How To Bowl In Cricket

By: Sandi Harrison

Break Studios Contributing Writer

One of the most popular bowling techniques in cricket is the leg spin and here are some instructions on how to bowl in cricket. Acquiring skills in bowling can be very difficult. The bowler has to run up to the wickets and throw the ball with a full arm to the batsman, all the while trying to hit the wicket to get the batsman out. A good cricket bowler that has perfected his leg-spin technique can be very confusing to the batsman.

Things you'll need:

Cricket ball

Gripping the ball. The grip for a leg-spinning delivery is very important. The ball sits in the palm of the hand, the seam parallel to the palm. The thumb rests against the side of the ball but has no pressure or impact on the delivery. The first two fingers grip the ball. The third and fourth fingers are closed together and sit against the side of the ball with the bend of the third finger grasping the seam.
Releasing the ball. The third finger controls the majority of the spin. The wrist adds more spin to the ball in an anticlockwise direction. As the wrist comes by the hip, it is cocked. As the ball is released, the wrist moves from right to left. To give the ball flight, toss it up. The batsman will see the palm of the hand as the ball is released. Also, when the ball is released, it spins from right to left in the cricket pitch. It bounces in front of the batsman and the bounce causes the ball to deviate away from the right-handed batsman’s leg side.
Variations of flight. One of the methods of flight in the leg-spin is to loop the ball in the air. This action allows any cross-breezes to make the ball drift or dip before it bounces and turn sharply. This causes the batsman to be unable to determine where the ball is going to end up.
Ball speed. Most leg-spin bowls are much slower than many of the other bowling techniques and range between 45 to 55 mph. Fast leg spinners may reach 60 mph.
Left-handed bowling. The ball is gripped and released the same way for a left-handed bowler. Instead of being called a leg-spin, however, it is called a left-arm unorthodox spin or “Chinaman” bowling.