Leg Spin or Off Spin????

[dro87]

Hi, with the season just started here in Italy i was thinking of changing my bowling style... I now bowl off-spin, i manage to place the ball on the spot, decive with flight, but i don't get much spin...
I was trying in the nets bowling a cuople of leg breaks... I spin the ball loads more, but i'm not that good with lenght... Bowl some half takkers, and some full tosses every now and then...
Considering i'm mainly a batsman, who bowls not more than 3 o 4 overs a game, what do you think i should bowl?
Leg or Off???

thanx in advance

[Neil Pickup]

It's always the same with spin - leggies do more, and are less controllable.

If you're bowling as a part-timer/partnership-breaker then I'd go with leggies as you're more likely to produce the wicket ball you'll look for. Or strangle someone with.

[steds]

it's what you feel more comfortable bowling. I tried to change to off breaks last summer and every single ball I bowled was dragged short. It just wouldn't work for me and I feel more comfortable bowling leg breaks. What you bowl is up to you.

[BoyBrumby]

I'm a (exceptionally mediocre) seamer but occasionally I have tried to bowl leg-cutters in the nets for a bit of variety. I can't land two in the same spot tho! They generally end up as full-tosses.

As a result I have nothing but admiration for leggies who can maintain a good line. Don't really think I'm qualified to advise...

[Kweek]

to be a good bowler(slowbowling wise) you dont need much spin, just bowl on the spot give it flight and slight turn will do it.

[Swervy]

I think people are tempted by leg spin coz of the amount they can turn the ball (before I damaged my tendons in my wrist I could really rip it a long way)..but to master the art (specifically the length) takes time and a lot of guts (lets face it, you are most likely going to go for runs a lot, and look a bit silly bowling half trackers and full tosses)....to be honest, there are so few people in the world who can consistantly bowl good leg spin,it should alert everyone that it isnt a sure fire way of earning a crust.

of course then when you have mastered normal leg spin, you then have to master the variations....too much hard work....

I have learnt that this is a batsmans game, so I am concentrating on that now I am getting long in the tooth

[dro87]

Originally Posted by Swervy

I think people are tempted by leg spin coz of the amount they can turn the ball (before I damaged my tendons in my wrist I could really rip it a long way)..but to master the art (specifically the length) takes time and a lot of guts (lets face it, you are most likely going to go for runs a lot, and look a bit silly bowling half trackers and full tosses)....to be honest, there are so few people in the world who can consistantly bowl good leg spin,it should alert everyone that it isnt a sure fire way of earning a crust.

of course then when you have mastered normal leg spin, you then have to master the variations....too much hard work....

I have learnt that this is a batsmans game, so I am concentrating on that now I am getting long in the tooth

I've got a really good googly... I have controll on it...

[cricket player]

I had made one thread like this aswell,now I have changed my idea of becoming a leg spinner because the batsman will be much more sucessfull attacking a leg spinner rather then an of spinner,

My season stats

3 matches
6 wickets

[Swervy]

Originally Posted by dro87

I've got a really good googly... I have controll on it...

but is it easily spotted by the batsman..if it is you might as well bowl an offie

[King_Ponting]

Originally Posted by cricket player

I had made one thread like this aswell,now I have changed my idea of becoming a leg spinner because the batsman will be much more sucessfull attacking a leg spinner rather then an of spinner,

My season stats

3 matches
6 wickets

Ummm no. Maybe left handers will have more successs against le spin but definently not right handers as the ball is spinning away and the batsman as to play outside the line of his body. Offies are one of the easiest bowlers to get on topof for right handers because as they spin the ball into the right hander they can easliy be worked off the pads, or placed over the onside boundary as you are hitting with the spin and not against it. My advice mate, to the thread starter, is to change to leggies. it might be hard to start off with but once u keep practising then you'll end up bamboozling batsman. If u can spin the ball a long way then all u need if the flight and rite lennnght and u will reap havoc. I am a pace bowler who doubles as a leggie, i tried bowling offies as well but after getting smashed decided to resort bak to leggies.

[lord_of_darkness]

Yeh i never understood that neil/swervy.. now im a full time off spinner, always have been.. but how is it that the leggies seem to get the ball to turn more than the offies on artificials..

[King_Ponting]

because leggies use their wrist and offies use their fingers. using your wrist will always put more revs on the balls as can be seen by how much more leggies wrong uns turn compared to the off spinners stock ball

[honestbharani]

I am a wicket keeper, but on the odd occassions I do bowl in friendlies, I bowl legspin.... For one, you can bowl with a bent elbow if you bowl legspin... Secondly, you get more turn... And thirdly, because I am a reasonably tall guy, I can pitch the ball right up to the batsman without having to flight it too much and thus, I manage to get nicks or beat the bat regularly.... I have an Afridi like quicker delivery (which I think I chuck) for variation and at times, I change the ball position in my hand at the last moment to bowl an off spinner.... But the level I play in is rather low, so I get away with a lot of things as well....



And I have never really bowled half trackers.... At times I have bowled full tosses and at times half volleys, but I have almost never erred on the shorter side... But I don't have too many variations ( no googly, no topspinner, no flipper etc...) and the really good batsman at the grade level cricket, once they get used to me (in about 2 or 3 overs) really take toll of my bowling... That is why I am a regular keeper now.

[chaminda_00]

A lot of offies these days use their wrist as much as their fingers and get as much spin and bounce as leggies. You have some leggies that don't use their wrist as much Chandana and Kumble for example and they don't turn the ball more then some offies that use their wrist i.e. Harbarjan, Murali, Saqlain. It depends on how you bowl the ball, that decides how much you spin the ball, not type of spin bowler you are. Afridi for example spins his off break more then he spins his leg break. There also some offies that spin their doorsa more then a leggies leg break.

[honestbharani]

The problem is, once you start to use your wrist, your elbow becomes bent and then, it makes room for suspicion.