ball sized gap between his bat and off stump, the other 2 went over the stumps by no more than an inch.

Tried to bowl 2 variations and both went down leg lol. First wicket was caught at cow corner and the other one was an outside edge off a drive that carried to point.

Nice man. Hopefully you can carry that bowling form into the games.

On another note, in my team we have four recognised batsman and the rest bowlers... So if I win the toss, considering we have a strong bowling lineup, what would you do if it was a relatively normal, flat pitch? Bowl first and hope to skittle them? Or try and defend a meagre total possibly?

 

[doc8176]

Nice man. Hopefully you can carry that bowling form into the games.

On another note, in my team we have four recognised batsman and the rest bowlers... So if I win the toss, considering we have a strong bowling lineup, what would you do if it was a relatively normal, flat pitch? Bowl first and hope to skittle them? Or try and defend a meagre total possibly?

Bat first, your batters already have enough pressure on them with such a long tail, they don’t need the stress of chasing as well.

Also Australia+flat pitch= bat first.

 

[Leggy88]

Bat first, your batters already have enough pressure on them with such a long, they don’t need the stress of chasing as well.

Also Australia+flat pitch= bat first.

Cheers, yeah that's what I was thinking. Hopefully this year a couple of our bowlers can improve their batting. Otherwise we might be in for a tough season. For context, one bloke who batted at no. 8 for us last year - the keeper - is batting no. 4 now. And back then we weren't exactly getting big scores either. Mainly 150-200 in a 50 over game, a just below par score mostly.

 

[doc8176]

Cheers, yeah that's what I was thinking. Hopefully this year a couple of our bowlers can improve their batting. Otherwise we might be in for a tough season. For context, one bloke who batted at no. 8 for us last year - the keeper - is batting no. 4 now. And back then we weren't exactly getting big scores either. Mainly 150-200 in a 50 over game, a just below par score mostly.

Yeah that’s pretty rough.

 

[SomeblokecalledDave.]

Nice, wow three four fas in a row is awesome. Was that when you had googly syndrome?

Good fielders are key for spinners.

Yep, could get anywhere near a leg-break. I think there might be conversations about it on here right at the start of this thread.

 

[SomeblokecalledDave.]

Have any of you tried a drill where you make a line of rope as high as your wrist at the top of your bowling action, and about 1/4 of the way down the pitch.

You try and bowl over it and onto a length, found it basically fixed my flight and loop. I used to bowl too slow so I had started bowling darts. But the drill basically helped me to find out how fast I can bowl to still get it above the eye line and land it on a length.

There was a bloke on here years ago who was a regular contributor, I only chat with him on FB these days, but he went for a coaching session or two with Scott Borthwick and he said that was one of the main things he worked on with him. Never tried it myself, but I reckon it's an exceptionally good drill.

 

[doc8176]

I’m hitting my straps lads.

I’ve been bowling REALLY well recently, it’s definitely that rope drill that’s helped.

I’m bowling it above the eyeline, not TOO slow, its improved my release which has made me quite a bit more accurate and has increased my revs and seam position.

I was getting some pretty unreal drop and late drift on a relatively old ball, with still decent turn.

I got a bloke with the most conventional outside edge to slip you’ve ever seen and then snuck one through another blokes gate (on syntho so over the stumps of course) which I’ve basically never done before, I did the same thing on the weekend too.

This is really cool for me because my wickets traditionally come from mis hits to ring fielders, the fact that I’m actually beating people in the air and off the pitch is really cool to watch.

Also I think I’ve also been slowly polishing the seams on my practice balls down from bowling because they’re getting really slippery.

 

[Leggy88]

I’m hitting my straps lads.

I’ve been bowling REALLY well recently, it’s definitely that rope drill that’s helped.

I’m bowling it above the eyeline, not TOO slow, its improved my release which has made me quite a bit more accurate and has increased my revs and seam position.

I was getting some pretty unreal drop and late drift on a relatively old ball, with still decent turn.

I got a bloke with the most conventional outside edge to slip you’ve ever seen and then snuck one through another blokes gate (on syntho so over the stumps of course) which I’ve basically never done before, I did the same thing on the weekend too.

This is really cool for me because my wickets traditionally come from mis hits to ring fielders, the fact that I’m actually beating people in the air and off the pitch is really cool to watch.

Also I think I’ve also been slowly polishing the seams on my practice balls down from bowling because they’re getting really slippery.

That's great to hear. Your season starts first week of October right?

Sounds like we both should have good seasons with the ball, (fingers crossed) as I am quietly confident in the way the ball is coming out of the hand at the moment too.

Also is it just me, or do offspinners get more batsman nicking to slip then legspinners?