Arm ball
Encyclopedia
An arm ball is a type of delivery
in cricket
. It is a variation delivery bowled by an off spin
bowler or slow left-arm orthodox
bowler. It is the finger spin
equivalent of a wrist spin
ner's slider or zooter.
In contrast to the stock delivery, an arm ball is delivered with rolling the fingers down the side of the ball on release. This means the ball has backspin on it, and it does not turn appreciably off the pitch
. Instead, it travels straight on in the direction of the arm, from which it derives its name. However, by keeping the seam upright, the bowler can also hope to obtain some outswing
away from the right-handed batsman, thereby confusing the batsman who expects the ball to turn.
The arm ball is often used as a surprise variation by an off spinner who is turning the ball considerably. A complacent or poorly skilled batsman playing for the expected spin can be taken by surprise and get out bowled or lbw, or edge the ball with the outside edge of the bat
to offer a catch to the wicket-keeper
or slip
fielders. Offspinners Graeme Swann
and Tim May
both had excellent arm balls.
The arm ball has also been employed with a great deal of success over the years by left arm orthodox bowlers. In this case, the stock ball will turn away from the right handed batsman and the arm-ball would swing in, allowing the bowler to beat the inside edge of the bat and attack the stumps. Hedley Verity
in particular was well known for his fast inswinging arm-ball, often bowled at yorker length.
Daniel Vettori
and Derek Underwood
are other examples of left arm orthodox bowlers renowned for use of an inswinging arm ball to good effect. Vettori famously bowled Darren Maddy
with a perfect arm ball at the Oval Test Match of 1999. Having set up Maddy with two balls breaking away from him, Vettori then bowled a perfectly disguised arm ball. Thinking the ball was another stock delivery, Maddy left the ball, only to see it swing in and crash into his off-stump
Delivery (cricket)
A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball towards the batsman.During play of the game, a member of the fielding team is designated as the bowler, and bowls deliveries towards the batsman...
in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. It is a variation delivery bowled by an off spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
bowler or slow left-arm orthodox
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
bowler. It is the finger spin
Finger spin
Finger spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball. The other spinning technique, generally used to spin the ball in the opposite direction, is wrist spin...
equivalent of a wrist spin
Wrist spin
Wrist spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket. It refers to the cricket technique and specific hand movements associated with imparting a particular direction of spin to the cricket ball...
ner's slider or zooter.
In contrast to the stock delivery, an arm ball is delivered with rolling the fingers down the side of the ball on release. This means the ball has backspin on it, and it does not turn appreciably off the pitch
Cricket pitch
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets - 1 chain or 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the...
. Instead, it travels straight on in the direction of the arm, from which it derives its name. However, by keeping the seam upright, the bowler can also hope to obtain some outswing
Swing bowling
Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...
away from the right-handed batsman, thereby confusing the batsman who expects the ball to turn.
The arm ball is often used as a surprise variation by an off spinner who is turning the ball considerably. A complacent or poorly skilled batsman playing for the expected spin can be taken by surprise and get out bowled or lbw, or edge the ball with the outside edge of the bat
Cricket bat
A cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batsmen in the sport of cricket to hit the ball. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624....
to offer a catch to the wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
or slip
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
fielders. Offspinners Graeme Swann
Graeme Swann
Graeme Peter Swann is an English international cricketer. He is primarily a right-arm offspinner, and also bats right-handed. After initially playing for his home county Northamptonshire, for whom he made his debut in 1997, he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2005. He often fields at slip...
and Tim May
Tim May
Timothy Brian Alexander May is a former cricketer for South Australia and Australia, who is currently a leading players' representative in his role as Chief Executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations...
both had excellent arm balls.
The arm ball has also been employed with a great deal of success over the years by left arm orthodox bowlers. In this case, the stock ball will turn away from the right handed batsman and the arm-ball would swing in, allowing the bowler to beat the inside edge of the bat and attack the stumps. Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...
in particular was well known for his fast inswinging arm-ball, often bowled at yorker length.
Daniel Vettori
Daniel Vettori
Daniel Luca Vettori ONZM is a cricketer for the New Zealand cricket team. He is the eighth player in Test history to take 300 wickets and score 3,000 runs. He is the youngest player to have represented New Zealand in Test cricket, having made his debut in 1996–97 at the age of 18...
and Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood MBE is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the MCC....
are other examples of left arm orthodox bowlers renowned for use of an inswinging arm ball to good effect. Vettori famously bowled Darren Maddy
Darren Maddy
Darren Lee Maddy is an English cricketer who plays first class cricket for Warwickshire. He played three Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England, making one international fifty in his ten innings between 1998 and 2000 before he was finally dropped following the tour of Zimbabwe in 2000,...
with a perfect arm ball at the Oval Test Match of 1999. Having set up Maddy with two balls breaking away from him, Vettori then bowled a perfectly disguised arm ball. Thinking the ball was another stock delivery, Maddy left the ball, only to see it swing in and crash into his off-stump