Bowler (cricket)
The bowler is the thrower in cricket and a member of the respective field team. He is equivalent to the pitcher in baseball .
The terms "thrower" or "throw" are mostly avoided in cricket (except in the substantiated form) in order to emphasize the basic bowler technique prescribed by the rules, namely the complete extension of the arm (as shown in the picture on the right) and to be distinguished from "normal" throwing. In November 2004, the International Cricket Council revised the rules to allow bowlers to bend their elbows up to 15 °.
Bowling techniques
There are a number of different types of bowlers that can play their different strengths under the prevailing weather conditions and, above all, depending on the current state of the pitch . Each team usually tries to set up different types of bowlers for a game. The bowling specialists on a team, rarely more than five of the team's eleven players, are collectively referred to as bowling attack .
Even more than the speed of the ball, an important quality criterion for a bowler is the accuracy of his “throws” ( delivery ), which in cricket is expressed by the keywords line and length . The line is the flight path of the ball in relation to the wicket and its three stumps . The bowler does not necessarily aim at the wicket, but often grabs a line just outside the so-called off-stump , i.e. H. of the outermost wicket stick on the bat side of the batsman . The length denotes the point of impact of the ball on the pitch in front of the batsman, as the bowler generally bowls the ball so that it hits the ground in front of the batsman. Usually the bowler tries to hit a point on the pitch that is neither too close nor too far away from the batsman.
The fast bowler is usually the mainstay of the field team. He usually takes a long run-up of more than ten meters and the fastest bowlers in the world can reach ball speeds of up to 160 km / h. However, the "throws" are often imprecise and therefore offer good chances for the opposing batsmen.
The medium pace bowler bowls a little slower, but often compensates for this with other skills. He can, for example, use different techniques to give the ball a different trajectory or induce the opposing batsman to strike incorrectly or prematurely through slight differences in speed of the ball or different lengths of the "throw". Medium pace bowlers can usually place the ball more precisely than fast bowlers, which makes it difficult for the batsman to find promising balls for him to score.
The spin bowler generally bowls the ball more slowly, but gives it a strong lateral rotation ( spin ) that causes the ball to bounce off to one side when it hits the pitch. A rough distinction is made between Off Spin Bowler ( finger spinner ) and Leg Spin Bowler ( wrist spinner ). With the former, the ball jumps to the right from the bowler's perspective, with the latter to the left, always starting from a right-handed bowler. But there are also variations in which, contrary to the batsman's expectations, the ball either does not jump at all or to the “wrong” side, such as the arm ball , googly , flipper , topspinner or doosra .
See also
Web links
- Description of Bowling (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The 15-degree rule ( English ) Cricinfo. August 7, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2016.