Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Hmm. I'm not sure what to make of what is being said here. I reckon that as far as swing/seam goes the mechanics of the release and their resultant effect on how the ball hits the pitch will control the movement. As far as the bowler actually being able to control what is happening, that's a different issue. Yes having the seam dead upright or wobbling should give some randomising effect but other factors are also important.
The reason why out swing bowlers tend to cut the ball back in is because of the direction that the ball is rotating to produce the seam position for an out swinger. It's worth remembering that the off cutter was actually developed first, and that bowlers would likely have found that an action and release that suited an off cutter would produce an out swinger if the seam was released steadily. This doesn't mean they could consciously control the movement, but the effect of the release will tend to promote a certain type of movement whether the seam is wobbling or straight.
Recently I watched an interview thingy with Darren Gough where he mentioned that he released the ball with the seam ever so slightly tilted, which meant landing on one side of the seam, and so tended to seam it back in. The bowlers with the straight seam who only move the ball one way from Daemon's post are probably having he same thing happen.It makes sense that it's something that people can control, although probably not very well. There are bowlers who constantly get it to nip in, but rarely have it straighten, all while bowling with a straight seam. If it were random there'd be less of a discrepancy no?
I know guys who complain that when they try to bowl and outswinger and it doesn't swing, the ball just nips back in slightly.
I don't think it's a perfected art or guys doing it at will, put there is some degree of control that top players have over seam movement.
The reason why out swing bowlers tend to cut the ball back in is because of the direction that the ball is rotating to produce the seam position for an out swinger. It's worth remembering that the off cutter was actually developed first, and that bowlers would likely have found that an action and release that suited an off cutter would produce an out swinger if the seam was released steadily. This doesn't mean they could consciously control the movement, but the effect of the release will tend to promote a certain type of movement whether the seam is wobbling or straight.