I had a trial game today. Bowled pretty well taking 2 wickets for 29 runs off 10 overs. I struggled a bit early but my last 6 or so overs was 1 for about 7 or 8 so pretty pleased about that. In my other trial game the other day I bowled 5 overs 2 for 15 but that was in my schools first 11 where tody was only 2nd 11. I am only in year 9 but hoping my performances were enough to get me into the firsts. I should have had a lot more wickets today though. I had at least 4 easy catches dropped and then another couple that were chances. What do u guys do to come back and bowl well after that many dropped catches off your bowling as I got very frustrated with my team letting that many chances slip?
Wrist Spin Bowling (part Five)
- Thread starter Richard the Third
- Start date
someblokecalleddave
Well-Known Member
The level I play at James, I have to be philosophical about it. The other players in my team for the most part fall into 2 categories...
Type 1. Blokes that are not scared of the ball and will take a hit for the team, know what to do and how to do it and could easily execute it, but only if they were 20 years younger.
Type 2. Blokes that are learning the game, are a bit scared of the ball, are below their fitness/agility levels because 95% of their lives are spent sitting in front of Youtube, XBOX, Facebook, mobile phone etc and haven't quite in their minds decided that they really do want to play cricket and will go on to play it all their lives, so are a little short on fitness and commitment.
So in a game I see so many opportunities go awry - drops, not enough effort, not trying, not watching and being aware of the game, or just being too slow. But it's 4th XI cricket and you kind of have to expect that and you can't allow it to frustrate you, otherwise that tension will lead to you potentially bowling poorly. I reckon that if the team around me caught everything and stopped everything in the manner of our first XI players (All blokes aged between 18 and 35) I'd be up in the top 5 bowlers in our entire club!
Cleanprophet
Active Member
I agree with Dave. You have to be philosophical about it. But, for some bowlers (me included), they can use it to fire themselves up and bowl with more aggression and energy. You have to be careful with that because you need to keep control of your technique.
The other thing that helps is to tell yourself that you have, to all intense and purposes - though not in the scorebook, taken that wicket and beaten the batter. Ther worst thing is when that very same batter then hits you for runs and you know that you are going for runs that you shouldn't be. I took 28 wickets in this last season. I missed out on about 5 or 6 stumpings (all of them easy), a blatant LBW and about 9 or 10 drops (all but 2 of them very, very easy). 28 wickets should have been about 45 wickets and I bowled the whole season with some major issues with my bowling.
When you see pro spinners, they almost always get the straight forward stumpings and catches taken and get a few where the wicket owes more to the fielder than the bowler. Those are things you always have to keep in mind as a bowler and especially as a spin bowler who isn't going to get clean bowleds and LBW's through beating the batter for pace - most of your wickets depend on how useful or useless your fielders are. As Dave says, be philosophical about and remind yourself that you beat the batter all ends up. Ultimately, remind yourself that it is more about how well you bowl rather than how many wickets you take (unless you are playing high level cricket of course!). I've had days when I bowled poorly and picked up 3 or 4 wickets and days when I bowled very well and picked up nothing. If you are beating the bat, getting edges and miss hits, then that's all you can do.
someblokecalleddave
Well-Known Member
I think you can add to that, the captain can see that you're producing chances and that you're bowling well, it's just that the other players are letting you down as such, but that's cricket. The thing is you're totally doing the right thing, you're just not getting the support, but that's usually recognised and it doesn't go un-noticed that you're bowling well, unless of course your captain is totally inept.
boogiespinner
Active Member
aim for the stumps! take the catchers out of the equation
seriously though... you have to not let that bother you. There are controllables, and uncontrollables. Things you can't control are like, pitch quality, weather conditions, class of opposing batsmen... and your fielders.
You can control to a very large degree... the ball as it leaves your hand. The trick is to focus all of your attention on the controllable and not stress about the rest of it.
There will be other times when a really good batsman hits a rocket off you and your fielder at deep midwicket takes a brilliant catch. Just trust that the rewards for good bowling will come.
boogiespinner
Active Member
You can also use it as a motivation to improve your bowling. Think, "I want to get to the higher class where my fielders don't drop easy catches".
I understand what you are all saying about not getting frustrated because of missed chances but also using it as motivation. I Think the main reason I got so frustrated was because I was bowling for a spot in the firsts team for the whole season and 5 or 6 for 29 would have looked a lot better than 2 for 29. I don t think I would normally get that frustrated but I just think because it was a trial and I am kind of playing for a spot in the top team which may have made me get a bit agitated.
someblokecalleddave
Well-Known Member
That kind of a scenario is always difficult to handle, but looking at your earlier post you're young, so even if you miss out on the 1st team place, it sounds as though you're going to play in the 2nd XI. (How many teams do you have)? Being a 4th XI player myself, anyone that plays either 1st or 2nd XI cricket has to be good and both those teams at our club are the domain of blokes in their cricket prime or talented younger players being made ready to represent the club at those high levels on a regular basis and they're rarely 16 or under. I'd say not to worry about it as it sounds as though if you play in the 2nd XI you're going to take more wickets and you'll no doubt get another shot at the 1st XI next year.
Yeah that's right, I am only 15 years old and I will play 2nds if I miss out but I still thought it would be a massive achievement to play 1st in year 9. But anyway I guess your right that I will play 2nds and then get a go in firsts next season if I miss out this season.
someblokecalleddave
Well-Known Member
Whatever you get to do it is going to be tough as a wrist spinner, they're going to come after you and target you, so be ready for a torrid time! Hopefully, as I said, either team will need to have a decent captain that recognises your contribution and will be willing to give you a decent amount of overs. At 1st and 2nd XI at my club, you do have to come up with the goods... line and length with a good economy if you're not taking wickets, but if you're taking wickets with a good strike rate and you're line and length is a bit wayward, you'd be on shaky ground. Any lapse in that strike rate over a period of time and you'd see your overs diminish.
boogiespinner
Active Member
It sounds like you are doing really pretty well... keep practising!
Cleanprophet
Active Member
I've been working on releasing the ball a bit later and realised that I was putting the cart before the horse. The reason I was releasing the ball too early was because my weight was not forward enough. That's the problem with videoing your action. It's a 2D image and you just can't pick up on these things. You don't often see footage of legspinners in matches from side on. But there are videos on youtube that have been posted on here (Steve Smith side on and the Warne run up from side on). One thing stands out in both of them it is how much they get over that front foot. Their heads are over the front foot and possibly even ahead of it a bit (in Warne's case I would say he is a little bit ahead of his front foot), as they throw their weight forward - forcing them on to the ball of the foot and, eventually, the toes. In that process, they are leaning forward so that it's not just their bowling arm that is at 60 degrees at the point of release but also their torso - creating a line from their bowling hand down to their waist.
I would say that my torso has probably been about 10 degrees from the vertical rather than 30 degrees, making it very, very difficult to release the ball at a 60 degree angle. I did video my bowling from side on about a month ago and I was only bowling to a target about 13-14 yards away and I was very upright. My arm was not on the same angle as my torso, but I was nowhere near that 60 degree angle with upper body or bowling arm. I can only assume that I used to get right over that front foot and, for some reason, that stopped happening. Now I have to work on fixing that.
All the things I noticed about my action (balance issues, falling to the left, dropping the left shoulder and releasing the ball too early) are all related and I'm fixing them all slowly but surely.
I would say that my torso has probably been about 10 degrees from the vertical rather than 30 degrees, making it very, very difficult to release the ball at a 60 degree angle. I did video my bowling from side on about a month ago and I was only bowling to a target about 13-14 yards away and I was very upright. My arm was not on the same angle as my torso, but I was nowhere near that 60 degree angle with upper body or bowling arm. I can only assume that I used to get right over that front foot and, for some reason, that stopped happening. Now I have to work on fixing that.
All the things I noticed about my action (balance issues, falling to the left, dropping the left shoulder and releasing the ball too early) are all related and I'm fixing them all slowly but surely.
Yesterday I had my first regular game of the season in 2nds. We batted first and managed to only put on 158 before being bowled out. I batted 6 and hit 17. When it came our turn to bowl our openers struggled and they put on about 50 runs in 10 overs for just 1 wicket loss. Me and this other spinner then came on and we rolled them for about 90. I took 5 wickets for 22 runs off 8 overs, while the other spinner got 4 wickets for about 20 off 6 overs. Pretty pleased with my performance and hoping they might give me another go in the 1st team, especially because of how they were definitely on track to win but then myself and the other spinner won us the game.
someblokecalleddave
Well-Known Member
Nice work mate! Five fer in the 2nds, that's good going for only 22 runs. Where are you in Australia? What team do you play for?
thanks. I live in Sydney and I am currently playing for Kissing Point Cricket Club.
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Cleanprophet
Active Member
There's no better way to make people notice than to take wickets. Defending a low total on the back of a solid start from the opening batters is not a great position for a spinner to come on and bowl. But then, it can sometimes be a good time to bowl because the batters can be a bit cocky and arrogant. Once they end up around 70 for 6 or 7, they're really under pressure and you and your other spinner will be all over them. Essentially, the both of you dragged the team out of a hole and you would expect the selectors to give you a go in the 1st team (they may opt to see how you go in the next 2nd team game, but 5 for 22 off 8 overs in that scenario suggests to me that you deserve a go in the 1st team asap).
someblokecalleddave
Well-Known Member
I had a look on Google Maps and your club website. Looks nice. I'd love to have lived in Australia and hopefully one day may get a chance to go there for a holiday, looks like a great life for some.
Cleanprophet
Active Member
More work on my bowling at the nets today. I filmed my bowling from side on today (both sides). I compared it to that side on video of Steve Smith and my positioning right through the action was pretty much identical to his. The one glaring difference was the point of release. On some deliveries, I was actually starting to release the ball before my arm had even got to vertical. At the point at which the ball was just leaving Steve Smith's 3rd/4th finger, the ball had left my hand and was already rising up in the air. My body position and head position were exactly the same as Steve Smith's, so there was nothing in the action to explain away the early release. It must just be a bad habit I've got into.
I went back to bowling over a dozen yards and then from about 20 yards, filming it from side on along the way. The ball was coming out nicely and turning big, so I knew there was plenty of side spin on the ball. Watching the footage back, I can see that I was releasing the ball later than I had been earlier. Most were still being released slightly earlier than Steve Smith was (that 60 degree angle) with one or two on that 60 degree angle. But all of them were released late enough to ensure I was able to drag my fingers across the ball. I just need to work on releasing the ball a bit later. Whether I work on that from the full run up or from step/standing starts, I don't know.
The only other thing that stood out, and this is a long term thing in my action, was that my wrist wasn't cocked like most wrist spinner's wrists are. Watch any wrist spinner and their wrist is cocked when their arm is vertical and it then uncocks as the wrist flicks open and arm gets to about 60 degrees. It could be that the wrist not being cocked properly is causing me to release the ball earlier because I don't have a good solid grip on the ball?
I went back to bowling over a dozen yards and then from about 20 yards, filming it from side on along the way. The ball was coming out nicely and turning big, so I knew there was plenty of side spin on the ball. Watching the footage back, I can see that I was releasing the ball later than I had been earlier. Most were still being released slightly earlier than Steve Smith was (that 60 degree angle) with one or two on that 60 degree angle. But all of them were released late enough to ensure I was able to drag my fingers across the ball. I just need to work on releasing the ball a bit later. Whether I work on that from the full run up or from step/standing starts, I don't know.
The only other thing that stood out, and this is a long term thing in my action, was that my wrist wasn't cocked like most wrist spinner's wrists are. Watch any wrist spinner and their wrist is cocked when their arm is vertical and it then uncocks as the wrist flicks open and arm gets to about 60 degrees. It could be that the wrist not being cocked properly is causing me to release the ball earlier because I don't have a good solid grip on the ball?
Cleanprophet
Active Member
I feel like I'm starting to get my action back on track now. I was down at the nets on Thursday and it felt pretty good. The actual postion at the crease is probably better than it ever has been. It's just that issue of releasing the ball a little early. I now know that I don't need to get my arm to that 60 degree angle. Somewhere around 70-75 degrees is about right for me.
I'm also gripping the ball a little tighter too. In all probability, somewhere along the way my grip has loosened a little and that only adds to the issue of the ball slipping out of the hand rather than me ripping the ball out with those fingers dragging across the ball.
I'm also gripping the ball a little tighter too. In all probability, somewhere along the way my grip has loosened a little and that only adds to the issue of the ball slipping out of the hand rather than me ripping the ball out with those fingers dragging across the ball.
someblokecalleddave
Well-Known Member
A lot of talk about Rashid today on SKY, they're saying that his bowling action isn't consistent and that his muscle memory isn't there. In essence he hasn't yet nailed his stock ball. One of the blokes was saying that his release point is all over the place and that's consistent with the fact that he's not able to land the ball where he wants with accuracy, whereas Yasir Shah has all of this sorted and therefore is far more effective.