Topspinner

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A topspinner is a type of delivery bowled by a cricketer bowling either wrist spin or finger spin. In either case, the bowler imparts the ball with top spin by twisting it with his or her fingers prior to delivery. In both cases, the topspinner is the halfway house between the stock delivery and the wrong'un - in the wrist spinner's case his googly, and in the finger spinner's case his doosra.

Contents

Mechanics

A topspinner is released over the top of the fingers in such a way that it spins forward in the air towards the batsman in flight. The forward spinning motion impedes air travelling over the ball, but assists air travelling underneath. The difference in air pressure above and underneath the ball (described as the Magnus effect) acts as a downward force, meaning that the ball falls earlier and faster than normal.

In cricketing terms, this means that the ball drops shorter, falls faster and bounces higher than might otherwise be anticipated by the batsman. These properties are summed up in cricketing terms as a "looping" or "loopy" delivery. Also, the ball travels approximately straight on, as compared to a wrist spin or finger spin stock delivery that breaks to the left or right on impact. A batsman may easily be deceived by the ball, particularly given that the action is quite similar to the stock delivery. Compared to the stock delivery, the ball will dip in flight, and land shorter than expected. The majority of the time, this increased angle of descent will lead to an increased bounce, making it a particularly difficult ball to attack. Tactically, a bowler will bowl topspinners to draw a batsman forward before using the dip and extra bounce to deceive them. In particular, batsmen looking to sweep or drive are vulnerable as the bounce can defeat them and lead to a catch. However, on an underprepared soft wicket, the spin on the ball may actually cause it to grip and shoot through low. Again, this will make it a particularly difficult delivery for the batsman to deal with. [1]

Finger spin

The topspinner is a common variation is the arsenal of the finger spinner. [2] The most common method of delivery is for the ball to be delivered with the arm supinated further than the stock delivery with the side of the hand pointing towards the batsman, and the ball is released off the outside of the first finger, in such a way that it spins directly towards the batsman. [3] However, a second method used by Muttiah Muralitharan is for the arm to be rotated further so that the back of the hand is facing the batsman; the ball is then given a large amount of spin by flexion of the wrist. The right-handed offspinner bowler will look to pitch this delivery on or outside off-stump, in anticipation that the batsman will play for the turn and give an edge behind the wicket. The left-arm orthodox bowler will typically bowl the ball on middle stump, looking to beat the inside edge of the bat and gain a bowled or lbw dismissal. Muttiah Muralitharan, Tim May, and Harbhajan Singh are examples of offspinners who frequently used this delivery.

Wrist spin

The topspinner is a common variation in the arsenal of the wrist spinner, and typically the first variation taught to young wrist spin bowlers after they have mastered their stock delivery. The most common method of delivery is for the ball to be delivered with the arm pronated further than the stock delivery with the side of the hand pointing towards the batsman, and the ball is released off the third finger, in such as way that it spins directly towards the batsman. The right-arm legspin bowler will typically bowl the ball on middle stump, looking to beat the inside edge of the bat and gain a bowled or lbw dismissal. To a left-handed batsman, he will look to use the ball to gain an outside edge and dismiss the batsman caught. [4] Shane Warne and Anil Kumble are example of modern wrist spinners who frequently bowled the topspinner.

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Leg spin Type of spin bowling in cricket

Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in cricket. A leg spinner, also called leggie, bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch when the ball bounces, that is, away from the leg side of a right-handed batsman. The same kind of trajectory, which spins from right to left on pitching, when performed by a left-arm bowler is known as left-arm unorthodox spin bowling.

Left-arm orthodox spin Type of spin bowling in cricket

Left-arm orthodox spin, also known as slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling, is a type of left-arm finger off spin bowling in the sport of cricket. Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left-arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch.

The flipper is the name of a particular bowling delivery used in cricket, generally by a leg spin bowler. In essence it is a back spin ball. Squeezed out of the front of the hand with the thumb and first and second fingers, it keeps deceptively low after pitching and can accordingly be very difficult to play. The flipper is comparable to a riseball in fast-pitch softball.

Off spin Type of bowling in cricket

Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right-handed spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side. This contrasts with leg spin, in which the ball spins from leg to off and which is bowled with a very different action.

In cricket, a googly is a type of deceptive delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. In Australia, it is usually referred to as a wrong'un, or occasionally as a Bosie or Bosey, the last two eponyms in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet. A leg spin bowler bowls in a leg spin way but it goes in the off spin direction.

Glossary of cricket terms Wikimedia list article

This is a general glossary of the terminology used in the sport of cricket. Where words in a sentence are also defined elsewhere in this article, they appear in italics. Certain aspects of cricket terminology are explained in more detail in cricket statistics and the naming of fielding positions is explained at fielding (cricket).

A doosra is a particular type of delivery by an off-spin bowler in the sport of cricket. The doosra spins in the opposite direction to an off break, and aims to confuse the batsman into playing a poor shot.

Pace bowling Bowling technique in cricket

Pace bowler is one of two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket, the other being spin bowling. Practitioners of pace bowling are usually known as fast bowlers, quicks, or pacemen. They can also be referred to as a seam bowler, a swing bowler or a 'fast bowler who can swing it' to reflect the predominant characteristic of their deliveries. Strictly speaking, a pure swing bowler does not need to have a high degree of pace, though dedicated medium-pace swing bowlers are rarely seen at Test level these days.

Spin bowling Bowling technique in cricket

Spin bowling is a bowling technique in cricket and the bowler is referred to as a spinner.

An arm ball is a type of delivery in cricket. It is a variation delivery bowled by an off spin bowler or slow left-arm orthodox bowler. It is the finger spin equivalent of a wrist spinner's slider or zooter.

Off break Type of spin bowling in cricket

An off break is the type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.

Leg break Type of spin bowling in cricket

A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is a delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler.

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Wrist spin Type of spin bowling in cricket

Wrist spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball. The other spinning technique, usually used to spin the ball in the opposite direction, is finger spin. Wrist spin is bowled by releasing the ball from the back of the hand, so that it passes over the little finger. Done by a right-handed bowler, this imparts an anticlockwise rotation to the ball, as seen from the bowler's perspective; a left-handed wrist spinner rotates the ball clockwise.

Finger spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball. The other spinning technique, generally used to spin the ball in the opposite direction, is wrist spin. Although there are exceptions, finger spinners generally turn the ball less than wrist spinners. However, because the technique is simpler and easier to master, finger spinners tend to be more accurate.

Topspin

In ball sports, topspin is a property of a ball that rotates forwards as it is moving. Topspin on a ball propelled through the air imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air. Topspin is the opposite of backspin.

In cricket, a slider is a type of delivery bowled by a wrist spin bowler. While a topspinner is released with the thumb facing the batsman, a slider is bowled in a similar manner to a legbreak, but instead of imparting sidespin with the third finger, the bowler allows his fingers to roll down the back of the ball, providing a mixture of sidespin and backspin. Whereas a topspinner tends to dip more quickly and bounce higher than a normal delivery, a slider does the opposite: it carries to a fuller length and bounces less than the batsman might expect. The sliders will typically head towards the batsman with a scrambled seam. This has less effect on the flight and bounce but absence of leg spin may deceive the batsman. Frequently the slider is bowled with a mixture of side spin and backspin. This has the effect of making the ball harder to differentiate from the leg break for the batsmen without reducing the mechanical effects caused by the backspin. This delivery may skid straight on or it may turn a small amount.

Carrom ball Carrom ball

Technique of bowling leg spin by using fingers

References

  1. ↑ Peter Philpott "The Art of Wrist Spin Bowling"
  2. ↑ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1622125182818951912#
  3. ↑ Bob Woolmer "the Art and Science of Cricket"
  4. ↑ Peter Philpott "The Art of Wrist Spin Bowling"
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