Types of bowling in cricket - Explained

There are three main disciplines in the game of cricket, namely batting, bowling and fielding. Out of the three, bowling is the most diverse one, as it varies from person to person. A bowler can deliver the ball as he likes as long as it falls well within the prescribed rules of the game.

A player has to deliver the ball in an over-arm action while keeping the bend in his elbow under 15 degrees at the time of release. As long as they fulfil these criteria, a player has free will to deliver the ball as they like. 

There are certain kinds of bowling in cricket, as a player can choose to bowl at a fast pace with a long run-up or can bowl spin by walking just a few steps. Here are different types of bowling in international cricket:

Fast bowling

As mentioned earlier, fast bowling is the art of delivering the ball after a run-up, which helps bowlers to generate express pace. They rely on pace, bounce, seam movement and swing to dismiss batters. Fast bowlers generally deliver the ball at speeds above 140 km/h and aim to trouble batters with sharp movement through the air or off the pitch.

Fast bowlers are further categorised by their speeds; players falling in the range of 125-135 kmph are called medium-fast bowlers, while players delivering in the range of 135-145 kph are called fast medium bowlers. Players having the ability to consistently clock over 145 kmph are called fast bowlers. Meanwhile, players bowling under 125 kmph are called medium bowlers. 

Off spin

Off-spinners are delivered by a right-handed bowler who uses fingers to give revs onto the ball. The ball spins from the off side towards the leg side for a right-handed batter, moving into the batter after pitching. Off-spinners rely on flight, drift, dip and subtle variations rather than speed to deceive batters. They have several tricks at their disposal to outfox the batters, namely the traditional off-break, arm ball and doosra.

Left-arm orthodox

Left-arm orthodox spin is the left-handed equivalent of off-spin. A left-arm finger spinner turns the ball from leg stump towards off stump for a right-handed batter. These bowlers depend on accuracy, flight and subtle changes in pace to create chances.

Wrist spin

Wrist spin, commonly known as leg-spin, is bowled using the wrist rather than the fingers. A right-arm leg-spinner turns the ball from the leg side towards the off side for a right-handed batter, often producing significant spin. Wrist spinners possess a wide range of variations, including the googly, top-spinner, flipper and slider.

Left-arm wrist spin

Left-arm wrist spin is the left-handed version of leg-spin. A left-arm wrist spinner turns the ball from the leg side towards the off side for a left-handed batter and away from a right-handed batter.