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how to bowl an outswinger

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
How to Bowl an Outswinger in Cricket: 6 steps - wikiHow

Shine the cricket ball with spit on one side so that it is more aero-dynamic through the air than the rough side

2Have the seam at an 20 degree angle towards slip with shiny side closer to batsman.
3Take your usual run up.
4When you bowl, try and get the ball to pitch on middle and off and on the same length as a normal delivery and bowl full to entice the batsmen to drive the bowl.
5Follow through harder than normal with your bowling arm ending up on the opposite side of your body.
6Bowl a bit more open chested.
all of this is pretty obvious except for step 6. I thought you had to get side on?
 

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
It's a good way to start an argument in a room full of cricket coaches, that's for sure.

Typically the accepted wisdom is that front-on bowlers tend to bowl in swing, and side-on owners tend to bowl away swing. However, as far as I am concerned, it is all down to the wrist position - Andre Nel being a good example of a front-on outswing bowler - whilst Anderson can bowl in/out by manipulating his wrist position.
 

shankar

International Debutant
The challenge of swing bowling is to simultaneously impart to the ball a velocity directed along the length of the pitch and a backspin about an axis directed towards first slip (or leg slip for inswing). Everything else - Side-on action, front-on action, high arm, low arm slingy action, etc... are all simply means to achieving that end. There's no set rule about the latter. Whatever works for you in achieving that end goal is fine.

Of course outswing does come 'naturally' to a bowler with a side-on action since he just has to maintain his wrist steady. But with the right alteration to the natural wrist position, a front-on bowler can bowl outswing as well.
 

wellAlbidarned

International Coach
I suspect that the author actually does mean getting side on by getting "open chested", it's just rather ambiguous. Either way it's not essential.
 

The Coach

Cricket Spectator
I don't encourage using spit as this adds moisture to the ball gradually increasing it's weight.
Damp and heavy balls tend to swing less - ooh-err missus.

Good hard vigorous rubbing should be sufficient - if you can rub hard enough for the ball to be slightly warm to the touch on the shiny side, that may assist too. After all, its all about the airflow speed variance over each side of the ball.

For reverse swing the ball must also be bone dry
 
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