Slower ball

In the sport of cricket, a slower ball is a slower-than-usual delivery from a fast bowler. The bowler's intention is to deceive the batsman into playing too early so that he either misses the ball completely or hits it high up in the air to offer an easy catch.

Related Topics:
Cricket - Fast bowler - Batsman

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To be effective, the slower ball must be directed straight at the stumps in order to force the batsman to play, and the bowler's action must appear entirely normal. There are various tricks that the bowler can employ to slow the ball down:

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• Bowling from the back of the hand, effectively a fast googly.
• Bowling with split fingers: the fingers are placed either side of the seam of the ball, and the ball is bowled full-length; when done correctly the delivery will appear to be a full toss until it suddenly drops. A similar technique is used in baseball.
• Off cutter: instead of placing the index and middle fingers in the orthodox position together on the seam, the middle finger is moved round the ball slightly and then pulled down as the ball is released. The ball will tend to "break" or "cut in" from left to right as it pitches, as it does with off spin bowling.
• Leg cutter: the same as an off cutter except that the fingers go the other way and the ball will tend to cut from right to left. Harder to keep straight than an off cutter.
• Palm ball: the ball is held in the palm instead of the fingers; this can be effective but is hard to disguise
• Bowling from the front of the hand: the tips of the fingers flick downwards as the ball is released in order to impart some backspin to the ball. The effect is that the ball slows down and skids through insteads of bouncing up. Generally thought to be hard to master.

The slower ball technique is often used in limited-overs cricket, not only to get wickets but also to slow down the scoring rate, as a slower ball will not carry to the boundary as easily as a normal fast delivery.

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Well-known players with effective slower balls include Ajit Agarkar, Chris Cairns, Craig McDermott and also Steve Waugh in his younger days.

Related Topics:
Ajit Agarkar - Chris Cairns - Craig McDermott - Steve Waugh

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