Which slower ball?

[Uppercut]

I was just wondering what everyone does to bowl a slower ball. Personally i find the Dilhara Fernando split-finger approach easiest to use (or as my friends call it the "somehow even ****ing slower" one) but not many international cricketers use it. Thoughts?

 

[vic_orthdox]

Can be quite easy to pick if not disguised well.

 

[Uppercut]

How should it be disguised?

See, i always found cutters really easy to see out of the hand, but a lot of people go with that.

 

[Josh]

I bowl an off-cutter, and out-the-back-of-the-hand ball (a la Harvey, Waugh) and a ball that's held back in the hand, with 2 fingers on the off side of the seam and one finger split across the other.

The main thing to do is make sure you make no descernable changes in your action or runup, so try and keep the same armspeed and don't make any signals or anything.

 

[Goughy]

Can be quite easy to pick if not disguised well.

Yeah. Good players can spot a split fingered slower ball.

My fav is the easiest (I have a couple). Hold the ball normally and with the fingers on the seam. Then push the ball (using the same grip) as deep into the palm of the hand. Then grip the ball as tight as possible.

It should look no different to normal apart from the ball is deeper in the hand and noone can pick that up.

Then run in and aim to hit the batsman in the balls with a full toss.

The ball comes out slower and lands on a length and swings.

Its tough to do at full speed as there is a constant fight to slow the arm down. Dont do it, just trust the grip.

There may be better slower balls but this is one of the easiest to bowl and one of the hardest to pick.

 

[Manee]

Although it can be punished and is hard to land, the leg break slower ball is a good one, especially if you can drag it short. A batsman is often surprised when the ball seemingly stops off the pitch and cuts in.

 

[Jakester1288]

I used to go with the split finger grip one, but now I usethe Brett Lee one. It's virtually impossible to pick up, because all you are doing is bending your thumb in at the bottom off the ball. It takes a fair bit of pace off the ball and swings too.

 

[Simon]

I have a couple of different ones, main one is out the back of the hand, it also tends to seam away from the batsman when it pitches (ala a leg cutter) so it is very effective. Also have the easier to bowl off cutter type delivery which I bowl mainly when bowling at the death on One Dayers.

 

[Smudge]

I only bowl medium-pace in indoor cricket, but actually bowled every ball out the back of the hand, which batsmen consistently had trouble picking up. The benefits there is no change in grip (as you're still holding the ball down the seam) and no real change in arm speed or action. That said, the batsman can gain an early advantage upon ball release by spotting the back of the hand facing towards them.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I'd make sure that you have at least two slower balls. One that is actually heaps slower, and one that is only a slight change in pace. Especially if you are planning on bowling at the death.

 

[Nate]

I bowl cutters, but my main one is the one Goughy and Jakester described, ala Brett Lee. So effective.

 

[Josh]

I have a couple of different ones, main one is out the back of the hand, it also tends to seam away from the batsman when it pitches (ala a leg cutter) so it is very effective. Also have the easier to bowl off cutter type delivery which I bowl mainly when bowling at the death on One Dayers.

Yeh, defs helps when you pitch it on about middle can get some good edges.

 

[tommothepommo]

i hold the ball looser and dont flick my wrist down as much, this is easier than all of the other variations for me because it is alot easier to aim than trying back of the hand or split fingers

 

[Flem274*]

Mine (as a medium pacer) is just to release the ball normally for me (seam up, high release) except as I release just let my fingers slide down the back of the ball a little more, which actualy gives it a kinda backward rotation and lobs it in the air a bit more.

Gets the batsman looking up a but higher, its slower, and bounces a bit more vertically when it lands.

Seems to work in my crappy grade.