Swing: The Most Complex Art of Cricket
If you are an avid cricket fan (or player) like me, you have probably heard the term “swing” used by many professional cricketers or commentators. Terms such as inswing and outswing are commonly used when describing a fast-bowlers deliveries, but what do these terms actually mean. To understand this jargon, we need to first breakdown what swing is at a basic level.
Swing bowling is essentially producing a delivery that is able to change the direction of the ball mid-air. The main purpose of swing bowling is to get the ball to move towards or away from the batter. Swinging of the cricket ball is caused by asymmetry in 2 ways. One way is physical, by the polishing of one side of the ball by members of the fielding team, while allowing the opposite side to rough up. Swing occurs due to the aerodynamic properties of the ball. When the ball reaches a critical speed (typically 85mph or higher) the air flows differently on the smooth vs. the rough surface of the ball causing a pressure difference that affects how the ball will move in the air. Now, there are 2 types of conventional swing: outswing and inswing.
Many right handed bowlers have a natural out-swinger but can make it more pronounced. The delivery moves through the air, towards the offside (to a right handed batter). To perform this ball correctly, face the shiny side of the ball to the left and the rough side to the right. Face the seam towards first slip, but grip the ball similar to the stock ball. The release should include a roll of the fingers down the ball, to develop back-spin. The in-swinger, on the other hand, moves toward a right handed batter and is very difficult to execute. The grip is similar to the out-swinger. The only difference is that the seam should face first slip for a left handed batter (leg side 1 o’clock). As per the release, push down before letting go off the ball to impart backspin.
Swing bowling is a very dangerous and deceiving art of bowling as it can fool and surprise many batters when done correctly. From this description, it seems that playing swing bowling is near impossible, but I assure you, though it is hard it is not impossible. One major way to play swing well is by playing the ball as late as possible. This is because the batter can watch the ball, and which way it swings, thus allowing them to play the correct shot. Additionally, many bowlers deliver outswingers more often as these deliveries are easier to control. Outswing deliveries move away from the batter, causing them to chase the ball and play the ball away from their bodies. This results in a big risk of edging the ball to slips or the keeper. This is why not chasing the ball is a great way to avoid getting out to swing (remember: playing each delivery is not required).
To conclude, swing bowling is a method of moving the ball in the air to put pressure on the batter. Thank you all for reading my article and I hope to see you in the next one.
