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Swing and Seam question

Iorwerth

Cricket Spectator
Hi,

this is is probably a dumb question, but do swing bowlers also bowl seam deliveries, or seam bowlers bowl swing deliveries? Not necessarily in the same delivery, as I imagine combining the two doesn't really happen (but could be wrong), but can they bowl deliveries of either when they want, or does the specialization to bowl one or the other mean that a bowler tends only to bowl deliveries of one sort?
 

zaremba

Cricketer Of The Year
Hi,

this is is probably a dumb question, but do swing bowlers also bowl seam deliveries, or seam bowlers bowl swing deliveries? Not necessarily in the same delivery, as I imagine combining the two doesn't really happen (but could be wrong), but can they bowl deliveries of either when they want, or does the specialization to bowl one or the other mean that a bowler tends only to bowl deliveries of one sort?
Bowlers do tend to be one rather than the other - I suppose it's to do with their default wrist position etc. I can't immediately think of a top bowler who did both equally. Marshall maybe?

But seamers also can swing the ball. I've seen both Broad and McGrath get the ball to swing every now and then, though you'd basically describe them as seamers. And swing bowlers can get the ball to go off the seam, sometimes in the same delivery (ball starts to go in the air, and goes even further off the pitch).
 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
It would be remiss not to post this in a discussion of balls that both swing and seam.

 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
But yeah broadly speaking bowlers will naturally specialise in one or the other based on wrist position.

It's not mutually exclusive, but someone like McGrath had a remarkable ability to hit the seam because of his release - that in turn meant he wasn't best placed to bowl hooping outswing or anything. Similarly your out-and-out swing bowlers have actions and wrist positions and release points set up very nicely to get the ball to move in the air, but makes them less likely to hit the seam in a way that it moves off the pitch.

The gold standard is still a ball that swings one way, seams the other, and clips the top of off stump. Ryno :wub:
 

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