[Richard]

The most prescient thing I've ever come accross about Barnes is how someone (I forget just who) described "the Barnes ball" as basically being a quick Leg-Break.

This, if nothing else, tended to put it in my mind that he was (primarily) a wristspinner, and I've never found enough, anywhere, to make me change my mind. My first readings on him made me think he was a seamer, and the first change of mind has so far been the only one. Another piece of evidence I've always believed provides firm corroboration is the famous line of "I never needed it" in reply to the question about not bowling the Googly.

What I think is very likely is that Barnes was a capable wristspinner and a capable seam-bowler. An exceptionally poor man's example might be Shahid Afridi or Sachin Tendulkar. Maybe a mixture of the two of them. Afridi can, off no more than a few paces, bowl at 80mph. Tendulkar can bowl passable (if not very quick) seam, and passable wristspin (and fingerspin).

It is not impossible to bowl both seam and spin, and I can't help but think that Barnes may have used the seamer's deliveries as variations.

There will, however, doubtless be many who are better-read on him than me. And given that, unless I'm hugely mistaken, no film of him bowling exists, that is all we can use to discern this very peculiar mystery.