The Leg Spin Thread

[OzBomber]

Bowled leg spin for nearly 10 years, loved it. Took 2 hattricks doing so, but if you're in shit form it's a pretty frustrating craft. Used to be able to turn it a mile, but as I got taller and over 6 foot, I lost my rhythm from when I was younger, meaning it was harder for me to flight it resulting in less spin and less wickets.

But one of the best feelings in the world is when you're bowling a great spell and every ball you feel it come out of your finger perfectly and you can hear the fizz of the ball as it leaves before pitching and spinning past the bat or hitting the edge. Then you've got the ability to bowl a wrongun. Pitch that well and get that to turn and you feel like a genius.

I put it down to:
- Idiot teammates trying to tonk me every ball in the nets. If they missed/miscued, it didn't really feel like I got a wicket. If they got onto it I'd have to walk to the other end of oval to get my ball back. Could never get into a routine.
- Idiot captains waiting until late in the limited overs match to give me a bowl. Quickies always got about seven overs each and I got the dregs.
- Grew tall.

100% agree with this. With spin bowling it's all about consistency and getting into a rhythm. In the nets at training this is impossible as you've got 5 or 6 bowlers rotating in one net at once meaning you have to wait your time. Not to mention when you get smacked you get frustrated.

I was actually the opposite with the 2nd one. In seniors last year I was stuck in lower divisions at a new club because my idiot captain decided that I was the best bowler, hence opening with me meaning that I had minimal chance of spinning the ball. As a result I faced the best batsmen, they tried to hack me, they would sky plenty. Then he would take me off after a few overs and not put me back on when the ball was a little older.. There were always people needed for higher divisions but he refused to let me go even when I volunteered/requested to play. But being in lower divisions fielders were shit meaning dropped catches. Not to mention the umpires didn't give a shit (as they were on the batsmen's side) meaning that LBWs were never given. It killed my passion for the game.

+1 for skinny pitches as well. My favourite were those newer spongey synth pitches. They would also grip very well and they were bloody wide meaning it was perfect for lefties when you came around the wicket.

 

[Smoooothy]

completely agree with all above. i've been bowling leggies for about 20 years, and it's only been through having a mate as captain that i've finally gotten a go bowling them in games regularly. best figures of 6/14 off 5 overs (included a magical over of 4 wickets too)

i find it best coming on as first or second change (so in 40 over games, usually around the 8-10 over mark). you usually get batsman that can respect a good ball, but at the same time you'll take 0 or 1/20 ish off 8 as opposed to late in the innings where you can pick up a couple of quick wickets but go for a lot

what you say about bowling in the nets is very true too. makes it very hard to get a rhythm, but at the same time if you manage to get someone out, they look like gooses

also, +1 to bowling around the wicket to lefties. can get some pretty handy turn with the angle generated by this. not uncommon to take a lefties leg stump out through sheer turn.

 

[placebo]

Bell couldn't read the slider at all.

all warne had to do was to rip leggies for a couple of overs and then chuck the slider in.

Bell was legit all at sea, made him look stupid did warne. and bell is a very good bat

I got a little aroused watching that video.

 

[DrVanNostrand]

It's so hard to get mates into watching a Test without Warnie out there plying his craft. During the 06/07 Ashes series, everyone at school was right into it and I had everyone seeking me out to talk cricket. The KP/Warnie stoush was huge.

NZC website provides highlights packages of all their first class matches, you can click on a dismissal and get the video in isolation. If you appriciate a good leg break, check out "Neesham b. Sodhi" in the Otago 2nd innings.
http://highlights.blackcaps.co.nz/highlights.aspx?bc=mIOdIqP4QcQ3pydhn2oAZzCzjBfDeOKQ
This Sodhi bloke had a pretty decent U19 World Cup.

In the other match yesterday, Chris Martin gets bowled by a Nethula wrongun, if you're looking for some lolz.

 

[Hellgood]

Bell actually came back pretty well from being utterly destroyed by Warney in the 2005 Ashes. He was possibly their best batsman in the 2006/07 whitewash and made some pretty good scores during that series. Warne still had his measure (like everyone), but it wasn't boy vs man like in 2005.

Also, that NZ cricket video scorecard thing is freaking awesome. We need that!

 

[swiftdog]

I played for six years in high school (had never played for a club before then) and bowled leggies, having been a huge Warne fan and always bowling them in the backyard.

Took a double hattrick on debut. Huge thrill. Never matched it again.

Could turn it a lot from about Year 7-9 and then I gradually lost my turn. By Year 11-12 I was "bowling Kumbles".

I put it down to:
- Idiot teammates trying to tonk me every ball in the nets. If they missed/miscued, it didn't really feel like I got a wicket. If they got onto it I'd have to walk to the other end of oval to get my ball back. Could never get into a routine.
- Idiot captains waiting until late in the limited overs match to give me a bowl. Quickies always got about seven overs each and I got the dregs.
- Grew tall.

Too right! My favourite is when I'm "tonked" out to cow corner in the nets and I'm told by the idiotic batsmen that I've just been hit for a boundary (it's a shame about those fielders hey?). I love bowling to quick bowlers, usually because they're shit at batting (inflating my ego), and they're stupid people in general. Case in point, fast bowler with very limited batting ability and IQ (and bowling ability truth be told) decides to come down and hit me over my head about 5 times in his net session... plays and misses 5 times in his net session, you would think he'd learn after the first or second time but no.

Hate playing on syntho pitches. I tend to get a lot of bounce (my action is horrible) and this was only magnified with the new "all-weather" synthetic pitches brought in a few years back. I usually just try and look for an outside edge and try (key word - try) to vary my pace and flight in order to get batsmen to make a mistake. Don't turn it a huge amount simply because I can't land the big-turner properly. As everyone in here knows, you feel like a boss on your good days but on your bad days you genuinely wonder why you're spending a 30 C day playing such a long boring game.

 

[Torz]

Might get a game tomorrow. Might. Knowing the weather so far this season it'll probably start hailing at 1 o'clock.

One-dayer, would be nice to get 8 overs and hopefully a few scalps!

E: Bit of drizzle, but we got through a game finally. Yay. Also a good day out, 75* and 2-15.

 

[PTizzle]

I've decided to start giving leg-spin a go - mainly for shits and giggles, but also just to offer something different as a part-time bowler somewhere down the line. Anyone got a good idea where to start, bar watching cricket videos? Although I do enjoy that.

I used to bowl quick but I honestly haven't bowled properly in a long time, only really bat, so I'd like to have a go. Plus I play at a low level and have plenty of time on my hands so I think it'd be something fun to do over Summer.

The whole 'feeling good on your good days, feeling like a moron on your bad days' is how I go about my cricket in general and I've always had a lot of respect for leggies. Haven't seen one playing club cricket in absolutely ages, none of my mates bowl it either.

I've slowed my pace down a lot and I've been working on my accuracy and flight just at the slower pace, but I really need to work out an action to actually get a leg break going.

 

[Torz]

Forget about the variations for a long time, just stick with getting your leg break as consistent as possible. In lower grades it's all you'll need to take wickets, assuming you land it pretty regularly.

I find that you'll get more spin by going more side-on, but it's usually harder to control. Also one of the best tips that I heard from Warnie was to "spin the ball up". Amazing how much difference it makes.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

Don't bowl with a straight run/jog up. It doesn't allow your body to turn naturally during the delivery. I had a coach try to "fix" my run up when I was about 16 and he had me going in straight. It ended up killing my ability to turn the ball. Also, avoid the Shane Warne style walk up to the crease unless you have a super strong shoulder because it puts an enormous amount of pressure on it and you'll end up ruining your shoulder.

 

[Zach Package]

Dear diary..

On Saturday I was feeling amazing at the crease and had 2/10 off 7 overs (including the wicket of ex tiger Paul Broderick), unfortunately my 8th and final over went for 25.

:/

 

[Marklar_33]

Console yourself, Jack, with this:

One of our bowlers last 2 overs on the weekend BOTH went for more

 

[gbatman]

very well put by the op, can be a very complicated action and if you start doing one aspect a little different it all falls a part and it can take ages to figure what you are doing wrong when it does. basically you need to bowl a lot of balls in practice but only when it's all working.

 

[Torz]

Does anyone remember this guy? I don't. Seemed like a tidy leg spinner, yet his Cricinfo profile said he "...looked destined to go down in history as one of the most ineffective bowlers in test history..."

 

[Carbine Chaos]

^^ R.I.P Runako

 

[DrVanNostrand]

Certainly remember Raul Lewis, and his random plucking from obscurity on their last tour of South Africa just before Samuels got busted. Took a few wickets and got his average down below 300

 

[Pykie]

Berry and Lehman have some pretty big wraps on James Muirhead the young Vic leggie, also with the Renegades, I think he missed most of the u/19 Australia stuff with injury.

Anyone seen much of him?

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Berry and Lehman have some pretty big wraps on James Muirhead the young Vic leggie, also with the Renegades, I think he missed most of the u/19 Australia stuff with injury.

Anyone seen much of him?

I need to see muir before I can make an informed judgement.

 

[Torz]

I need to see muir before I can make an informed judgement.

From the little I've seen/been told he seems to be able to turn it quite a bit, but bowls a few too many 'boundary balls'.

 

[The Speaker]

From the little I've seen/been told he seems to be able to turn it quite a bit, but bowls a few too many 'boundary balls'.

MacGill did that too.

 

[Torz]

MacGill did that too.

Lies. MacGill never bowled a bad ball.

 

[Omega Blue]

used to love the art of spin, i could turn it enough but i did the most damage with drift and flight.
i was real good too, but a victim of fatkiditis and got rejected from all programs and consideration because of the current sports fraternities obsession with atheletes and beep tests.
not bitter tho, just enjoying bacon and cake

 

[Ill Chicken]

Bowled leggies through to around 20 years of age, couldn't get a look in as a bowler ahead of a young crop of juniors at a club I went to as I came from the country. Changed to bowling meds and basically went from a 9-11 batsman to a batting all rounder. Wasn't that strong as a junior but now can land the leggies consistently but always get talked into bowling my medium pace chris harris/gavin larson/nathan astle shit that is okay but I don't enjoy it, ie keeper up to the stumps, trying to dot it up and force the error through change of pace or frustration. Now as a skipper I could probably change that and bowl whatever I want, but just do what the team needs.

Not too many things are better than when you've got the drift really going and you're able to rip it past the bat when they advanced or just in a defensive prod. Obviously defeating a batsman with a wrong'un/change up is satisfying too. Probably the best part about bowling leggies is that moment when you release and feel what is a great ball, the seam is rotating perfect, you feel you've got the flight just right and it drifts down to that middle and leg line, pitches and then the batsman whacks you over mid-wicket for four or six.

 

[Torz]

Probably the best part about bowling leggies is that moment when you release and feel what is a great ball, the seam is rotating perfect, you feel you've got the flight just right and it drifts down to that middle and leg line, pitches and then the batsman whacks you over mid-wicket for four or six.

Haha, know that feeling.

The next one is usually a dragged short ball that gets feebly pulled to short mid-wicket.

 

[Marklar_33]

Liked what I saw of Adam Zampa, although only hit n giggle. The ball that got Paine drifted in considerably. Would like to see in FC cricket