How to Spin Bowl in Cricket

Spinning, or rotating the cricket ball, so that it moves dramatically off the pitch to fool the batsman, is among the game's hardest skills to learn. Spin-bowlers rely on guile, variation of spin and flight, and any aspiring spin bowler has many hours of practice ahead to hone their craft. Here we discuss the different grips and types of delivery.

Things You'll Need

  • Cricket ball
  • Stumps
  • Partner
  • Handkerchief or white paper
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Instructions

  1. Orthodox spin

    • 1

      Turn a door handle with your fingers---it's the same action. Practice spinning the ball from hand to hand, see how the fingers do the work, especially the index finger. Right-handers will bowl an off-break, or off-spin, to a right-hand batsman, with this action. (The ball moves in from the off-side). Left-handers bowl a leg-break with the same action, moving the ball in the opposite direction.

    • 2

      Practice the grip. Spread the middle joints of the index and middle fingers over the seam and rest the ball on the ring finger, leaving the thumb free, or just sitting. Turn the index finger hard on release, aiming for as much spin as possible.

    • 3

      Establish a short, easy run-up. About six paces will get you balanced and rhythmical before your delivery stride. It could be slightly curved, to bring you in side-on.

    • 4

      Practice variants. For orthodox spinners the arm ball surprises the batsman by not spinning. Place the index finger along the seam and deliver it with the same action. Look, no spin.

    • 5

      Practice flight. Land the ball on the same spot, ideally just short of good length, using different speed deliveries. Place a handkerchief or white paper on the pitch and practice hitting it. Work in pairs as you learn how to flight the ball for more grip on the pitch. Use variations of flatter and higher trajectories.

    Wrist spin

    • 6

      Grip the ball with the top joints across the seam, which rests on the thumb and the ring finger, which is bent. As you release the ball, tweak it with the ring finger counter-clockwise (if you're right-handed) and turn the wrist in the same direction.

    • 7

      Learn the variants. The wrist spinner's dismissal ball is often the googly, which moves in the opposite direction. Grip the ball the same way but at the release open your palm upward, letting the batsman see the back of your hand. Tweak the ball with the ring finger, in the same direction as a leg-break. Because the hand is backward, it will send the ball spinning in the opposite direction.

    • 8

      Master wrist spin only after lengthy practice. Other deliveries to learn, master and disguise are the top-spinner, which bounces higher than a googly, and the flipper, which keeps low. The bowler gets topspin with a googly action but faces his palm skyward on release. The flipper is a standard leg-break but the thumb tweaks the ball clockwise.