In cricket, how many different kinds of deliveries are there?

Different kinds of Deliveries

So, in cricket, how many different kinds of deliveries are there?

The game of cricket has 25 main deliveries. 14 of these are bowled by fast bowlers, who use their speed and movement in the air or off the field to beat batters. The remaining 11 are bowled by spin bowlers, who, among other things, vary their spin, flight, and speed in an effort to outwit batters.

You probably want to know what each type of delivery is called now that you know how many there are!In the event that you might want to find out, investigate the rundowns underneath…

Fast bowlers typically bowl the following deliveries:

• Outswinger
• Inswinger
• Reverse swinging delivery
• The Bouncer
• The Yorker
• Cross Seam Delivery
• The Wobble ball
• Slower balls
  • The Off Cutter
  • The Leg Cutter
  • Split Finger Delivery
  • Back of the Hand Delivery
  • The S.L.O.B (Slower Obsolete Ball)
  • The Knuckle ball
  • The Palm Delivery

Spin bowlers typically bowl the following deliveries:

• The Leg Break
• The Googly
• Top spinner (Leg Break Bowlers)
• The Slider
• The Flipper
• The Off Break
• Top spinner (Off Break Bowlers)
• The Arm Ball
• The Doosra
• The Carrom Ball
• Under Cutter

The following two deliveries also fall outside of either category, but I’ll still talk about them in this post:

• The Full Toss
• The Beamer

I’ll now go over each of the aforementioned deliveries in greater detail, describing how each one behaves, and demonstrating how to bowl it! Enjoy!

Deliveries of Fast Bowlers

Outswinger

A delivery in which the ball “swings” through the air is called an outswinger. This indicates that the ball does not immediately travel in the direction of the batter at the opposing end of the pitch when the bowler releases it. The ball, on the other hand, has a slightly curved flight path. An outswinger will swing from right to left, away from a right-handed batter, for right-handed bowlers. An outswinger will swing from left to right, away from a left-handed batter, for left-handed bowlers. If you want to see what I mean, take a look at the diagram below!

A bowler will attempt to land the ball on a good or full length just outside the off stump when bowling the outswinger. The objective is to entice the batter to hit a long drive as the ball is flying away from them. The batter has a good chance of getting an outside edge on the ball and nicking it through to the keeper or slip fielders if they slightly misjudge their shot. In cricket, this is a very common method of dismissal.

Check out the steps below for a quick guide on how to bowl the delivery:

• For swing bowling, make sure the ball is in good condition. This will work perfectly if you have a brand-new cricket ball or one with one shiny side and one dull and scuffed-up side.
• As shown in the pictures below, hold the ball in your hand. The ball should be turned slightly so that the seam points toward first slip, rather than having your fingers parallel to the seam as you would normally when bowling. The dull or scuffed side of the ball should be on the left for right-handed bowlers. The dull or scuffed side of the ball should be on the right for left-handed bowlers. The dull or scuffed-up side should be the direction the ball should swing.
• As usual, come up and bowl. Make an effort to ensure that your index finger makes the final contact with the ball as it leaves your hand. This increases the likelihood of the ball swinging and helps to ensure that the seam points in the correct direction as it travels through the air.

I suggest watching a lot of videos of bowlers like Mitchell Starc, Dale Steyn, and Jimmy Anderson to see this kind of delivery in action.For all three of those guys, the outswinger has been a great weapon over the years!

Inswinger

An inswinger is essentially the opposite of an outswinger, as you may have already guessed! This indicates that an inswinger will swing from left to right for right-handed bowlers, or in the direction of a right-handed batter’s body. An inswinger for left-handed fast bowlers will swing right to left or in the direction of the left-handed batter’s body and stumps. This should be better explained by the diagram below.

A fast bowler can choose to hit the batter’s pads or stumps when bowling an inswinger. If the inswinger is used as a surprise ball, this works especially well! For instance, Jimmy Anderson frequently bowls an inswinger as a surprise delivery to the pads after bowling a few overs of outswingers to particular players. The batter has become accustomed to playing the ball away from them, so it is easy for them to miss the straight one and be out bowled or LBW. Outside the off stump, the inswinger can also be bowled on a line. In order to confidently defend or attack the ball, the batter will then need to determine precisely how much the ball will swing.There may be outside-inside edges as a result.

Again, the condition of the ball, the bowler’s grip, and their release of the ball all play a significant role when bowling the inswinger.Take a look at the steps below for a basic explanation of the process!

• Check to see that the ball is in good enough shape for swing bowling. Ideally, it should be a brand-new ball or one that has had one side polished and the other side allowed to deteriorate and become scuffed.
• As shown in the pictures below, hold the ball in your hand. When bowling normally, you should turn the ball slightly so that the seam points toward leg slip or fine leg rather than having your fingers parallel to the seam. The dull or scuffed side of the ball should be on the right for right-handed bowlers. The dull or scuffed side of the ball should be on the right for left-handed bowlers. The scuffed-up side will be the direction the ball will swing.
• As usual, come up and bowl. Make an effort to ensure that your middle finger makes the final contact with the ball as it leaves your hand. This increases the likelihood of the ball swinging and helps to ensure that the seam points in the correct direction as it travels through the air.

Find some videos of bowlers like Waqar Younis and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to get some swinging ideas. They are two of the best examples of the swinging delivery to me!

Reverse Swinging Delivery

Numerous cricket fans and players are baffled by the reverse swing concept. It is much more challenging to get a cricket ball to bowl in the reverse swing than it is to bowl in the traditional outswing or inswing, as I previously explained.

Therefore, what distinguishes the reverse swing from the conventional inswing/outswing? The primary distinction lies in the fact that with reverse swing bowling, the ball will always swing in the direction of the shiny side. The ball will swing toward the dull or scuffed up side when bowling with a normal outswing or inswing. The second difference is that you can only bowl reverse swing with an old ball that has been allowed to deteriorate significantly. A new ball cannot be made to reverse swing! The fact that bowling with the reverse swing is only really possible if you bowl quickly is one of the other major differences. Bowlers who bowl at speeds below 80 mph will have trouble performing the reverse swing!

Because it occurs much later in the ball’s flight, the reverse swing is considered to be significantly more dangerous than the conventional swing. A batter can recognize an early swing much more quickly. They have more time to react and make the right shot as a result of this. A batter’s reaction to the reverse swing is significantly more difficult because it typically occurs later.

Follow these steps to try bowl reverse swing:

• Make sure your speed is adequate for this kind of bowling.You can probably do it if you can bowl at speeds above 80 mph!
• Check to see that the ball is in good enough shape for reverse swing bowling. Most likely, you’ll need a ball that has been thoroughly polished on one side and has played more than 40 overs.The other side must have significantly deteriorated.
• Utilize the standard fast bowling grip, as depicted below, to control the ball.The seam should be parallel to your fingers.

• Place the shiny side of the ball on your right hand if you want the ball to swing right (in the direction of a right-handed batter).Place the shiny side of the ball in your left hand if you want the ball to swing left (in the direction of a left-handed player).
• As usual, hurry up and bowl.As the ball moves through the air, try to keep the seam upright.The ball will have the best chance to swing because of this.

I recommend watching some of Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones’ wickets from the 2005 Ashes to see great reverse swing bowling in action.I think that was the best live reverse swing bowling display I’ve ever seen!In 2021, some of Jasprit Bumrah’s spells in England were also pretty good.

The Bouncer

One of a fast bowler’s most lethal weapons is the bouncer. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a hostile delivery that the bowler tries to land about halfway down the cricket field. By the time it reaches the batter, the cricket ball will have bounced high when it lands in this area. By the time it reaches them, the ball should be somewhere between shoulder and head height. When bowling the bouncer, the bowler should always aim for the batter’s body in terms of the ball’s line. It becomes easy for the batter to escape if it is bowled down the leg side or wide of the off stump.

A fast bowler should aim for this kind of delivery when choosing to bowl it because it can be very intimidating when bowled quickly and accurately! The batsman may be forced into evasive action or struck in the body by it. The bowler wins in both of these cases. As I would see it, the principal benefit of a professional bouncer is that it will push the player on to the back foot and make them hesitant to come advances. Because the batsman may not be moving their feet forward as fluently, this can make any full deliveries you bowl after extra deadly!

Although bowling a bouncer may appear to be straightforward, there is an art to it! It goes without saying that the bouncer doesn’t set out to hurt anyone, and that shouldn’t be celebrated especially in the event that a batter gets hurt! Nevertheless, the goal is to frighten them and force them to step outside of their comfort zone.

The Yorker

My most likely favorite fast bowling delivery is the yorker! You have been missing out if you have never heard of it!
A yorker is a delivery with a very long length, usually near the batsman’s feet or in the popping crease. If you have trouble visualizing this, my diagram below should help!

When bowling a yorker, the goal is to get the ball to bounce when it reaches the batter. The yorker becomes one of the hardest deliveries for a batter to play if a bowler can achieve this extremely small margin of error. A yorker becomes even more dangerous if it is bowled at a high pace and the bowler can get it to swing. These kinds of deliveries can easily get under the bat and smash into the batter’s pads or wickets.

The yorker is definitely used more in T20 and 50-over cricket than in test cricket. This is probably due to the fact that batters are more likely to be attacking in those formats and the yorker is the hardest delivery to score runs off. If the bowler hits a precise yorker, it will be nearly impossible for a batter to get underneath the ball and hit it for six. In a test match, a hitter can just play protectively and block the ball without the strain to score runs. However, this does not rule out the yorker’s use in long-form cricket! You can rely on it to work in any format!

You can read my helpful guide on how to bowl yorkers with greater accuracy by clicking here. Over the past few years, guys like Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah have been my favorite yorker bowlers in world cricket. So in the event that you need a masterclass in how to bowl them, I’d suggest observing a few clasps of those two!

Cross Seam Delivery

Surprisingly few fast bowlers are aware of a ball called a cross seam delivery, but I believe it should be used more frequently!

A variation called a cross seam delivery is one that fast bowlers use to try to make the ball bounce in a different way on pitches that aren’t really good for their style of bowling. A fast bowler will turn the ball around in their hands so that the seam runs across the fingers rather than gripping the ball with the seam running parallel to the fingers as they would when bowling a normal delivery. In the image below, you can see me demonstrating this.

The fast bowler only needs to run up to the ball and bowl it as usual once it is in this position. It’s that easy!
When the pitch is not particularly responsive, the cross seam delivery can extract up and down seam movement from the surface. Simply put, the ball may skid toward the batter and bounce lower than usual if the bowler can get the polished, leather side of the ball to land on the pitch in the manner depicted in the diagram below.

In contrast, the ball may become “stuck in the pitch” if the bowler can get the seam of the ball to dig into the surface, as shown in the diagram below, causing it to slow down and possibly bounce a little higher than usual.

Wobble Ball

Due to fast bowlers like Mohammad Asif, Jimmy Anderson, and Stuart Broad, the wobble ball has steadily gained prominence in test cricket over the past 15 years. It basically refers to a delivery that a bowler will use when the pitch isn’t moving much and the ball isn’t swinging. Even though the bowler and batter have no idea exactly how the ball will behave, the wobble ball aids in the ball’s seaming.

As of now you might be considering how precisely a particular sort of conveyance can assist the ball with seaming around once it stirs things up around town. Actually, it’s a lot easier than you might think! As the ball moves through the air, it basically causes the seam to “wobble” from side to side. As shown in the diagram below, this indicates that there is a greater likelihood that the ball will land with half of the leather side and half of the seam touching the pitch simultaneously! Seam movement is significantly more likely if the ball lands in this manner.

All in all, how would you bowl the wobble ball? Different bowlers use different techniques, but I believe these to be the most effective and reliable ones:

• Utilize the typical outswinger’s grip to hold the ball, as depicted in the image below. If you’ve read the rest of this post, you should know that the seam should be turned so that it points toward the slips. To do this, slightly widen the gap between your index and middle finger to make sure it’s bigger than it was before.
• Run up to the ball and bowl it in the same manner as you would with a typical fast delivery. While bowling the wobble ball requires you to simultaneously drag your index and middle fingers down the back of the ball, bowling the outswinger requires you to make sure that your index finger is the last finger to touch the ball. This makes sure that the seam doesn’t stay upright when bowling outswing or inswing, but instead wobbles from side to side as it moves through the air!
• The position of Jimmy Anderson’s hand as he releases the wobble ball is depicted in the image below. His middle and index fingers are angled across the seam, which is the grip for the outswing delivery that you can see. Nevertheless, his fingers are wider than usual! Bowling the wobble ball requires this. If you do this right, you will succeed!

The position of Jimmy Anderson’s hand as he releases the wobble ball is depicted in the image below. His middle and index fingers are angled across the seam, which is the grip for the outswing delivery that you can see. Nevertheless, his fingers are wider than usual! Bowling the wobble ball requires this. If you do this right, you will succeed!

Off Cutter

One of the many slower balls that a fast bowler can deliver is an off cutter. Batters are frequently perplexed by slower balls because they typically become accustomed to playing their shot very quickly in contrast to a fast bowler’s quicker deliveries. As a result, when they get a slower one, they frequently finish their shot too early. They could miss the ball entirely or hit it straight up in the air or calmly in the direction of a fielder as a result of this!

What distinguishes the off cutter from other slower ball bowling techniques? The fast bowler must use a slightly different grip and roll their fingers down one side of the ball as it leaves their hand in order to bowl the off cutter. The delivery comes out much more slowly because the fingers are spinning the ball as it leaves the hand rather than propelling it forward. My basic method for bowling it is as follows:

Leg Cutter

As you might have guessed, a leg cutter is the opposite of an off cutter and one of the slower balls available to a fast bowler. The bowler must also spin the ball in the opposite direction when using the leg cutter, which requires a slightly different grip! I’ve always found the leg cutter to be more difficult to bowl than the off cutter, but I also know a lot of bowlers who prefer it!If you want to bowl it, you must follow these steps:

• Stand at the end of your run up and proceed to bowl normally.
• Hold the ball in your hand exactly as shown in the image below. Your index finger should be slightly positioned down the side of the ball while using the leg cutter, and your middle finger should be close to the seam.
• Perform your normal bowling motion, but while you are releasing the ball, slightly rotate your hand and drag your middle finger down the side of the ball.Left-handed bowlers should be dragging their middle finger down the right side of the ball, while right-handed bowlers should be dragging their middle finger down the left side of the ball. The ball will spin slightly as a result of doing this, and it will be able to slip out of your hand. This delivery will come out of your hand a lot more slowly than with the standard ball because your fingers aren’t behind the ball moving it forward.

Split Finger Delivery

Another extremely straightforward slower ball that fast bowlers can use is the split finger. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the Australian legend Glenn McGrath was the first bowler I remember seeing using this ball, and I immediately began practicing it in my backyard!

Follow the steps below to learn how to bowl the split finger ball:

• In the image below, I’m demonstrating the correct way to hold the ball! The fingers in the typical fast bowling grip are close together but on opposite sides of the seam. You need to spread them out a lot more with the split finger ball. It’s important to place the fingers wide enough to be comfortable but not too wide.
• With the same run up and delivery stride, approach the crease as you normally would.
• Keep your wrist upright as your arm crosses over and release the ball, and try to bowl the ball as normally as possible. You have less force behind the ball because your middle and index fingers are spread more widely apart. Additionally, the ball can escape through the gap between your fingers much more quickly!

Back of the Hand Ball

Another type of slower ball that is frequently used in professional cricket is the back of the hand delivery. Because it requires the bowler to release the ball in a completely different manner than they are accustomed to, I believe it is one of the hardest deliveries to master. You will need to spend a lot of time practicing this delivery in the nets before you can start bowling it accurately in a real cricket match!

Let’s examine how to bowl it:

• Stand at the end of your run up and prepare to approach the crease with the ball in your usual fast bowling grip.
• Follow the same procedure for your run-up and bowling action. Your release is the only thing that needs to change for this delivery!
• You must rotate your bowling arm so that the back of your hand is facing the batter as you prepare to release the ball and rotate your arm. In the image below, you can see me demonstrating this. The batter will typically be able to see the palm of your hand when you release the ball, so if they want to know that the ball is coming, they will need to notice this subtle change.
• To get the ball to come out of the back of your hand just as it is about to leave, flick your hand slightly forward.

James Faulkner, Tymal Mills, and Jade Dernbach are three bowlers I recall using a lot of these balls.In recent years, I have watched Tymal Mills bowl this delivery a lot. He bowls it so well that he can keep the seam upright as it moves through the air. As a result, he occasionally manages to swing this ball, making it even more deadly!

The S.L.O.B (Slower Obsolete Ball)

Another pretty straightforward slower ball is the S.L.O.B.To be able to bowl it, you don’t have to change much about your bowling style or grip, but many fast bowlers find it hard to control and bowl accurately. The only thing you need to change is how you hold the ball just before you release it.Permit me to elaborate a little more:

• With your index and middle fingers parallel to the seam, hold the ball in your usual fast bowling grip.
  With the same run up and delivery stride, approach the crease as you normally would.
• Lift your thumb off the side of the ball as your bowling arm approaches and you prepare to bowl.Your grip should look like mine in the image below after you do this!
• After removing your thumb from the ball, release it by guiding its flight with your index and middle fingers.Believe it or not, taking your thumb off the ball significantly slows down the delivery, making it difficult for the batter to recognize it!

Although I haven’t seen a lot of professional bowlers use the S.L.O.B., it is definitely an effective ball with a slower speed. Why not give it a shot on the internet to see if it helps?

Knuckle Ball

Many professional fast bowlers use the knuckle ball, a very effective slower ball. I remember seeing Jofra Archer use this a lot, and it totally confused a lot of batters. It always seems to float toward the batter and then dip at the last moment, which makes it very difficult for them to play. I’m not sure why it works so well. Let’s look at how to bowl it briefly:

• In the image below, I’m demonstrating the correct way to hold the ball.You won’t be able to really grip the ball with this delivery because you have to press your fingernails flat against the ball’s surface.
• With the same run up and delivery stride, approach the crease as you normally would.
• The ball should be released from your knuckles as your arm rotates.You will feel the ball leave your hand in a much “looser” manner because your grip on it is much weaker than usual.This is the reason for the difference in speed.
  

Always keep in mind that the grip in the picture above will be very hard to hold the ball as you get closer to the crease. Especially for bowlers who are younger or have smaller hands or fingers. To combat this, you might want to approach the crease while holding the ball in a standard fast bowling grip. When you release the ball, you switch to the knuckle ball grip as soon as your arm starts to rotate. Before playing a game, I would recommend working on this for a long time in the nets because it requires a lot of practice to get right!

The Palm Delivery

I wasn’t really aware of this ball until I heard Stuart Broad talk about it in an interview recently; however, if he likes it, I shouldn’t keep it to myself!
Another type of slower ball that is entirely dependent on the fast bowler’s grip is known as the palm delivery, which is the name I chose to give it. Permit me to explain it as follows:

• The right way to hold this ball is essential. When using the standard fast bowling grip, the bowler should force the ball back into the palm of their hand in the manner depicted in the image below rather than having a nice gap between the palm of the hand and the surface of the ball. Because of this, your fingers have less control over the ball and are unable to propel it forward with the same force.
• Utilizing your usual delivery and run-up stride, approach the crease.
• The ball should be released exactly as usual. The ball won’t leave your hand with as much speed and zip as it normally would because it is more firmly pressed into your palm.

Spin Bowling Deliveries

The Leg Break

The first spinning delivery that we are going to discuss in this post is the leg break. Leg spin (or wrist spin) bowlers bowl this delivery, so if you’ve ever watched Shane Warne, Adil Rashid, or Yuzvendra Chahal bowl, you probably saw them bowl this delivery most of the time!

Consequently, how does the leg break act? The leg break will pitch and spin from right to left for right arm leg spin bowlers. The leg break will spin from left to right for leg spin bowlers with left arms. The bowler of this delivery should aim to induce the batter to attempt to drive the ball by landing it on a good or full length. The bowler has the best chance of getting a wicket as a result of this.

Before rotating their fingers over the top of the ball, the bowler must flick their wrist in order to bowl this delivery.Let me provide you with a more in-depth rundown below:

• As you can see in my picture below, the grip is the first thing to master.

• The spin bowler should begin their run up with the ball properly gripped and prepare to deliver it once they reach the crease.
• The bowler must ensure that their palm is pointing in a particular direction as the arm rotates and reaches its highest point. This helps ensure that the spin will be applied correctly. If you imagine a clock face, right arm leg spin bowlers should point their palms in the direction of the north east or the number half. Bowlers who use their left arm for leg spin should do the opposite, pointing their palms in the opposite direction, either toward the west or toward the numbers 10 and 11 on an imaginary clock face.This should be made more understandable by the images below!
• Last but not least, the bowler must now spin the ball as they release it. The middle and ring fingers should be allowed to rotate as strongly as possible over the top of the ball by flicking the wrist inward. The ball will spin more aggressively the more force applied. See what I mean by looking at the diagram below!

The Googly

Leg spin bowlers’ most well-known “variation” delivery is the googly. Many batters are perplexed because they think the bowler is going to bowl leg breaks because it spins in the opposite direction of a leg break. There is a good chance that the batter will play a false shot against the googly and be dismissed if they do not notice the change in the bowler’s action as the ball is released from their hand. Adil Rashid, Adam Zampa, and Shadab Khan all have excellent googlies, so be on the lookout for them when you see them play in today’s world cricket!

The leg spin bowler bowls the googly in what way, then? Everything comes down to where their arm or hand is when they release the ball. Let’s examine it more closely:

• Use the standard leg break grip that I’ll show you below to hold the ball.

• The spin bowler should begin their run up with the ball properly gripped and prepare to deliver it once they reach the crease.
• The bowler must ensure that their palm is pointing in a particular direction as the arm rotates and reaches its highest point. This helps ensure that the spin will be applied correctly. Leg spin bowlers with the right arm should twist their arm so that their palm is pointing south or toward the number 4/5, if you think of a clock face. The batter should be facing the back of the hand. Bowlers who use their left arm off spin should do the opposite, pointing their palm south or west, or in the direction of the 7/8 on an imaginary clock face. The back of the hand ought to be facing the batter once more. This should be made more understandable by the images below!
• Last but not least, the bowler must now spin the ball as they release it. The middle and ring fingers should move as strongly as possible over the ball’s top.

Top Spinner (Leg Spin Bowlers)

The top spinner is another variety conveyance that is accessible to leg turn bowlers. With a top spin delivery, the goal is for the ball to spin straight in the direction of the batter. Therefore, a straight-on top spinner could catch the batter off guard if they were expecting the ball to spin in their direction or away from them. The top spinner has the added advantage of being able to suddenly dip on the batter during the flight, as well as being able to bounce a lot more than usual due to the overspin that is applied to the ball. Spinners should have this deadly delivery in their arsenal because it is especially dangerous on hard, bouncy pitches.

Let’s examine the leg spin bowling method:

• Use the standard leg break grip that I’ll show you below to hold the ball.

• The spin bowler should begin their run up with the ball properly gripped and prepare to deliver it once they reach the crease.
• The bowler must ensure that their palm is pointing in a particular direction as the arm rotates and reaches its highest point. This helps ensure that the spin will be applied correctly. Leg spin bowlers with the right arm should twist their arm so that their palm is pointing east, or the number three on a clock face. When you throw the ball, the thumb side of your hand should be pointing directly at the batter. Bowlers who use their left arm for leg spin should do the opposite, pointing their palm west, or in the direction of the number 9 on a hypothetical clock face. Again, the thumb should be pointing in the direction of the batter. This should be made more understandable by the images below!
• Last but not least, the bowler must now spin the ball as they release it. The over spin is applied by placing the middle and ring fingers directly over the ball’s top.

The Slider

Leg spin bowlers also bowl a popular variation called the slider. This ball has the same appearance as a standard leg break, but instead of spinning when it hits the pitch, it “slides” straight toward the batter. I recall Shane Warne making excellent use of this ball, particularly in the 2005 Ashes. He would frequently set up batsmen like Ian Bell by bowling a series of massive turning leg breaks that moved the batsman across the crease before he used the slider to trap them LBW. He was truly an expert in his field!
If executed correctly, the slider really has the potential to be a lethal weapon.

Listed below are the requirements:

• Use the standard leg break grip that I’ll show you below to hold the ball.

• The spin bowler should begin their run up with the ball properly gripped and prepare to deliver it once they reach the crease.
• The bowler must ensure that their palm is pointing in a particular direction as the arm rotates and reaches its highest point. This helps ensure that the spin will be applied correctly. The palm of the hand should be pointing directly at the batter as the ball leaves the hand for leg break bowlers with the right arm and left arm. This should be made more understandable by the images below!
• Last but not least, the bowler must now spin the ball as they release it. In order to cause the ball to rotate as it moves through the air, the middle and ring fingers should rotate as strongly as possible over the ball’s top. At release, the palm of the hand is pointing directly at the batter, ensuring that the ball only receives side spin. Side spin almost always results in the ball skidding toward the batter.

A bowler can twist their arm a little bit further than I mentioned above if they want to make sure the ball goes straight on once it hits the ground. This would require right arm leg spin bowlers to orient their palms toward the northwest or the imaginary number 11 on a clock face. The palm of the left arm leg spin bowler should be pointing toward the north-east, or the number 1 on an imaginary clock face.

The Flipper

The final variation that I will discuss for leg spin bowlers is the flipper. It’s probably the leg spin variation with the most challenges to bowl and explain!You should be aware that you will need to put in an incredible amount of practice time if you want to be able to bowl it accurately and reliably during actual game situations. Even the legendary Shane Warne took a long time to master this ball.

The flipper uses the same grip as the other leg spin variations, but it releases in a completely different way, which may not be comfortable for many spinners. However, it is extremely rewarding if done correctly. It will shoot low and straight at the batter in a different direction and come out much faster than other spinning pitches.

The following is a look at how to bowl it:

• Use the standard leg break grip that I’ll show you below to hold the ball.But this time, instead of letting it rest as much in your palm, you might decide to hold it slightly more with your fingertips.

• The spin bowler should begin their run up with the ball properly gripped and prepare to deliver it once they reach the crease.
• The leg spin bowler must position their hand as they would when bowling a top spinner as the bowling arm rotates to its highest point.The palm of the right arm leg spin bowler should face east, while the palm of the left arm bowler should face west.Squeeze your thumb toward your index and middle fingers as the ball is about to be released in both cases. The bowling hand’s thumb side should be pointed directly at the batter.Your index and middle fingers should press down on the ball’s bottom while your thumb should push backwards over the top.The motion required to bowl the flipper is almost identical to that of clicking your fingers—imagine this!
• The motion I just described ought to send the ball flying out of your front hand with a lot of backspin applied to it.

I recall Shane Warne saying that the best way to learn how to use the flipper is to click a cricket ball while practicing the click. You should mimic the motion of clicking your fingers as you flick the ball from one hand to the other. With your index and middle fingers, press down on the ball by squeezing your thumb over its top. If you want to get a better sense of what I mean, take a look at the picture up top!

The Off Break

Off spin bowlers like Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravi Ashwin use the stock delivery known as the off break.The off break will turn from left to right for right-arm off spin bowlers, or in the direction of a right-handed batter’s body.The off break will move away from the body of a right-handed batter for left-arm off spin bowlers.
Again, off spin bowlers should try to land their off breaks on a full length that encourages batters to drive or defend.If they are able to accomplish this, they will have access to numerous additional methods of dismissal, including inside edges to short leg, LBW, and bowled, edges to the keeper, and slips.
Follow the steps below if you want to bowl the off-break:

• Again, the grip should be perfected first when using the off break.You won’t have any problems if you follow my grip below!
• The spin bowler should begin their run up with the ball properly gripped and prepare to deliver it once they reach the crease.
• The bowler must ensure that their palm is pointing in a particular direction as the arm rotates and reaches its highest point. This helps ensure that the spin will be applied correctly. The palm of the right arm of off spin bowlers should be pointing north or west, or toward the number 10/11, if you think of a clock face. Bowlers who use their left arm off spin should do the opposite, pointing their palm north or east, or in the direction of the half of an imaginary clock face. This should be made more understandable by the images below!
• Last but not least, the bowler must now spin the ball as they release it. The ball should be ripped over the top with the index fingers as hard as possible.You should be able to better understand what I mean by looking at the picture below. Similar to the leg break, the ball will spin more aggressively the more force you apply here!

Top spinner (Off Spin Bowlers)

The first off spin bowling variation I’m going to talk about is the top spinner.It behaves exactly as the top spinner for leg spin bowlers does, bouncing higher than a typical delivery and dipping abruptly on the batter while in flight, as you probably guessed.

Check out the steps below if you’re an off spin bowler who wants to learn how to bowl the top spin delivery:

• Use the standard off break grip, which I’ll show you below, to hold the ball.
• With the ball grasped appropriately, the twist bowler ought to start their run up and plan to convey the ball once they arrive at the wrinkle.
• The bowler must ensure that their palm is pointing in a particular direction as the arm rotates and reaches its highest point. This helps ensure that the spin will be applied correctly. Right arm off spin bowlers should twist their arm so that their palm is pointing west, or the number 9 on a clock face, if you like.When you throw the ball, the thumb side of your hand should be pointing away from the batter. Bowlers who use their left arm off spin should do the opposite, pointing their palm east, or in the direction of the number three on a hypothetical clock face. Once more, the hand’s thumb should be pointing away from the batter. This should be made more understandable by the picture below!
• Last but not least, the bowler must now spin the ball as they release it. The over spin is a forceful rotation of the index finger over the ball’s top.

The Arm Ball

Off spin bowlers also like to use the arm ball, a variation delivery that can be deadly when used correctly. When bowling with the arm ball, the goal is not to spin the ball.Instead, it will be bowled at a faster pace than a typical spinning delivery and will travel pretty straight towards the batter. Additionally, the arm ball can even fly through the air if it is bowled correctly! The arm ball behaves more like a delivery from a spin bowler than from a medium pace bowler, in my opinion!

Follow the steps below to learn how to bowl this ball:

• From the usual off break, the arm ball requires a slight grip change.You should turn the ball around so that your index finger now lies alongside the seam, like a fast bowler, rather than gripping the seam with your middle and index fingers as you normally do.
• As the bowler’s arm rotates and the ball is about to be released, the off break bowler will keep their wrist behind the ball and attempt to push the delivery through like a fast bowler, as shown in the image below.
• The bowler should prepare to deliver the ball in the same manner as usual. The bowler can tilt the seam slightly in any direction they like, and just like a fast bowler, they will use their index finger to rotate the ball backwards along that axis.
• The seam will remain upright as it moves through the air if it is bowled correctly.This means that the bowler has a better chance of moving in the air!The batsman will find it harder to play the ball as a result.

The Doosra

The Doosra is probably the most well-known variation that off-spin bowlers throw, but legally throwing it is probably the most difficult part of the game of cricket. When bowling, bowlers are only permitted to deliver the ball with a 15-degree elbow bend, and it just so happens that very few off spin bowlers are able to do so without bending their arm more than this!Because of this, not many people use it in matches.

The Doosra is one of the sport’s deadliest deliveries if a bowler can bowl it. The Doosra spins in the opposite direction of an off spinner’s typical off break delivery. As a result, the Doosra spins from right to left for a right-arm off spin bowler and from left to right for a left-arm off spin bowler. Additionally, it is very difficult to spot for batters! As a result, it can make even the best players lose their heads and make mistakes.

Check out the steps below to learn how to bowl the Doosra and what it looks like:

• The grip that is utilized for the delivery is identical to the grip that is utilized for the typical off break. I’ll show you how to do this below!
• In preparation to release the ball, the bowler should follow their usual delivery stride and approach the crease as usual.
• The bowler should turn their arm so that they are showing part of the back of their hand to the batsman and slightly cock their wrist as the ball is about to be released (as shown in the picture below). The bowler may need to slightly twist their shoulder to get the arm and wrist in this position. A right-arm off spin bowler will have the seam pointing toward first slip, or the number 11 on an imaginary clock face, if the arm is in the right position. When off spin bowling with the left arm, the seam will be pointing in the direction of the first digit on an imaginary clock.
• Keep in mind that bowling the Doosra with your arm slightly bent during this phase is definitely easier. When bowling with a straight arm, it is very difficult to propel the ball down the field at a good speed in this manner. Just keep in mind that your arm can only bend to a maximum of 15 degrees!
• The spin is created using the index and middle fingers from here. The process of turning the ball over the top is typically initiated by the middle finger, and then the index finger is used to forcefully flick the ball in the direction of the spin as it turns.

The Carrom Ball

Off spin bowlers frequently use the carrom ball, a distinctive delivery style, as a departure from their usual methods. Mujeeb Ur-Rahman and Ravichandran Ashwin are two of the popular off spin bowlers in modern cricket who bowl Carrom balls the most frequently.

Consequently, how does the Carrom ball act? It is bowled from the front of the hand and basically spins in the opposite direction of an ordinary off spin delivery. However, in order for the bowler to flick the ball and apply the spin, they need to have very strong fingers.

The steps necessary to bowl it are listed below:

• The Carrom ball requires a different grip than the majority of other spin deliveries. When bowling the Carrom ball, the thumb, index, and ring finger are used in the most common grip. The ball is held in place at the top by the index finger, and the ball is held in place at the bottom by the thumb and ring finger. This grip can be seen in the picture below!
• In preparation to release the ball, the bowler should follow their usual delivery stride and approach the crease as usual.
• The bowler must extend and straighten their bent ring finger, rolling it up the ball’s edge, as the bowling arm approaches and the ball is about to be released. The bowler will simultaneously use their thumb to pull down on the opposite side of the ball. This move gives the ball spin and “shoots” it out of the front of the hand. This ought to be a little bit easier to picture!

The Under Cutter

This post’s final main type of delivery is the under cutter, and it’s a good place to end! The under cutter is essentially the slider for off spin bowlers. The under cutter looks very much like the standard off break from the batsman’s perspective, making it very hard for them to pick it up and tell it from the hand. When bowling this ball, the goal is for it to “slide” on toward the batter without spinning.When the ball does not spin, the batsman may be bowled or LBW if they do not choose the delivery.

You will learn how to bowl the under cutter by following the steps below:

• The grip that is required for the standard off break is identical to the one that is used with the under cutter. I’ll show you how to do this below!
• The bowler can begin their run up once they have the ball in the right grip. They should approach the crease in the same manner as usual and get ready to pass the ball.
• The bowler must first point their palm directly at the batter as the bowling arm rotates and the ball is about to be released. Off-spin bowlers with the right and left arms can benefit from this. As shown in the image below, the second thing they need to do is slightly tilt their hand backward. The time has come to let go of the ball!
• The bowler should drag their index finger over the top of the ball as it leaves their hand to apply spin! Any spin that is applied will be side spin because the palm is facing the batter, which can naturally cause the ball to slide toward the batter.

As I referenced before while covering the slider, the bowler can decide to turn their arm around somewhat more if they have any desire to ensure that the ball slides on towards the hitter without turning. A left-arm off spin bowler might want to point their palm in the direction of the north west (in the direction of 10/11 on an imaginary clock face), whereas a right-arm off spin bowler might want to point their palm in the direction of the north east (in the direction of 1/2 on an imaginary clock face). Although this isn’t absolutely necessary, it gives you more undercut on the ball, which should stop it from deviating laterally once it hits the pitch!

Other Deliveries

The two below can be bowled by any type of bowler; they are not really restricted to spin or fast bowling.

Full Toss

A delivery that does not bounce before reaching the batter is called a full toss. These kinds of deliveries are frequently bowled, particularly in limited-overs cricket, where fast bowlers attempt to bowl yorkers. It is extremely simple to bowl the ball slightly fuller and a full toss when bowling a yorker!

A batter sometimes finds it easier to time full tosses and can hit them to the boundary with incredible ease. However, a batter might be caught off guard by a full toss and completely mistime the ball.

If I were you, I wouldn’t try to bowl full tosses. If I were you, I would devote my time to practicing and developing the numerous other types of deliveries that I have discussed here that are significantly more efficient than a full toss!

Beamer

A beamer and a full toss are very similar. There is one major distinction between these two deliveries—they both fail to bounce before reaching the batter! It will also be aimed at the batter’s upper body or head, making the beamer a much more dangerous delivery because it will not bounce before it reaches the batter.

The umpire will automatically rule that this kind of delivery is a no ball because it is so dangerous. Any full toss that passes the batter (a beamer) and is above waist height is considered a no ball according to cricket rules. Therefore, if you bowl one of these, you’ll lose one run and have to bowl an additional ball. Additionally, bowling a beamer will grant the batting team a free hit in shorter formats like Twenty20 cricket. This is unquestionably something that every bowler ought to try to avoid.

I won’t be teaching you how to bowl a beamer because, as I’m sure you already know, it’s not a delivery you should be trying to bowl!Instead of employing illegal strategies, I much rather use a well-targeted bouncer to intimidate a batter!

Conclusion

That was quite a post! Thank you so much for reading, if you made it this far. I truly appreciate it and hope you found it useful.

To finish this post off, it means quite a bit to take note of that a portion of the conveyances I’ve referenced above can be joined. A split-finger yorker, for instance, can be bowled by a fast bowler. An arm ball that is also a full toss could be thrown by a spin bowler!However, each of the deliveries I’ve described has its own distinguishing features.

Last but not least, I’ll mention that some people might believe that I missed a few more obscure deliveries. However, I believe I have covered all of the major ones that are utilized extensively throughout the sport. I’ll make sure to include any new deliveries that become popular among bowlers in the coming years on this list!