Underarm delivery

In the sport of cricket, an underarm delivery is a ball bowled by a bowler to a batsman in which the bowler's arm does not rise above the level of the shoulder. The Laws of Cricket now provide that an underarm delivery is illegal unless otherwise agreed before the match. It should be noted that a delivery will be a no ball if it bounces more than twice before passing the popping crease so an underarm delivery cannot be rolled along the ground.

Related Topics:
Sport - Cricket - Ball - Bowled - Bowler - Batsman - Laws of Cricket - No ball - Popping crease

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Originally, underarm bowling was the only method employed. Later, an English woman, so it has been suggested, who was playing cricket alongside the gentlemen attired in the dress of the day for a lady (a long, widely blousing dress) was having difficulty in bowling with an underarm action due to the blousing dress and to counter this she began to bowl with a roundarm delivery method. Soon after, a gentleman who had witnessed this action, began to employ it in club cricket matches. However, the roundarm method was quickly banned and determined to be illegal.

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It was not until many years later the roundarm bowling method was finally accepted by cricketing authorities and grew rapidly in popularity amongst all players. It too was later succeeded by overarm bowling. By the 20th century, underarm bowling had disappeared from the game and bowling underarm was considered both weak and unsporting, almost tantamount to cheating.

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