Don’t overuse it. The whole point of the switch hit is that it takes the bowler and fielding side by surprise. It’s important not to use it too often or the fielding side will start to expect it and adjust their field and bowling accordingly.
Bowling off-spin
As with most skills in cricket, spin bowling requires plenty of hard work and practice to perfect. Some professional players take months and even years to develop their spin deliveries. The key is to spin the ball, so work on getting the basics right – such as grip, stride and release – before moving onto more advanced variations.
Grip. A good grip is vital to successful off-spin. Grip the ball with your index finger, middle finger and third finger spread out across the ball.
Stride. When it comes to off-spin bowling, the bowling stride needs to stay nice and short to allow yourself to be tall during the delivery. This helps with getting overspin and trying to deceive the batsman in flight.
Landing. Your back foot should land parallel to the bowling crease to ensure you stay side-on during delivery. This helps with drift.
Spin and release. For a basic off-break delivery, spin the ball from the index finger to the third finger. Rotate those two fingers as you release the ball, as though you are turning a doorknob. You should aim for the area just outside the leg stump so that, with bounce, the ball will spin back towards a right-handed batsman or away from a left-hander.
Perfecting your deliveries. Most off-spinners have a few different deliveries or variations to keep the batsman guessing and, thus, increase the chances of a wicket. While most off-spinners’ stock ball (main delivery) will be the off-break, mixing up your over with an arm ball (straight delivery), topspinner or faster delivery will stop your spin bowling from becoming predictable.
Note that trickier deliveries like the doosra or carrom ball take time and practice to get right and aren’t suited to all spinners. New spinners should focus on perfecting two or three different kinds of deliveries first and work out what best suits their own talents with the ball. As always, practice makes perfect!
GLOSSARY
all-rounder
a player who bowls, bats and fields equally well
arm ball
a delivery from a slow bowler which has no spin on it, thus producing an unexpected straight-on flight
beamer
a full toss, usually fast, which goes towards the head of the person batting; an illegal delivery, punishable by a no ball being called
bosie
see googly
bouncer
a ball which is so bowled that it bounces high when it pitches; also known as a bumper
boundary
a) the marked limits of the field
b) the score of four derived from hitting a ball which reaches the boundary
c) the score of six derived from hitting a ball which goes over the boundary before it touches the ground
bumper
see bouncer
bye
a run made on a ball not struck by the person batting
captain’s knock
a batting innings by the captain of a team of such quality that befits his or her position, especially one that is a turning point in the game
caught-and-bowled
a dismissal in which the bowler takes the catch
century
100 runs
clean-bowl
to break the wicket without touching the person batting or their bat
cover drive
a drive which sends the ball towards or past cover point (a fielding position between point and mid-off)
crease
one of three lines marked near each wicket:
i) bowling crease, along which the stumps are placed
ii) popping crease, behind which some part of the bowler’s front foot must land when bowling
iii) return crease, marking the limits for the bowler at each side of the popping crease
cross-bat
a bat moving in a horizontal curve, as for a cut shot
cut shot
a) in batting, to strike with a cross-bat and dispatch a ball on the off side, usually in a direction between cover and third man
b) in bowling, to cause the ball to deviate on bouncing, usually by making the seam strike the pitch
declare
to close an innings voluntarily before all 10 wickets have fallen
delivery
the act of bowling a ball
doosra
an off-spinner’s googly, which looks similar to a normal off-break, but rather than spinning towards the bat, goes the other way, in the manner of a leg break
dot ball
a delivery from which no runs are scored
drop
a falling wicket
fast bowling
a style of bowling in which the ball is delivered at high speeds; also known as pace bowling
finger spinner
a bowler who uses an action of the fingers to impart spin
googly
a delivery bowled by a wrist spinner which looks as if it will break one way but in fact goes the other; also known as a bosie or wrong ’un
half-century
an individual score of over 50 runs, but not over 100 runs
half-volley
a delivered ball or its return, hit or kicked the moment after it bounces from the ground
helicopter shot
a stroke played by swinging the bat in an uppercut fashion so that it catches the ball partly from below; in the follow-through the bat flails up and around vertically, through an angle that may exceed 180 degrees
innings
a) the turn of one member of the batting team to bat
b) one of the major divisions of a match, consisting of the turns at batting of all the members of one team until they are all out or until the team declares
c) the runs scored during such a turn or such a division
inswing
the movement from off to leg of a bowled ball
LBW (leg before wicket)
a dismissal that occurs if the ball, when pitching in line with the stumps, strikes the bats man’s leg or pads and so is impeded from hitting the wicket
leg break
a ball which, when a right-hander is facing, changes direction from leg to off when it pitches
leg glance
a glancing stroke by the person batting directing the ball down fine on the leg side of the wicket
leg side
that half of the field which is behind the person batting who is facing the bowling, as opposed to off side
leg spin
the spin which a bowler imparts to a ball to achieve a leg break
long-off
an offside fielding position behind the bowler, or a fielder in this position
medium-pace
a style of bowling which is slower than pace bowling but faster than spin bowling
mid-off
a fielding position on the off side, near the bowler
mid-on
a fielding position on the on side near the bowler
no ball
a ball bowled in a way disallowed by the rules and automatically giving the side batting a score of one run counted as a sundry
non-striker
the batsman standing at the bowling end
off-break
a ball which, when a right-hander is facing, changes direction from off towards leg when it pitches
off-cutter
a delivery from a fast bowler, similar to an off-break, but at greater speed
off side
the half of the field towards which the feet of the person batting point as he or she stands ready to receive the bowling, as opposed to leg side
off-spin
the spin which a bowler imparts on a ball to achieve an off-break
off stump
the stump on the off side of the person batting
on side
&nb
sp; see leg side
opener
either of the two people batting who open their side’s innings by batting first
outfield
the part of the field furthest from the person batting
outswing
the movement from leg to off of a bowled ball
over
a) the number of balls delivered between successive changes of bowlers
b) the part of the game played between such changes
overpitch
to bowl so that the ball bounces too far up the wicket, allowing the person batting to play it with ease
pace bowling
a style of bowling in which the ball is delivered at high speeds; also known as fast bowling
pitch
a) to bowl so that the ball bounces on a certain part of the wicket
b) when a ball bounces on a certain part of the wicket
plumb
a batter standing directly in front of the wicket and thus leg before wicket or potentially leg before wicket
pull
to hit (a ball pitched on the wicket or on the off side) to the on side, usually off the back foot
reverse sweep
a shot in which the batter drops to one knee and reverses the hands in gripping the bat so as to sweep the ball from leg to off
run-out
the dismissal of the person batting by being run out
run rate
the number of runs scored per over, assessed by dividing the score by the number of overs completed
short-pitched
of or relating to a bowled ball which first strikes the pitch at a short distance from the bowler
slider
a delivery from a spin bowler that involves placing back spin on the ball so it often skids or slides off the pitch
slip fielder
a close fielder behind the batsman, next to the wicketkeeper
slog sweep
a pull shot that is played from kneeling position, usually against full-pitched, slower balls, in an attempt to hit boundaries
spin bowler
a bowler who has a special skill in spinning the ball
square leg
a fielding position on the leg side at right angles to the pitch opposite the wicket of the person batting
straight drive
a batted shot that passes straight past the bowler
sundry
a score or run not made by hitting the ball with the bat, as a bye or a side; an extra
sweep
to strike the ball with a cross-bat close to the ground, on the leg side, usually backward of square leg
switch hit
a shot played by a batsman who reverses both their stance and their grip during the bowler’s run-up so that a right-handed batsman would play the shot as an orthodox left-hander
tailenders
a team member who is ranked towards the end in the batting order
topspinner
a delivery in which forward spin is imparted to the ball, so that it does not deviate significantly on bouncing, but accelerates off the pitch, and often bounces unexpectedly high
wicketkeeper
the player on the fielding side who stands immediately behind the wicket to stop balls that pass it; also known as a wickie
wrist spinner
a bowler who uses an action of the wrist to impart spin
wrong ’un
see googly
yorker
a ball so bowled that it pitches directly under the bat
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Version 1.0
ACADEMY ALL-STARS
Published by Random House Australia 2014
Copyright © Random House Australia 2014
The moral right of the author and the illustrator has been asserted.
A Random House Australia book
Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd
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First published by Random House Australia in 2014
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry
Author: Loughlin, Patrick.
Title: Academy all-stars/Patrick Loughlin, with contributions from Glenn Maxwell; illustrated by James Hart.
ISBN: 978 0 85798 610 8 (ebook)
Series: Glenn Maxwell; 2.
Target Audience: For primary school age.
Subjects: Cricket – Australia – Juvenile fiction.
Cricket players – Australia – Juvenile fiction.
Other Authors/Contributors: Maxwell, Glenn.
Hart, James, illustrator.
Dewey Number: A823.4
Illustrations by James Hart
Image of Glenn Maxwell courtesy of Kookaburra Sport Pty Ltd
Cover design by Christabella Designs
The publisher would like to thank Macquarie Dictionary for use of definitions in Macquarie Dictionary Online, 2014, Macquarie Dictionary’s Publishers, https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au
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