How to Hold a Cricket Ball

A cricket balls has a raised seam joining its two halves, rather like a wide equator. The seam, and how the bowler grips it, will determine how the ball moves in the air and off the pitch when he releases it. Fast bowlers will hold the ball on the tips of their fingers, with variations, while slower, spin bowlers, grip the ball closer to the palm. There may be 10 different types of delivery, but an individual will have mastery of two or three.

Things You'll Need

  • Cricket ball
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Instructions

  1. Fast bowling

    • 1

      Bowl an outswinger--a ball that moves away from the batsman in the air before landing--by holding the seam upright between your index and middle fingers. The thumb cradles the ball under the seam, says Julian Knight, author of "Cricket for Dummies." Keep the more-polished side of the ball away from the batsman.

    • 2

      Deliver an inswinger--a ball that swings into the batsman--with almost the same grip. Point the seam away from the batsman and the polished side toward the batsman. Use the thumb for gripping rather than cradling.

    • 3

      Hold the ball with the middle finger on the seam and the index finger an inch away to bowl a leg-cutter--a ball that cuts across the batsman from his legs when it lands. This is a surprise variation ball for fast bowlers. Release the ball and move the index and middle fingers down the left side of the ball (for right-handers) at the same time, imparting fast spin.

    • 4

      Reverse the action for the off-cutter, which moves from in front of the batsman and toward him. This time your index finger is on the seam and the fingers move down the right side of the ball on release.

    Slow bowling

    • 5

      Bowl an offbreak by gripping the ball across the seam, which is going to spin on the pitch and bite, move dramatically and confuse an unwary batsman (in theory). This is the classic finger spin. Spread the middle joints of the middle and index fingers around the seam, with the thumb and ring finger supporting. To impart maximum spin the index finger will "rip' hard on the ball at the point of delivery, at the same time as you twist your wrist (clockwise for right-handers).

    • 6

      Grip the ball even further into the palm for the variations of wrist spin; leg-break, flipper, top-spinner and googly. The top joints of the index and middle fingers go across the seam, which rests on the thumb and third finger (bent). The wrist does a lot of work on release, turning the ball counter-clockwise, and finishing downwards. The ring finger also tweaks the ball counter-clockwise.

    • 7

      Hold the ball the same for a googy, also known as the "wrong 'un" because it moves off the pitch in the opposite direction to what the bowler thinks. It has the same wrist movement, but the ball comes out of the back of the hand.