The ManicaPost
Aubrey Kamba On the point
THE riskier, but more rewarding route one of the joys of watching Test cricket is the frequency of oohs and aahs that accompany a premium swing bowler’s deliveries which beat the edges.
It takes a great amount of skill to produce sharp aerial movement, but once that is achieved, a new problem surfaces – the ball swings too much to find the edge.
The solution to this problem of plenty, however, is a simple one – a wider approach to the bowling crease. While the ball being released on the line of off-stump and veering away past the 5th stump may seem a treat for the eyes, the truth remains that it does nothing to the wicket tally.
Relocating the starting point of the run-up to a wider position would move the eventual position of the bowler at the crease wider, thereby resulting in an angled delivery towards the batsman.
Now, once the outswing comes into play, the ball moves just enough to kiss the top of the off-stump or glide along the corridor.
The appearance of the ball angling into the batsmen almost inevitably invites a forward drive, and as the cherry cuts away late, it induces the edge back to the keeper or the slips.
Trent Bridge in 2011 witnessed this lethal strategy from Anderson and Stuart Broad who after beating the bat a number of times initially, altered their alignment to a more mid-crease position and began inducing edges from the batsmen.
The natural angle and its pros Bowling from round the wicket generates a natural angle, and bowlers try to enhance that effect by choosing to go wide of the crease, especially against a southpaw at the striker’s end. Dale Steyn wreaked havoc against Australia at MCG in 2008 using this technique.
He set the left-handers up with outswingers before leaving them befuddled with one that chipped in and destroyed the stumps. Imran Khan, for instance, had a peculiar manner of delivery. He would stand very wide, assess the field and begin his run up. He would charge in towards the non-striker’s stumps, but never quite manage to get close enough to them, and then move sharply away from the pitch once the ball left his hand.
He would get the ball to reverse on occasions, and the angled approach would turn out to be of assistance, because the more angled the seam is, the more surface area of the rough face is exposed to the air resulting in more turbulence and hence more reverse swing.
The problems with this method Khan was one-of-a-kind, and it’s rather foolish to attempt to emulate his run-up. While bowling from wide of the crease definitely has its benefits, the probability of veering down the leg onto the pads is elevated, resulting in the ball being worked away for easy runs on the onside. Not only does this release the pressure created hitherto on the batting side, but also makes the bowler lose his rhythm at times.
Further, the likelihood of committing a back-foot no-ball becomes exceptionally high with this position. Courtney Walsh, with his high delivery action from wide of the stumps, forged an immensely successful partnership with Curtly Ambrose, who once leaked as many as nine no-balls in an over while bowling around the wicket and wide of the crease.
The margin of safety reduces appreciably as the delivery point moves horizontally farther from the stumps. The back-foot no-ball is a risk that comes with the exciting prospect of picking up wickets with aerial deviation, and strike bowlers would more often than not back themselves to go for it, irrespective of the repercussions.
That, in essence, is where the thrill of Test cricket lies at the end of the day.
◆ For any feedback contact: +263 778 712 404 or email: [email protected]. ishansen @bitetheleather
