101 Guide To Different Bowling Types In Cricket For Beginners

“The Bat is not a toy, but it is a weapon, and the ball is the bullet- they work together and come up with a deadly combination.” — Virat Kohli.

Cricket often revolves around batting, but it is incomplete without bowling. If batsmen own the crown of scoring runs, the bowler keeps the courage to turn the table around! So why not discuss different bowling types in cricket? We should!

If you watch cricket often, you see bowlers delivering bowls in different styles and techniques. Bowling types in cricket are a primary factor that keeps the match interesting and engages the audience. Every bowler has a different bowling style for which they are known. The styling or technique of bowling can turn the table around.

The basic bowling categories are ‘Fast’ and ‘Slow’, but they do not give you the full picture of bowling types in cricket. If you are a beginner or a huge fan of cricket, it is crucial to know the different types of bowling in cricket. However, every type of bowling in cricket is impressive and important in its own way.

In this article, we will answer; How many types of bowling are there in cricket, and how do you bowl different types of cricket balls.

Fast Bowling & Slow Bowling – The Basics

Before we get into bowling types in cricket and their techniques, let’s dive into the basics.

Fast Bowling

Fast bowling’s primary goal is to hit the ball hard quickly, causing it to bounce off the ground unpredictably. The speed of the delivery travels between 136 and 150 km/h (85 to 95 mph).

The fastest ball ever bowled by Pakistan’s bowler Shoaib Akhtar against England in the 2003 Cricket World Cup with a delivery time of 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph).

Slow Bowling

The slow balls come with low intensity and usually come in contact with the surface. They fall under 70mph and can be a game-changer for the batsman.

Chris Cairns from New Zealand bowled the slowest ball in 1999 against England in the Test Series.

These two categories contain different bowling types in cricket, which are listed below.

Different Types Of Fast Bowling

Fast bowlers mainly depend on the speed at which the ball is bowled. In addition to speed, the bowler’s skills play a crucial role in bowling. There are many different ways a bowler can deceive a batsman. This is also known as the different bowling types in cricket.

In Swinger

In Swinger bowling is one of the most important bowling types in cricket. In this, the delivery moves towards the batsman after pitching. To bowl this way, the bowler holds the rough side of the ball toward the batsman to create inconsistency and movement.

Out Swinger

Since it goes out when bowling, it is called an outswinger, the purpose of this pace bowling is to LBW (Leg before Wicket) or clean bowl the batter.

Reverse Swing

On the list of types of bowling in cricket, the next is reserve swing. It is the opposite of the swing ball, which becomes unexpected for the batter where it will hit. This is one of the bowling types in cricket that destroyed the English batting line-up.

Bouncer

Bounce is of the popular fast bowling types and is considered a useful weapon on the pitch to turn the game around the table. The bowler hits the ball nearly halfway on the pitch, reaching the batter at the head or shoulder height, making him hit, pull or leave as a result. This is the most dangerous kind of bowling that makes most of the batters uncomfortable.

Slower Ball

With the deduction of the overs in T20 cricket in 2005, fast bowlers had to slow down their pace. The slow ball is generally used to deceive the batter through a sudden change of pace. Like fast delivery, a slow ball confuses the batter and makes them lose their wicket in many situations. It is among the surprising bowling types in cricket that leave the batter in a dilemma.

Yorker

When the bowler tries to hit the stumps directly instead of using a variation, such deliveries are called Yorker. It is one of the most useful types of bowling in cricket that can let the batter lose the wicket. With Yorker, the batter rarely can play their desired game.

Off Cutter

This kind of pace bowling is average, but the movement it creates changes the direction. The bowler simply rolls the finger on the ball just like the off-spinner, which results in decreased speed and off-spin of the cricket ball. This is among the popular bowling types in cricket.

Leg Cutter

Another delivery on the list is Leg Cutter. The purpose of this delivery is to change the direction after pitching the ball and make the batter surprised. The bowler uses fingers like a leg-spinner. As the ball is cut after pitching, it is called a cutter.

Knuckleball

Another pace bowling type is Knuckleball which is similar to a slow ball. This also confuses the batter with the pace of the ball. While delivering the ball, the bowler holds the ball before bowling a knuckle delivery. The different way of holding the ball makes it one of the unique bowling types in cricket.

Beamer

Do you know ‘No Ball’? That’s the beamer, where the cricket ball directly reaches the batter’s chest or head’s height. However, the bowler does not bowl the beamer intentionally because it is an illegitimate delivery. The next ball is a free hit, and the run scored through this ball is added to the batters team’s account.

Here are all types of pace bowling. You will now have an idea about the fast bowling types when you watch a cricket match next time.

Different Types Of Spin Bowling In Cricket

You must know that spin bowling is a little slower pace. The bowler bowls with spin techniques in order to dismiss the batsman. There are the following spin bowling types in cricket. Look at them without further ado.

Over Spin

Unlike several pace bowling, the technique of bowling over Spin is different. The ball rotates in the direction in which it is travelling. The bowler is intended to confuse the batsman and make them play a false shot. The ball is kept low, but sometimes it bounces higher than expected.

Back Spin

In the back spin, aka as a flipper, the ball will rotate backwards towards the seam. Once again, there will not be any deviation in the air or on the pitch, and the main aspect of this bowling is speed. Among other bowling types in cricket, the ball is held in the front two fingers, whereas the thumb has no crucial work. The ball arrives too slowly to the batter, and they may play the shot too early than usual.

Side Spin

The second last on the list of types of bowling in cricket is Side Spin, also called Barrel Pain. Here, the ball is held from the seam in the fingers, and the hemisphere of the ball is facing towards the batsman. When the ball is delivered, it rotates and spins sideways along the seam. This type of delivery can cause a significant amount of drift in the air. This is among bowling types in cricket that fall false impressions on the batter, making them lose the wicket.

Lateral Spin

Lateral Spin is also called undercut because the bowler is actually undercutting at the delivery time. When delivering the ball, the palm of the hand will be upside and the horizontal side spin will be imparted. If the bowler is able to deliver the right ball, it will be equal to a ball generated by a faster bowler.

To Sum Up,

Every bowler is known for their techniques of throwing the ball. Some are good at fast bowing, and a few steal the crown by spin bowling. So cricket is not only the game of batting; bowling and fielding are equally important.

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