Menno Gazendam is author of Spin Bowling Project. Get your free 8 week spin bowling course here

Why would anyone prepare pitches that do not take any spin?

It's a great loss for the game when the beauty of spin bowling is neutralised by flat pitches. It is a modern day trend at the top level cricket that will hopefully change.

We all understand how important being strong, balanced and powerful is to a fast bowler, yet we are generally "take it or leave it" when we talk fitness to our spinners.

So, how can being strong benefit a spinner?

Menno Gazendam is author of Spin Bowling Project. Get your free 8 week spin bowling course here

The arm ball.

Or as some like to call it, the floater.

Bowled by the off spinner to either leave the right hand batsman or come into the left handed batsman. Vice versa for the slow left arm orthodox bowler.

Look at Monty Panesar in this video bowling a beautiful arm ball to the great Sachin. You can see the shiny side on the off side in the slow motion, helping him drift it in.

Menno Gazendam is author of Spin Bowling Project. Get your free 8 week spin bowling course here.

Why is Ajantha Mendis one of only 3 international bowlers to ever use the Iverson style grip?

And why is Graham Swann the only international off spinner to grip the ball using the lower knuckle on the middle finger to impart spin?

Because it's just not comfortable bowling with those grips.

Menno Gazendam is author of Spin Bowling Project. Get your free 8 week spin bowling course here.

Spin bowling challenges a batsman's skills in a way that medium and fast bowling does not.

Menno Gazendam is author of Spin Bowling Project. Get your free 8 week spin bowling course here.

When a spin bowler bowls outside of leg stump commentators always call it a negative line. While this is the case most of the times, it is not always so.

There is no such thing as a defensive line just outside leg stump. It only becomes defensive if,

Many of the leading Cricket nations now use "Talent Testing" for 13 and upwards as a part of their talent identification process. I want to show you how to use some of these tests in your coaching.

Here is the first of the talent test drills that you can use to test players and then provide feedback that improves performance. What's not to love?

The pitch for the 2nd Test between England and India was a raging turner. England's batsmen notoriously weak against spin while India went in with 3 spinners.

So why did India lose?

And how can you make sure your own team doesn't suffer a similar fate?

We have all been there; arriving at a pitch that seems tailor-made for your strengths. It's even better when you look at the opposition and realise they struggle in the key match-ups.

Menno Gazendam is author of Spin Bowling Project. Get your free 8 week spin bowling course here.

It's a growing trend these days for spinners at the top level to be able to spin the ball to off or leg side.

This is great but batsmen are now doing their best to read what delivery is on its way. They usually try to read it from the hand, but failing that they must read it in the air.

Mark Garaway goes into more detail about the latest research into watching the ball and how you can apply it as a coach or player.

And the team discuss weighted balls for bowling faster, left arm wrist spin and cricket badgers.