Wrist Spin Bowling (part Five)

Top Contributors
SomeblokecalledDave. said:
Do you know where the batters are likely to hit you when you're bowling? I've been trying to bowl at better batters to figure out how to counter them. I've been taking field diagrams and saying look that's my field now bat accordingly and you tell me how many runs would have got or whether you'd have been caught. The better bats have appreciated it as it's mean they're just not smacking everything and they're playing more like they'd have to in a game. The last session I've done something different. I'm now going in with a blank diagram and marking on the diagram where I get hit in order to analyse how my field should be set and where I should place my best fielders. This is the results of the first session against a range of not so good bats.View attachment 2096The conclusion drawn from this is pretty obvious, I need decent players at Point and square leg. I'm going to continue doing this for the remainder of the season and see what I come up with in terms of making adjustments to my fields. * Also note this was against bog standard Leggies, virtually no flippers - since my 5-fer my Flippers have been utter dog water and my leggies have been pretty decent, so I may be bowling Leggies a lot more in the remainder of the games. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
Click to expand...

Yeah mine would be pretty much all down the ground, to cow or to square leg. That’s in the nets anyway. But when I have had the chance to bowl to some better batsmen in the nets that aren’t just hacks it’s normally singles between square leg and mid wicket as well as occasionally through point, sweeps for 4 and sometimes down the ground.

I feel like you should still be bowling to the specific batsman though so don’t get caught up with this field if the batsman is fairly unique in their scoring areas.
 
doc8176 said:
Yeah mine would be pretty much all down the ground, to cow or to square leg. That’s in the nets anyway. But when I have had the chance to bowl to some better batsmen in the nets that aren’t just hacks it’s normally singles between square leg and mid wicket as well as occasionally through point, sweeps for 4 and sometimes down the ground.

I feel like you should still be bowling to the specific batsman though so don’t get caught up with this field if the batsman is fairly unique in their scoring areas.
Click to expand...
Do you have a standard field that you start off with and then modify dependent on what the batters do? If so what's your standard field (Sorry if you've said previously).
 
SomeblokecalledDave. said:
Do you know where the batters are likely to hit you when you're bowling? I've been trying to bowl at better batters to figure out how to counter them. I've been taking field diagrams and saying look that's my field now bat accordingly and you tell me how many runs would have got or whether you'd have been caught. The better bats have appreciated it as it's mean they're just not smacking everything and they're playing more like they'd have to in a game. The last session I've done something different. I'm now going in with a blank diagram and marking on the diagram where I get hit in order to analyse how my field should be set and where I should place my best fielders. This is the results of the first session against a range of not so good bats.View attachment 2096The conclusion drawn from this is pretty obvious, I need decent players at Point and square leg. I'm going to continue doing this for the remainder of the season and see what I come up with in terms of making adjustments to my fields. * Also note this was against bog standard Leggies, virtually no flippers - since my 5-fer my Flippers have been utter dog water and my leggies have been pretty decent, so I may be bowling Leggies a lot more in the remainder of the games. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
Click to expand...

Thats a good idea, I'll have to try it for sure. I dare say my areas would be similar to you.
 
SomeblokecalledDave. said:
Do you have a standard field that you start off with and then modify dependent on what the batters do? If so what's your standard field (Sorry if you've said previously).
Click to expand...

My standard field typically looks like this:

1691188983150.png
Key catchers are at first slip, short cover, and short midwicket. Any tips on the field?
 
SomeblokecalledDave. said:
Do you have a standard field that you start off with and then modify dependent on what the batters do? If so what's your standard field (Sorry if you've said previously).
Click to expand...

27cb56fd21ba821d0cca8d396b691afe.jpg

I usually start with this and depending on the how I’m bowing I might bring square leg in or maybe send long on or cow corner out.

If I’m feeling extra spicy I’ll get like a silly mid on or remove cover to try and get them to drive me.

One of the biggest impacts I’ve had in a game with a field change was from a dude that was working me between square leg and mid wicket for singles. Wasn’t hitting me aerially or hard at all so I plugged the whole with deep square and after he was unable to hit a few singles he skipped down the pitch and I snuck one through his gate and got him out stumped.

Also I’ll usually bring a first slip in when I play higher grades.
 
Leggy88 said:
My standard field typically looks like this:

View attachment 2097
Key catchers are at first slip, short cover, and short midwicket. Any tips on the field?
Click to expand...
Looks sound, quite attacking as well. I think you're able to set your field in a different way to me because you play with blokes of the same age, whereas I play with a some other old duffers who are nowhere near as agile and fit as they perhaps should be. I don't usually have a slip - but have noticed when a new bat comes in or I come on at the start I do get edges quite frequently, but to be honest I'd be flabbergasted if anyone who fields in the slips caught one. I think in all the years I've played it's happened once! I'd have the slips at deep mid wicket instead.
 
doc8176 said:
27cb56fd21ba821d0cca8d396b691afe.jpg

I usually start with this and depending on the how I’m bowing I might bring square leg in or maybe send long on or cow corner out.

If I’m feeling extra spicy I’ll get like a silly mid on or remove cover to try and get them to drive me.

One of the biggest impacts I’ve had in a game with a field change was from a dude that was working me between square leg and mid wicket for singles. Wasn’t hitting me aerially or hard at all so I plugged the whole with deep square and after he was unable to hit a few singles he skipped down the pitch and I snuck one through his gate and got him out stumped.

Also I’ll usually bring a first slip in when I play higher grades.
Click to expand...
I can't even visualise that properly as you've presented the batters-eye view! I'll have to turn it around to make sense of it!
 
Preseason has properly started now so there’s actually a good turnout as opposed to the unofficial ones we’ve been having.

Been working hard on getting more side on, I definitely notice an increase in revs but I find it harder to increase my pace when trying to fire it in a bit if a batsman is sitting back to me.

Actually got a few batters to bobble it out to bat pad which is cool to see. It’s good feedback to tell me I’m getting good dip and bounce at a good pace.
 
doc8176 said:
My bad!

96ddc9b0d284669bdde82dd2db718e2c.jpg

So that’s the batter at the bottom, wicketkeeper is yellow.

I just used an online field creator thingy.

Also keep in mind I’m an offie.
Click to expand...
Still confused - says at the bottom 'Bowler' and you're saying the on-strike batter is the yellow dot? LOL or has this got something to do with the fact that you're in the Southern hemisphere :)
 
Due to weather and other cancellations I had my first game in a few weeks today. Only bowled 3 overs, came away with 1 wicket for 15 runs. The medium pacer at the other end completed a 5 wicket haul during my spell and we won the game by bowling them out for around 85 (with them chasing 128 from 35 overs).

The wicket was to a right hander, it pitched well outside leg and he tried to turn it around the corner, but it turned in and he helped it onto his stumps. I also had someone dropped at mid on.

My figures for the season:-

Overs 55.1
Maidens 1
Runs 318
Wickets 14
 
Yeah preseason is just starting for me too. I'm really seeing the benefits of little tweaks in my action. I decided to try and get my front toe in delivery stride pointing more towards fine leg rather than straight down the wicket, and this seems to get me a lot more revs because of the more side on position, allowing me to have a bigger, more powerful pivot. However, the only drawback (and I'm not sure if it's just because I'm not used to the action yet) is that it sometimes gets me bowling down leg side a lot more than usual.
 
Leggy88 said:
Yeah preseason is just starting for me too. I'm really seeing the benefits of little tweaks in my action. I decided to try and get my front toe in delivery stride pointing more towards fine leg rather than straight down the wicket, and this seems to get me a lot more revs because of the more side on position, allowing me to have a bigger, more powerful pivot. However, the only drawback (and I'm not sure if it's just because I'm not used to the action yet) is that it sometimes gets me bowling down leg side a lot more than usual.
Click to expand...

If you’re getting more sidespin then I’d imagine your hand getting stuck or catching on the ball would push it even further down leg than it was.
 
Now that I’m thinking about it, being more side on probably takes longer to adjust to than we or at least I give it credit for.

You have to adjust your chest drive timing because it takes that fraction longer to get through your pivot. I found myself mistiming it for short spells and removing any momentum or rhythm in the delivery.
 
Yeah I've noticed while being side on seems to get better results it does feel a bit more unnatural, at least for me. Timing is everything when you are sideon.
 
Leggy88 said:
Yeah I've noticed while being side on seems to get better results it does feel a bit more unnatural, at least for me. Timing is everything when you are sideon.
Click to expand...

Yeah definitely feels a bit unnatural. Also feels like my front arm blocks my view a lot more.

But I do have to check myself to make sure I am actually getting fully side on and not the semi side on like I usually do.

And yeah, even with fast bowling, a front on action is all about a powerful run up and carrying momentum through the crease. Whereas a side on action is about timing your movements well and creating that hip and shoulder separation to almost slingshot your arm forwards.
 
Update on observations with regards where batters hit me. This is now the analysis of 3 nets sessions in the last few weeks. I'm bowling a mixture of Leg-Breaks and Flippers - 85% Leg-breaks, the rest Flippers and a new ball I'm messing around with - which looks like the Iverson Gleeson grip and produces a small leg-break. Observations. I'm aiming for most of the time to bowl a good length to full just outside Leg. Anything that's slow and on the stumps they play a late cut through point most of the time and mis-hits end up potentially in the air to a Gully-ish area. Short balls get put away through square leg, but not with the power I'd have expected. Weirdly, I'm not hit that much through extra cover. All the balls in that area have been hit by one bat whose aware of my field and is by far the best batter I bowl against and they were all hit over my head. Another caveat to that is, I've bowled to him the whole season in the nets a lot and he knows my game. Another area I've not been hit till tonight and again this was a good bat (2nd XI) who knows my bowling is the fine leg shots. I also keep a note of how many balls I bowl to each of the bats before I get them out. Tonight all of them with the exception of 2 were either bowled or mis-hit with the ball going in the air for an easy catch within 8 balls. The 2 blokes I didn't manage to get out were both decent bats who bat for either the 1st or 2nd XI teams. I haven't bowled Leg-Breaks in games for years and I'm really tempted because they seem to be really productive at the moment mixed with the Flippers. I've over-laid where I reckon I should put my fielders. What do you reckon, should I give it a go? Note*The length of the line indicates the power with which the ball was hit. 1691707040456.png
 
SomeblokecalledDave. said:
Update on observations with regards where batters hit me. This is now the analysis of 3 nets sessions in the last few weeks. I'm bowling a mixture of Leg-Breaks and Flippers - 85% Leg-breaks, the rest Flippers and a new ball I'm messing around with - which looks like the Iverson Gleeson grip and produces a small leg-break. Observations. I'm aiming for most of the time to bowl a good length to full just outside Leg. Anything that's slow and on the stumps they play a late cut through point most of the time and mis-hits end up potentially in the air to a Gully-ish area. Short balls get put away through square leg, but not with the power I'd have expected. Weirdly, I'm not hit that much through extra cover. All the balls in that area have been hit by one bat whose aware of my field and is by far the best batter I bowl against and they were all hit over my head. Another caveat to that is, I've bowled to him the whole season in the nets a lot and he knows my game. Another area I've not been hit till tonight and again this was a good bat (2nd XI) who knows my bowling is the fine leg shots. I also keep a note of how many balls I bowl to each of the bats before I get them out. Tonight all of them with the exception of 2 were either bowled or mis-hit with the ball going in the air for an easy catch within 8 balls. The 2 blokes I didn't manage to get out were both decent bats who bat for either the 1st or 2nd XI teams. I haven't bowled Leg-Breaks in games for years and I'm really tempted because they seem to be really productive at the moment mixed with the Flippers. I've over-laid where I reckon I should put my fielders. What do you reckon, should I give it a go? Note*The length of the line indicates the power with which the ball was hit.View attachment 2098
Click to expand...

Yeah I get the late cut problem bowling to left handers.

Because I get some decent turn and bounce on the ball I’m fairly easy to sit back to and just slice down to third man. Thankfully I’ve got arguably the best variation possible for it. A well disguised arm ball that swings/drifts into a left hander, doesn’t bounce quite as much either. I’ve found if I land it in the right spot they’ll go back for cut and get cramped up and they’ll either chop on, get caught lbw or pop it up to slip. My wider angle being around the wicket probably helps with that too.

You could try bowling a slider from wide on the crease and see if you can bait them into cutting it. Doesn’t really work as well if the batsman can pick it though.

The field looks good, but do you have a power play or field restrictions in your league at all?

You might have to bring cover inside the ring if you’re only allowed 2 out.

And yeah if the leg break is coming out well and turning it makes your slider all the more effective. Definitely use it in a game.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top