The technical thread.

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Early swing (the ball swinging from the hand) is purely to do with the action. A roundarm bowler will find that the new ball always swings away, usually early. Big bananas, straight from the hand. With an older ball (or if they're very quick) then they will get some reverse swing back in.

Likewise a bowler with a very high action who bowls 'past the perpendicular' will only bowl inswingers. Again, big 'mutant' bananas straight from the hand.

And I agree that the ball swings more in the morning. But it's less to do with the weather conditions and more to do with the condition of the ground/pitch.

If you're playing in a one day game how often do you see the ball swinging around in the first innings but then, when the 2nd innings kicks off at 2.30pm, even the new ball doesn't move a millimetre? Same ground, same pitch, same weather... different result.

In the first innings there is moisture in the pitch. The sun is now out and is drawing up moisture, evaporating it. When you're on the ground doing your stretches before the game it is often humid and you finish the warm up sweating like a rapist. You can feel the heat coming off the grass.

I'm guessing but I reckon this 'surface humidity' helps the ball swing around. Also because there is more moisture around, slightly lusher surrounds and a less abrasive pitch surface the ball stays new longer and the seam cops less of a hammering. The team that bowls second doesn't have this advantage.

 

[Krakeour Magic]

Ahhhh nice post carl, but with practice a bowler can swing the ball both ways.

Natural technique will favor one or the other but with practice, I had no problem bending it both ways.

In fact, nothing beats beating a batsman with an outswinger, having him leave the next two outswingers thinking he has got your measure, and then doing him all ends up when he prematurely leaves an inswinger bowled down the same line and gets bowled. It's better than sex.

This is why it is essential to watch the ball leaving the hand.


Outswing (right arm bowler): Side on, seam pointing towards 3rd man (right hand bat), wrist cocked to the left, seam kept upright, follow through with right hand almost touching the outside of the left knee.

Inswing (right arm bowler): Front on, seam pointing towards fine leg (right hand bat), wrist cocked to the right, seam kept upright, follow through with right hand almost touching the outside of the right knee.

Wrist must always be behind the ball upon release.

Get as much reverse rotation as possible on the seam to make the ball swing later.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Ahhhh nice post carl, but with practice a bowler can swing the ball both ways.

Did I say a bowler couldn't?

 

[Ill Chicken]

With a Jeff Thomson Swing King, anything is possible.