Spin bowling tips: How to take more wickets by working with your wicket-keeper
Spin bowlers have the great advantage over their quicker team mates in that they can take wickets with stumpings. Shane Warne himself took 152 wickets with stumpings out of his career total of 708 wickets.
Having a great wicket keeper behind the stumps when you bowl is an absolute pleasure. However, some of us spin bowlers do not have that luxury and have to deal with part time keepers. I myself have played with al kinds; from an international keeper to a guy standing two feet back for me!
No matter who is behind the stumps when you bowl there are certain things you can and must do as a spin bowler to improve your chances of getting wickets through stumpings.
How can you work with your wicket keeper? Practice with your wicket keeper in the nets - both with batsman at the crease and without. This gets the keeper use to your style and all your variations. Also, talk to your keeper during the game. Discuss, between overs, the batsman at the crease. Establish if he is a candidate for stumping. The plan of action usually goes like this:
- The keeper must watch the back foot of the batsman all the time and inform you if his foot drags or lifts out of the crease when he plays a shot.
- Decide with your keeper if you will try and beat the batsman on the offside or leg side.
- The best way usually is down the leg side (full and close to the wicket) as most batsman lose their balance and the back foot will come out of the crease.
- If the batsman is really strong off his legs then beat the batsman on the offside with a nice floating arm ball. Draw him forward and have the ball swing past the bat.
- When a batsman gives you the charge bowl the ball quicker and wider. You have to know which side you want to bowl at this point BEFORE it happens. It will be different for each batsman based on you and your keepers observance.
- If the pitch is turning big you can be brave and counter a batsman that charges you with a shorter and more flighted ball. This will take him by surprise and, if done correctly, you stand a very good chance of turning the ball past the bat. Once again. ensure your keeper knows what you will bowl to the batsman. This increases your chances of stumpings!
The key is that the better you communicate and train with your keeper the more wickets you will take.
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Comments
you can also take a hint from baseball pitchers and catchers... use signals to inform your partner what's going to happen
how to get a side on actions for off spin bowling??can u help me??? plz