#NewsBytesExplainer: Decoding the different types of pace bowling in cricket
What's the story
It is often said that, "Batsmen win you matches but bowlers win tournaments."
And even among bowlers, the pacers have always enchanted viewers, owing to their ability to knock the stumps off the ground.
From Malcolm Marshall to Glenn McGrath, the world has seen tons of legendary fast bowlers, as we explain the various types of pace bowling in cricket.
Speed
The bowlers are usually categorised based on speed
Normally, pacers are divided into three categories:
Medium pace bowlers generally bowl at a speed of around 100-120 kmph. Notable examples- Scott Styris.
Medium-fast bowlers bowl at a speed of around 120-145 kmph. Notable examples- Zaheer Khan and James Anderson.
The fast bowlers bowl at a speed over 145 kmph. Notable examples- Dennis Lillee and Brett Lee.
Seam
Seam bowling: Drift the ball after landing
Moving on to specific abilities, we have seam bowling.
The specialty of these bowlers is that besides bowling at a good pace, they generally use the seam of the ball to their advantage.
They make the ball drift from the batsman, after landing on the seam. Pitch conditions aid seam bowling.
Australia's Glenn McGrath is considered as the King of Seam.
Swing
Swing bowler: Moves the ball in the air
People confuse seam bowlers with swing bowlers. However, there is a big difference.
Unlike seam bowlers, the swing bowlers have the ability to drift the ball into or away from the batsmen in the air itself.
Wind and overcast conditions aid swing bowling.
England's James Anderson is one of the greatest swing bowlers of this generation.
Reverse Swing
Reverse swing: The sorcery mastered by Pakistani bowlers
The most effective weapon in the arsenal of pacers, reverse swing was introduced by Pakistani bowlers.
Notably, the reverse swing can only be extracted when the ball has become old, with one particular side remaining shiny.
In this condition, the aerodynamics change and the ball starts to swing towards the shine.
Reverse swing is stronger than normal swing, and occurs late in the trajectory.
Current Indians
What about the current Indian bowlers?
Let us talk about the current Indian pace battery:
- Jasprit Bumrah falls under the fast bowling category and has the ability to bowl deadly yorkers at a fierce pace.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar is primarily a swing bowler.
- Mohammed Shami has developed an ability to extract reverse swing.
- Ishant Sharma uses inswinger to trouble batsmen.