In our previous blog post, we talked about how to bowl the leg spinner. A big-spinning leg spinner is a difficult ball to bowl in its own right, but it is also a difficult ball to combat as a batter.
80 to 85% of your deliveries should be your stock-standard leg spinner, adjusting your line, length, flight and drift where possible.
But that still leaves 15 to 20% of deliveries where you can try something different to bamboozle a batter who is thinking they are getting just another leg spinner, when in reality the get something totally different.
We will be talking about the Googly, the Top-Spinner, the Flipper, the Slider and the Zooter.
The importance of any variation is that it must come as a surprise to the batter, which means the changes between your normal leg-spinner and the variation are minimal and subtle.
In fact, for all these variations, the grip you would bowl them with is exactly the same as the grip you would use to bowl a normal leg-spinner.
That is, the two-fingers-up two-fingers-down method, where you extend your index and middle finger, and fold your ring and pinkie finger to your palm, and then place the ball against your folded down fingers, with your extended fingers spread across the ball and touching the seam.
Bowling the Googly
The googly, or wrong’un, stands as one of the most deceptive weapons in a leg spinner’s repertoire. This delivery, which appears to be a standard leg break but turns in the opposite direction after pitching, can confound even the most skilled batters.
Understanding and mastering the googly can significantly elevate your effectiveness in taking wickets.
The key to a successful googly lies in its indistinguishability from the leg break until it has left the hand. The transition in the wrist must be smooth and the arm speed consistent with a regular leg break to avoid tipping off the batter.
Fine control over wrist position and finger snap is crucial to impart the correct spin without altering the usual bowling action noticeably.
Release
With the same grip as for leg-spin, when you release the ball, your palm should be pointed up to the sky, and the back of your hand towards the batter.
The seam of the ball should be pointed towards fine leg. Compare this to a normal leg-spinner, where the seam should be pointed to first or second slip.
When to Bowl the Googly
Being able to bowl the googly is one thing, knowing when to bowl it to properly bamboozle the batter is another thing.
New Batters: A batter new to the crease is nervous, just desperate to want to feel bat on the ball. Bowling something that he doesn’t expect, like a googly, can capitalize on their nerves and uncertainty.
Batters Playing for Leg Spin: If a batter appears comfortable playing for the regular leg break, introducing the googly can disrupt their rhythm and force a mistake.
When Batsmen Attempt to Dominate: If a batter starts to dominate your standard leg-spin deliveries, throwing in a googly can act as a counter-attack, breaking their momentum and reintroducing doubt into their play.
Before and After Strategic Field Changes: Bowling a googly right after changing the field placement can catch the batter off guard. They might read the field for a leg-break and play the wrong line.
Against Left-Handed Batsmen: Googlies can be particularly effective against left-handers because the ball turns away from them, making it harder to hit and increasing the chances of an edge.
Bowling the Top-Spinner
The top spinner is a crucial variation for any leg spin bowler, known for its deceptive trajectory and the disruptive bounce it can generate. When bowled effectively, the top spinner can be a game-changer, often leading to batsman errors through misjudgment of the bounce and speed.
Unlike the traditional leg break, the top spinner is delivered with the seam pointing towards the batter, causing it to dip sharply and bounce higher than expected.
This trajectory makes it particularly difficult for batters to gauge the length early, often leading them to play the wrong line.
In the game, this can result in batters being caught off guard, leading to catches in the close field or mis-hits that result in dismissals.
Release
Once again using the same grip as a leg-spinner, the biggest difference is the angle of the seam to the batter. The seam for a leg-spinner is angled towards first or second. For a top-spinner, the seam is directed straight at the batter.
When to Use the Top Spinner
Push batters back: The top spinner is especially effective in scenarios where the batter is either too forward in their crease or playing for turn.
Pitches have extra bounce: When the pitch is offering extra bounce, as the natural properties of the top spinner will exaggerate this effect.
Against aggressive batters: Against batters who are known to play aggressively against spin, as the extra bounce and quicker dip can catch them off-guard.
Flat Pitches: On pitches that offer little turn for traditional leg breaks, the top-spinner can be more effective due to its bounce and speed rather than lateral movement. It can create doubt in the batter’s mind on pitches that are otherwise batter-friendly.
Bowling the Flipper
The flipper remains one of the most subtle and devastating deliveries in a leg spinner’s arsenal. This delivery is designed to skid rapidly off the pitch, often catching the batter unprepared and leading to quick dismissals.
Mastering the flipper can significantly enhance your threat, providing a potent weapon especially effective in dismissing well-set batters.
The flipper is essentially a back-spinner, released in such a way that it skids on to the batter faster than expected, with lower bounce.
It is bowled by squeezing the ball out of the front of the hand with a flick of the thumb and fingers, causing it to come out faster and flatter.
The key is the deception in the delivery, as it appears similar to a standard leg break but behaves differently upon pitching.
Release
Once again, the grip for a flipper is the same as for a leg spinner.
However, on release, you need to pinch the ball out between your thumb and forefinger.
Imagine clicking your thumb and forefinger.
Now, imagine putting a cricket ball in there, and generating enough force in the ‘click’ to send the ball down to the other end.
The wrist should finish pointing towards the batter, ensuring that the ball stays low and fast.
A flipper is not an easy ball to bowl. It also puts great strain on your fingers and wrist, so it is probably unadvisable for a child or teenager to try the flipper.
And even if you are an adult, you will need to build up strength in your fingers and wrist to cope with the additional strain.
It is advised that, when you begin learning how to do the flipper, that you begin bowling from a shorter distance than the full 20 metres, and gradually increase the distance until you are bowling it from the correct location.
When to Bowl the Flipper
The batter plants themselves on the front foot: When batters are confidently playing forward to regular leg-spin or googlies, a well-bowled flipper can catch them off guard. Because it skids through faster and lower, it can slip under the bat or pads before the batter fully reacts, increasing the chances of an lbw or bowled dismissal.
Against Aggressive Batters: If a batter is aggressively coming down the track or trying to dominate the spin by stepping out, the flipper can be a great countermeasure. Its quicker pace and lesser bounce can make it difficult for the batter to adjust their shot mid-motion, leading to a stumping or a missed hit.
On Flat Pitches: On pitches that offer little turn and assistance to spinners, the flipper can be especially effective. Its skidding nature allows it to still pose a threat when other spin deliveries might not be as effective.
After a Series of Spin-Dominant Deliveries: If you have been bowling a lot of turning deliveries, slipping in a flipper can disrupt the batter’s rhythm and expectations, potentially leading to an error.
Batters with Poor Back Foot Techniques: Batters who are less confident playing off the back foot can struggle against the flipper due to its low bounce and rapid pace. This makes it a good choice against lower-order batters who might not have refined defensive techniques.
Bowling the Slider
The slider has similarities to the flipper, but is still a valuable addition to the repertoire. It is characterized by its faster, skiddier delivery that appears like a leg break but doesn’t turn as much, often catching the batsman off-balance and leading to crucial dismissals.
Release
Once again, the grip is the same as for a leg spinner. Where the slider differs to leg-spin is the wrist-position.
When bowling a leg-spinner, at release, the wrist is cocked so that the palm faces mid-wicket, and the ball is released with the seam facing first or second slip.
For a slider, the palm faces the batter, and the seam is at 90 degrees to the batter. The ball continues down this path, spinning along its seam, so that the same side of the ball continuously faces the batter, and the seam remains at 90 degrees.
This means that when the ball pitches, it doesn’t spin, but slides on straight and low.
When to Bowl the Slider
Flat and Fast Pitches: On pitches that offer little turn and are more conducive to fast bowling, the slider can be highly effective due to its skidding nature, which can surprise batters expecting more spin.
Batters Settling In: When batters seem comfortable against standard leg spin and are playing the deliveries on the back foot, a well-timed slider can disrupt their rhythm. Its reduced turn and faster pace can lead to mistakes, either from underestimating the speed or misjudging the line.
Against Aggressive Batters: When facing aggressive batters who are looking to dominate the spin by hitting over the top, the slider’s reduced turn and quicker pace can lead to mistimed shots or catches in the deep.
Mixing It Up: After a series of leg breaks or more pronounced spinning deliveries, introducing a slider can catch the batter off-guard, making it difficult for them to adjust their play to the subtler movement of the slider.
Right-Handed Batter: The slider can be especially deceptive against right-handed batters, as it will generally keep its line or drift slightly into them, increasing the chances of trapping them lbw or bowled if they play for the turn of a leg break.
Tactical Shifts: If the batter starts to pick up your other variations, throwing in a few sliders can confuse their reading of your bowling style, keeping them guessing and defensive.
How to Bowl the Zooter
The zooter, often less known and used than other leg spin variations, is a delivery designed to trick the batter into expecting spin, while the ball skids through with little to no turn, often leading to either a bowled or lbw dismissal. It has some similarities to the flipper and the slider.
It is similar to a flipper in its trajectory but is generally bowled with less spin and more seam orientation.
The deception lies in its appearance, mimicking the revolutions of a spin-heavy ball, making the batter brace for turn that never comes. The result is a ball that hurries on, catching them off-guard and compromising their defensive or attacking shots.
Release
The grip is similar to that of a leg break, but the fingers are positioned slightly behind the ball, pushing it out of the hand rather than spinning it. The key is to maintain a high arm action and follow through as if delivering a regular leg spin, to disguise the zooter’s true nature until it’s too late for the batter to adjust.
When to Bowl the Zooter
A lot of the reasons to bowl a flipper and a slider apply for when to bowl the zooter. Such as:
Flat and Low Bounce Pitches: On pitches where the ball tends to stay low or on those that are slow, the zooter can be more effective because it naturally skids through at a lower height, potentially slipping under the bat or pads.
Batters Anticipating Spin: When batters are settling in and expecting more conventional spin deliveries, a well-timed zooter can exploit their preparedness for turn, leading to misjudgments and mistakes, particularly if they are playing on the back foot.
Aggressive Batters: Against players who are aggressive and looking to dominate spin by stepping out or playing sweeping shots, the zooter can be a tactical response. Its lesser degree of visible spin and quicker trajectory can result in batters mistiming their shots.
Well-Set Batters: For batters who have read the pitch and spinner well and are comfortably playing spin, introducing a zooter can challenge their read of the ball, leading to potential errors in their defensive or offensive plays.
Combining with Other Variations: After a series of noticeable spin deliveries like leg breaks or googlies, slipping in a zooter can keep batters guessing. The lack of turn, combined with its quick arrival, can compromise their timing and footwork.
Last Word on Leg Spin Variations
The ability to bowl multiple variations like the leg break, googly, top spinner, flipper, slider, and zooter adds significant depth to your repertoire. Each variation serves a strategic purpose, allowing you to exploit specific weaknesses in the batter’s technique and the conditions of the pitch.
However, there is no point in having variations unless you can bowl your stock leg spinner well, with precision and success.
Another thing to think about is practicing your variations at the expense of your stock ball. It is possible to practice the flipper, the top spinner, googly and all those other variations so much that you forget how to properly bowl your stock leg break.
Try your best to avoid that. You should be bowling your stock leg spin ball 80 to 85% of the time, so it makes sense to practice bowling it in the nets 80 to 85% of the time.
The legends of the game like Shane Warne and Anil Kumble achieved their mastery through relentless practice, constant learning, and an undying passion for refining their craft. Aspiring spinners should adopt a similar mindset, focusing on consistent practice, seeking feedback, and remaining students of the game.
That concludes our series on bowling techniques and tips for the time being. We hope you have enjoyed reading it. Please leave your comments below on who your favourite spinner was, and what your favourite type of spin delivery in.