How to bowl a reverse swing in cricket?

by on July 16, 2009

What is reverse swing in cricket?

Once the ball becomes older (say a 30-40 overs old) the ball swings in the opposite direction where it usually would swing with no changes in the grip of the cricket ball.

To say more clearly, with the older ball and the with the grip of the outswinging delivery,the ball moves towards the batsman and that too much late which makes more devastating for the batsman.

How does it work?

Reverse Swing Bowling Grip

Reverse Swing Bowling Grip

Reverse swing works on the simple principle called the “deterioration of the ball”.As the match proceeds the ball gets rougher and it will take on a different characteristic as it deteriorates.So if a fast bowler present the ball as an outswinger, since the cricket ball got deteriorated, the rough side takes the characteristic of  a shiny side and moves in the other direction.

So, to sum up a natural outswinger will become an inswinger and obviously a natural inswinger will become an outswinger.

When does the ball start to reverse swing?

Usually, the reverse swing happens after the 40-over mark and it also depends on the capability of the bowler.It also depends upon the cricket ball manufacturers like dukes in England and Kookaburra brands in Australia.

Some cricket teams throw the ball on the ground harder and the players like Andrew Flintoff and Harmison pitches hard on the ground all of which aids to the deterioration of the ball quickly.

Using a blade, metal or even fingernails to quicken the process of creating a rougher surface is always and in every circumstance illegal and not in the spirit of the game. If you get caught ‘ball tampering’ by the umpires you’ll get banned from the game.That is why you have been noticed that the players have to give the ball to the umpire after anyone of the opposition got out, since this is the time gap that they can utilize to deteriorate the cricket ball and make it more rougher.

Notable Reverse Swing Bowlers

Former Pakistani cricketer Sarfraz Nawaz

Former Pakistani cricketer Sarfraz Nawaz

It has been said that the former Pakistani cricketer Sarfraz Nawaz discovered the technique and he passed on to the former Pakistan captain Imran Khan.Waqar Younis of Pakistan at his time bowled some miraculous deliveries of reverse swing.Wasim Akram is the another notable bowler of reverse swings in cricket who is called as the King of Swings

How to bowl an Inswinger In cricket?

How to bowl an Outswinger in cricket?

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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

sathish October 4, 2010 at 12:29 pm

this is good

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