Swing bowling

An art, a science or something else entirely?

Perhaps one of the most lethal deliveries in the game of cricket;  the swing ball can have the best of batsmen ducking, diving and, frankly, discombobulated as they’re left deceived by the trajectory they so confidently predicted when stepping in to face the ball.

At our Club, we swing both ways. But before we get into that, let’s review the theory.

Swing is the phenomena that occurs when a pace bowler channels the power of the Egyptian wind-god Shu to manipulate the trajectory of a ball in-flight. Some players will find it more useful to follow more modern chakra-bending structures extolled by Aang et al, that provide rigid movements to call forth the same levels of elemental meddling.

Okay so our understanding of the science is a bit sketchy, but there are some great explainers online including here and here (and if you really want to geek out, here).

Essentially, gripping the ball in a way that best uses the seam and the asymmetry of a ball (shiny-side v rough) will create swing. Bowlers will angle the seam away from the intended direction of travel so the shiny side of the ball faces the batsman. The ball will swing towards the direction that the seam is pointed – if the seam is angled toward the slip fielders it will swing away the batsman (outswinger) and if the seam is angled towards the leg side it will swing into the batsman (inswinger). Keeping the asymmetry of the ball is crucial to swing, which is why you’ll have seen a number of desperate (and often quite innovative) efforts to maintain shine over the years – minty saliva anyone? 

Once you’ve got the grip down, the next step is picking a spot. Of course, every good bowler will understand the importance of variation in an over, but one thing to really bear in mind when picking a spot as a swing bowler is that the more air-time the ball gets, the more time it has to deviate. As such, if you really want to impress your mates with a wide swinging ball, pitch it just short of yorker length. Unfortunately, your line will have to adjust with every delivery to account for the state of the ball and any changes in weather/pitch conditions.

We said earlier that we swing both ways at the Switch Hitters CC; our boys are here below to share some final words of wisdom for all you aspiring swingers

Dushant Waora – The King of Keeping it In

Ashwinder Bedi – Outie Without a Doubtie