It's the classic mantra of coaches to their seam and swing bowlers: Bowl a good line and length for success.

Line is easy, aim for that 'corridor' on and just outside off stump.

As to length: Do we really know what good length is and are there exceptions to the rule?

Which end is best to understand bowling length?

It seems strange to think that the more limited the format the more creative cricket has to become. Yet it can't be denied: The twenty over game has thrown up some of the most unique play since World Series Cricket.

The arm ball, or floater, is probably the single best weapon an orthodox finger spinner can have. Ray Illingworth says he once took 41 wickets of 135 in a season just with the arm ball.

At first the ball seems counterproductive. Spinners should spin the ball hard, hoping to impart enough revolutions on the ball for it to dip late in its flight and move off the pitch. This is true for the stock delivery and is what you should do at least 80% of the time.

Thought I might write down a few thoughts regarding some basic guidelines for bowlers who are starting to think about developing bowling plans.

Firstly, bowlers should always remember: YOU START THE PROCESS! this means, while a batsman may arrive at the crease with a plan, and he may even have some idea about what he is going to try to do to you as you are running in, he must ultimately RESPOND to the delivery you produce. This knowledge should encourage you to select each ball carefully but with confidence.

Ian Botham, it was often said, was England’s ‘go to’ bowler. He made things happen. He took wickets. Famously he often did it without bowling as well as others.

Beefy just had that magical touch.

While it would be impossible to plan to bowl a rank long hop that gets hit straight to backward point, there are some elements we can take from great go to bowlers of the past.

Thanks mainly to Shane Warne, strength and fitness is not the first this you associate with successful spin bowling.

It's reported that Warney's idea of a balanced diet is a cheeseburger in each hand. Sadly for you and almost every other spinner in the world, you are not as good as the great Aussie leggie. So you need to make the most of what you do have with a fitness plan that makes you better.

Being fit as a spinner has a number of proven benefits that can be gleaned from just 2-3 workouts a week:

Matthew Hoggard is famous for saying bowling is about running in and wanging it down.

That's nothing but bluff from the Hogster as he knows good bowling at any level requires a constant battle of wits with the batsman.

In close situations it is often the player who reads the game best and thinks the most quickly who wins out.

Here is how you can do the same when wanging that ball.

It's a little known fact that most club cricket games are won and lost with spinners.

The reason is that most club batsmen tend to have a decent defence and not many shots while most club seamers tend to not be good enough to fire out the opposition.

That leaves the spinner to step in. You ready for the challenge?

Everyone loves Twenty20: The players, the fans and the county clubs bank managers. The only exception are the traditionalists who see it as a corruption of the great game. There is much to learn from the short game though, even for club cricketers who turn out once a week. Here are 10 of them: