So do you want to improve your bowling game? Don’t worry, there are some techniques and steps you can take to improve your bowling tricks.
First of all, before you start bowling, it’s always a good idea to make sure you warm up. These are general muscle warm ups to make sure you don’t pull or tear anything.
Once you’ve warmed up, it’s time to make sure you have a proper run. You can do this by going to the tuck and mimicking your running back. This will allow you to make sure you have the correct number of steps and can even help you eliminate the dreaded ballless pinball. This is quite common and you will often see many bowlers doing this. For those of you who don’t know, this is why you grab some sand and place it on the ground, as this is your marker.
So now we get to work. Acceleration is crucial, helping to bring speed and power to your wicket receiving delivery. Start with small steps initially and then start taking bigger steps until you are in full motion. The run should be quite comfortable and this is where marking your steps will help you. Your head should be straight, still, and focused on where you want to shoot.
As you get closer to the crease you need to think about where you will bowl, where your fielders will be positioned and also try to get as close to the crease as possible without giving away any extras. As you bowl your wicket to catch the delivery, be sure to follow through fully for maximum power and to avoid injury.
All of the above are crucial in helping you bowl the perfect wicket to take delivery. One main point remains which is the REAL spot where you need to bowl. In cricket, if you want to succeed as a top bowler, then line and length are probably the most crucial elements one needs to master. Bowlers like Australia’s Glen McGrath are world renowned for consistency of bowling line and length every time. Even in times of injury, he always came back to being ranked at the top.
So what is line and length? The line is the path of the ball according to the batsman’s stumps. The length is where the ball bounces and launches. As the batsmen do not need to hit all the balls, the bowler must invite the batsmen to hit the ball, which will in effect increase their chances of taking a wicket. Cricket legend Geoffrey Boycott calls this area the “corridor of uncertainty” as the ideal place to bowl. The key is to create doubt in a batter’s mind whether he should play front or back foot and whether he should play the shot. Ideally this should be based on the ‘outside the stump’ region, not too wide and not too tight.
In short, good posture and running are important, but the main ingredient of a first-class wicket is line and length. Keep practicing and working on this and you won’t go wrong.
