Spin Bowling

An off break moves from the off side back towards a right-hander's stumps, so the danger is an inside edge, the pad in front, or a gap between bat and pad.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

Off spin is a finger action: the index finger rips across and down the seam at release, so the revolutions come from the fingers rather than a wristy flick.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

Bowled with the same action but seam-up, the arm ball carries straight on or swings in a fraction, so a batter playing for the turn is beaten on the inside.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

Spinning into the right-hander means a beaten bat often ends with the ball hitting off or middle, or the pad in front, so the line is tighter to the stumps than a leg-spinner's.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

The doosra uses a back-of-the-hand release to spin the other way, so disguised well it beats the outside edge of a batter set for the off break.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

Loop makes the ball drop shorter than it looks and grip harder off the pitch, and it tempts the drive that feeds the bat-pad catch.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Without help from the surface the spinner has to change pace and trajectory so the batter misjudges the length and drives too early or too late.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

Topspin adds forward rotation, so the ball drops shorter than expected and jumps higher after pitching, which is how a spinner gets bounce and bat-pad catches.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

A breeze in the face lets the bowler give the ball air without it sailing long, and it exaggerates the dip and the away drift before the ball grips and turns back.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Denying the batter the pitch of the ball, by going flatter, wider or quicker, stops the charge from turning good-length balls into half-volleys.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

The leg break spins from leg to off for a right-hander, moving away from the bat towards the slip cordon, which is why the edge is the leggie's main weapon.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

Leg spin is a wrist action with a big hand rotation, which puts more revolutions on the ball but also makes line and length far less repeatable than finger spin.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

Released from the back of the hand with the same wrist shape, the googly spins like an off break, so a batter reading "leg break" is beaten on the inside edge.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

With pure forward rotation it neither leaves nor comes in, so it can trap a batter playing for turn either lbw or caught off the splice from the extra bounce.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

Backspin makes the flipper hurry on and stay low after pitching, so a batter expecting the ball to sit up is often beaten for pace and bowled or trapped in front.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

Released with a hint of backspin and no wrist turn, the slider carries on straight and a little quicker, catching the batter half-forward for lbw or bowled.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

Short leg-spin sits up to be hit, so the fix is to give the ball more air and let the flight and dip bring the length back rather than pushing it faster.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A wrist-spinner's stock-in-trade is the wicket-taking ball, so captains accept a higher run rate in exchange for the strikes it produces.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

The harder the ball is spun the more it deviates in the air and off the seam, so on a helpful surface the heavily spun ball beats the bat by a wider margin.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

The googly works on surprise, so the bowler builds a rhythm of balls turning away and then slips in the one that turns back when the batter is committed.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · applied

Drift is the ball curving through the air, usually away from a right-hander for an off-spinner, before the seam grips and the ball then turns back the other way.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

Overspin and loop make the ball fall out of the air earlier, so a batter who commits to a fuller length is left reaching and dragged forward off balance.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

On surfaces that do not turn, wickets come from the batter misreading length and shape in the air, so the clever spinner varies loop, pace and angle.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Once the batter's feet and hands are grooved to one pace, a ball that hangs a fraction longer arrives late, so the drive is early and uppish.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

Sidespin points the axis for maximum deviation off the pitch but adds little forward rotation, so the ball turns sharply yet stays fairly low.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

The same seam and spin that turn the ball back into the right-hander make it drift away from them first, so the ball shapes one way in the air and the other off the pitch.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

The batter judges length from the early flight, so a ball that then drops in arrives fuller and closer than planned, jamming the stride and the swing.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

A ball looped up above the eyes is seen against the sky, where length and dip are far harder to read, which is why loop unsettles even a set batter.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A ball with air on it lands with more revolutions still on it and more time to bite, so slower and fuller squeezes the most turn out of a helpful surface.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

Playing with the pad right behind the bat means a ball that grips and turns hits wood or pad rather than finding the gap for bowled or bat-pad.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

The off break that goes into a right-hander goes away from a left-hander, so the same delivery that attacked the stumps now hunts the outside edge.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

Bowlers' footmarks and follow-through churn up patches just outside a batter's off or leg stump, and a ball landing there grips and jumps unpredictably.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

From around the wicket the angle points the delivery at the footmarks outside the left-hander's off stump, where the extra turn and bounce threaten bat-pad and the edge.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

Left-arm orthodox turns the ball away from a right-hander, into the rough outside off, exactly as a right-arm off-spinner does to a left-hander.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

Loose, broken soil grips the seam hard but unevenly, so some balls rip and climb while others shoot low, and the batter cannot tell which is coming.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Kicking away a ball pitching outside off, with the bat tucked behind the pad, denies bat-pad catches, though it risks lbw if the batter is caught on the crease.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

From over the wicket the angle runs across the left-hander, so the rough outside off is reached on a fuller, wider line than from around the wicket.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

Rough takes time to form, so it becomes a weapon later in an innings, and it is aimed at the danger batter whose wicket is worth most.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A leg break landing in leg-stump rough grips and turns sharply back towards off, threatening bowled behind the pads and the bat-pad catch on the off side.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

Deep in the crease or fully forward gives the batter the best chance to smother the turn or to see it early, whereas a half-cock push is the ball's easiest victim.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A ball turning in and popping off the splice or the pad lobs just in front of square on the leg side, exactly where short leg crouches.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

When a spinner beats the outside edge with turn or bounce, the nick carries slower and lower than off a quick, so slip stands finer and closer.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

An attacking spin field bets on the wicket coming soon, so bat-pad, slip and silly point come in and the single is left on offer.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A deep fielder square or straight lets the batter take one but cuts off the sweep or lofted drive for four, keeping the spinner's economy in check.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

Flighting the ball wider and slower invites the drive or the slog, and the captain gambles that the mishit goes to a fielder before the boundary count hurts.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Going from the pace and bounce of a seamer to the loop and grip of a spinner every over gives the batter no rhythm to settle into.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

With runs the enemy rather than the wicket, the spinner darts it flatter and the field spreads to turn twos into ones and boundaries into twos.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Only a metre or two from the bat on the off side, silly point takes the bat-pad chance but relies on quick reactions and protective gear to stay safe.

Source: ESPNcricinfo coaching glossary · recall

A new angle of attack, from around the wicket or from wide on the crease, changes the lines the batter has grooved and can force a fresh mistake.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

If containment is not enough and time or a target is pressing, the captain would rather roll the dice with an attacking option than settle for dot balls.

Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

Herath was a left-arm orthodox spinner and one of the most successful of his kind in Test history.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Wrist spin, as with right-arm leg spin, gives big turn at the cost of some control.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

A left-arm wrist spinner's stock ball turns into the right-hander; his googly goes the other way.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Both bowl left-arm wrist spin, a rare type that batters see far less often.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Turning from leg to off for a right-hander, the same ball turns into a left-hander.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Coming from the other side of the stumps, the left-armer changes the angle the batters are used to.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

The leg-stump line into the rough is a holding tactic: the batter can only pad it away or take a risk.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

The wrist spinner's stock ball turns in, the arm ball goes on with the angle, and the finger spinner's stock ball turns away.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Rhodes made his debut in 1899, Verity in 1931, Bedi in 1966 and Vettori in 1997.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

The ball turns away from the right-hander, so the edge flies towards the keeper and slip.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

The ball is squeezed between thumb and bent middle finger and flicked out, as in the board game.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

In carrom, players flick discs across the board, the same action the bowler uses.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Mendis took 26 wickets in that series against India with flicked variations few batters could read.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Saqlain Mushtaq made the doosra famous; Mushtaq Mohammad, Kaneria and Qadir all bowled leg spin.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

A ball that leaves the right-hander, from the same action, stops batters playing for one kind of turn.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Bowling it with a bent arm that then straightens past the allowed limit makes the action illegal.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A bowler sends down only 24 balls in a T20, so a batter rarely gets long enough to pick him.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Iverson played in 1950-51, Gleeson from 1967, Mendis from 2008 and Narine from 2011.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Watching the hand comes first; when that fails, playing late off the pitch is the safe fallback.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

An off break would turn in; this one turns away from the right-hander, which the carrom ball can do.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A quicker, flatter ball is harder to reach and hit over the top.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Wrist spinners turn the ball both ways, and batters chasing runs against them take risks.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

If the batter misses a straight ball he is out; that keeps him from swinging freely.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

With wickets in hand and the field spread, batters can hit slow bowling hard.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

On a slow surface the batters have to supply all the power, and mistimed shots follow.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Batters hitting hard need the pace they expect; small changes in speed lead to mistimed shots.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Holding overs back lets the captain use the spinner against batters he suits best.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

The reverse sweep is decided early, with the hands swapped or the body turned before the bat comes across.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Pressure from dot balls pushes batters into a risky shot, which a well-set field can catch.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

An off-spinner's stock ball turns away from a left-handed batter, as the plan needs.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A spinner needs to arrive balanced and repeat his action, not build speed.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Bracing the front leg lets the body rotate over it, and that energy goes into the spin.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Pulling the leading arm in drives the turn of the trunk that puts revolutions on the ball.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Strong fingers keep the revolutions on the ball when a spinner bowls for hours.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Spinners field plenty of balls off their own bowling, so balance after release matters.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

A steady head keeps the eyes level and the action on line with the target.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A bowler who learns to rip the ball keeps that gift; control grows with practice.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

The approach and jump set up the stride; the pivot and release put the spin on, and the follow-through finishes it.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A tossed-up ball is given the most air, a stock delivery sits on its usual flight, and the arm ball is pushed through flat and quicker.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Bowling from wide on the crease, near the return crease, gives the sharpest angle across the pitch.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A small change in the wrist position sends the ball the other way, and it is hard to spot.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

A slower or faster arm on one ball would warn the batter that something is coming.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Knowing which way the ball will turn lets the batter move his feet and commit sooner.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Slow-motion footage shows the grip and wrist for each variation before the match.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Playing late gives the batter a look at which way the ball has turned.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

A tell might be a different wrist angle or a slower run-up before a variation.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · recall

Once a variation is read it loses its surprise, so the bowler hides it better or saves it.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

The hand gives the first clue, then the seam and drift in flight, and the turn confirms it.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

Playing for the leg break opens a gap that the googly, turning in, finds.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied

With the wrist turned right over and the back of the hand facing the batter, the ball turns the other way: a googly.

Source: Recognised cricket coaching material · applied