How Do You Play Spin?

[PhatBoy]

I mean you personally, assuming you still play competitive cricket.

I watch the best players of spin in international cricket and most of them have the following things in common:

- Really soft hands
- Play incredibly late when not on the front foot
- Use all the crease
- Very decisive when they go down the track
- Sweep well and not indiscriminately
- Very good at picking the gap for a single when not attacking
- Can hit the same ball to either side of the wicket a lot of the time

I would imagine very few club cricketers fit the description of the above.
Me personally, when I started playing cricket at like 9 years old or something, like most Aussie kids I just saw spin as fodder. I still recall the very first ball I faced in competitive cricket - I ran down the wicket and deposited it on the first bounce to long on.

As the years have gone by I've become shakier and shakier against spin, for the primary reason that I've tried to complicate things a bit more - almost to try and become the players I'm describing above. There aren't a lot of good spinners in my neck of the woods so when a half-decent one does pop up they are almost a new species. We played a leggie on the weekend who ripped out the guy before me with a big wrong 'un that he left.

Basically the only method that works for me is to make an immediate decision when the ball leaves the bowler's hand - can I get to this if I dance down the track? If yes, I either try and punch it straight if the field is back or just whale it if they're up. If I can't get to it, next thought is 'can I lunge forward and drop this on the pitch.' If the answer is no, that's when I'm in strife.

I generally try and get right back and just hold on for grim death with a straight bat.

 

[ROOTA#6]

Dance down the wicket and try and plant the ball as far as I can

 

[Carbine Chaos]

I always much preferred facing fast bowlers. I found that having more pace to work with was useful, and I always found myself premeditating shots against the spinners, which I'd never do against the quicks.

 

[11kgm]

In scared of the quicks

Spin was generally get to the drop of the ball and smother it

 

[Broar]

Charge down the pitch and hit it back over the bowlers head for six (or in other words stumped first ball)

 

[Simple Jack]

My goal is to either get right to the pitch of the ball (dance down if need be) or get right back and watch/play the spin. Try to avoid getting stuck playing on the half volley or a little shorter where some extra/less spin (or an un-picked wrong 'un) or extra/less bounce can cause an edge or false shot.

Pretty simple approach, only really have one decision to make based on length.

It is... equally successful to my seam batting technique.

N.b. I no longer play proper cricket, just a hit in the nets every now and then.

 

[eltrain]

Basically the only method that works for me is to make an immediate decision when the ball leaves the bowler's hand - can I get to this if I dance down the track? If yes, I either try and punch it straight if the field is back or just whale it if they're up. If I can't get to it, next thought is 'can I lunge forward and drop this on the pitch.' If the answer is no, that's when I'm in strife.

I generally try and get right back and just hold on for grim death with a straight bat.

Yep, what you've outlined here is the way I try to approach it as well. I look for any indication I can get as the ball leaves the bowler's hand as to how full it's going to be, then get to the pitch of it if I think I can. One thing I've always struggled with is going back and using the depth of the crease against spinners. If the ball is short enough then its not really an issue, but it's that in-between length that does me. Big hole in my game that I've been needing to work on for years tbh.

 

[WeMissYouMarkCoughlan]

Sweep everything

 

[Belnakor]

While I was a designated No.11 batsman during my more competitive junior days, the times i have pulled on the whites post that time period - managing to move as high as no.7 in the order, I have taken the Damien Martyn approach to spin - i play literally everything off the back foot. If its short, cross bat. If its full, defensive. Playing the straight drive is for guys who know how to play spin.

 

[PhatBoy]

I always much preferred facing fast bowlers. I found that having more pace to work with was useful, and I always found myself premeditating shots against the spinners, which I'd never do against the quicks.

me too. I'm not good enough to edge good outswing, and I play the cut and pull well for someone of my overall standard. Inswing is my achilles heel but generally would much prefer pace to spin

 

[Seedsfan]

When I played I tried to get down the track to it and play it before it has a chance to spin. I could never cut a spinner or play spinner or really drive them unless I got to the pitch of it. If they dropped short I could pull it. More or less I struggled

 

[t_94]

The best non professional player I’ve seen of spin is a guy who is about 6 ft 1 and played a lot of hockey as a kid. Gets a massive step forward (while staying in the crease), smothering the potential spin and then hitting the ball either side of the wicket by sort of whipping his bottom hand through late in his down swing.

 

[PhatBoy]

The best non professional player I’ve seen of spin is a guy who is about 6 ft 1 and played a lot of hockey as a kid. Gets a massive step forward (while staying in the crease), smothering the potential spin and then hitting the ball either side of the wicket by sort of whipping his bottom hand through late in his down swing.

The best I’ve seen I reckon was our probably best ever batsman, he always told me that against any type of bowling you need a front foot boundary shot and a back foot boundary shot, and a get off strike shot for both. He was little and very light on his feet. If it was straight he would use his feet to almost anything unless it was a half tracker, and he would whip through mid wicket or square, or block it half way down the wicket.
If it was short he had a fierce cut behind square or a little nudge in front of point for one. That was basically it. But he made it look so simple.

What I find really strange is that although I struggle (in my head at least - stats might not back this up) with spin, I can barely ever recall being dismissed off the outside edge. Not sure if it’s soft hands or if I just get beaten more than I edge it, but my primary modes of dismissal are from straight deliveries or spooning a catch. If my stumps aren’t in danger I very very rarely get out to it

 

[archibald]

I have 3 shots against spin:

- If flighted, get down and work through wide mid on. Get off strike.
- If flatter, get back and cut (or a late cut if i'm feeling fancy)
- Anything in between, sweep the shit out of it.

 

[PhatBoy]

I have 3 shots against spin:

- If flighted, get down and work through wide mid on. Get off strike.
- If flatter, get back and cut (or a late cut if i'm feeling fancy)
- Anything in between, sweep the sh*t out of it.

I can’t sweep for shit but for some reason I forget that when the ball is in flight a lot

 

[Park cricketer]

 

[Gethelred]

One of my benefits is that I played an incredible amount of cricket - in and around my home, and we played backyard with a cricket ball - with my brother, who was a legspinner of extreme unpredictability in turn and bounce, so it's pretty difficult to bowl a variation that I don't spot. I'll see your wrong'un, I know what an arm ball looks like, how to bowl a flipper or a toppie, and I've taught people how to bowl a carrom ball. I'm not saying that makes me good at playing spin - although it certainly seems to help - but simply being able to see what you're about to do doesn't mean that you'll be able to counter it. I'll play you either as far forward as I can get without dancing to it most of the time, waiting for you to make a mistake and drop it short. Occasionally I go on the charge, but I'll do it to get off strike rather than to hit the boundary. If you bowl a bad ball - a full toss, or something I can make into a full toss, or you drop it short - I'll punish you for it either side of the wicket in front or behind square. I play the occasional sweep shot, but it's very occasional.

In my opinion - which is no more valid than anyone else's, and certainly not someone who's a bona fide expert; I've played a reasonable standard, but I'm not a premier ones player - the Australian mindset towards spin is dead ****ing wrong. We try to belt them out of the attack, taking a single or two overs for 20 or runs. This means that in Australia, a spinner is always boom or bust; they're taking wickets, or getting carted, very frequently both simultaneously (unless the captain knows what he's doing, and the boundaries are sufficiently large). What's more valuable for the batting team in a two/four day game, a spinner taking 3-35 from six overs or the same spinner going for 50 off 12 but taking no wickets?

We take to spinners like we're using a mace, when using a rapier puts holes in the other guy at a reasonable rate and gets them just as dead without the same level of risk.

 

[VirgilHilts]

When I played club cricket the spin was mostly bowled by old farts so it was ultra slow out of the hand and because we played on pretty spongey tracks it was slower off the pitch. You didn't have to worry about picking the delivery because there was only ever a stock ball and the revs on it could barely be measured. Frankly it was shite and the only worry was getting caught on the boundary or getting complacent.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

The same as I played the quicks. Plant a foot somewhere hopefully near the line and place the bat somewhere nearby.
What I was hoping to do was get well forward or back early, to either smother or allow adjustment for, any spin. In that respect much like the quicks.
And then play down and late. But as the most uncoordinated number eleven to ever number eleven I don't think it actually went anything like that.

Spin was rarely seen in the bush league I played in back then. Either old guys who could no longer bowl pace or young guys who hadn't yet developed much control. The old guys at least were hard to get away at times as they had subtle variety.

 

[Gough]

I batted eleven because there was no twelve, nobody expected me to play spin.

 

[PhatBoy]

One of our local grades is a kind of development comp that requires at least 4 kids under 18, at least 4 adults over 18, and the other 3 can be made up of any combination. It sits below 2s and above 3s. I was playing sporadically at the time so just bobbing up in this grade whenever I had a weekend off to play. Because my previous cricket had been in first grade they put me on a restriction where I had to retire at 50 (even though I'd been batting 8-9 in first grade so who the f*** knows why they did it). Anyway the directive was simple, bat slow and guide the kid at the other end. A bit of common sense also tells you not to bully some 15 year old bowler who's just starting senior cricket.

This leg spinner came on who looked about 10 (he was 14 it turned out) and my first thought was 'ok don't smash him just knock him for a single every few balls.' The little c*** rips 2 in a row past my groping forward defence and then slides one into my pads going down legside. In the end I had to start running at him and bombing him as it was the only way I was going to survive. I verbally apologised to the opposition captain: Sorry mate I'm not trying to be a hero, I'd be livid if it happened to one of my players, but this little shit is going to get me if I try and bat properly.'

 

[Blue Arrow]

Back foot, hopefully read it off the pitch. No dancing down the pitch or sweeping now, I am getting old and my knees are buggered.

 

[iluvparis]

Me personally, when I started playing cricket at like 9 years old or something, like most Aussie kids I just saw spin as fodder.

I think the discussion could have just ended with this sentence

 

[iluvparis]

I am not good enough to hit it if its turning so I normally am just on the look out for spinners that have a much quicker delivery that they fire in at your pads/stumps. Basically just pad up to anything outside leg and grope at anything a good length on/outside off. Then just try and belt the living fk out of any half trackers.

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

My kid was getting a lesson from one of our Premier coaches a while back and he was saying the Indians, who are the best players of spin, play mostly from in the crease nowadays (although Pujara was coming out a lot in the test series) ...whilst Aussie kids are generally taught to get to the pitch of the ball...if you can. One thing I used to notice a lot watching juniors is they would get stumped a lot when it was a fuller delivery but bowled wider. Not so much with straight ones.