Full toss
Encyclopedia
A full toss is a type of delivery
in the sport
of cricket
. It describes any delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing on the pitch
first.
Full tosses are rarely bowled
deliberately, as they defeat the purpose of most types of delivery, which is to deceive the batsman by bouncing unpredictably on the pitch. They are commonly greeted with delight by a batsman, as they tend to be very easy to hit. A full toss is frequently the result of an unintentional error made while attempting to bowl a yorker
. A yorker usually bounces at the batsmen's feet.
Occasionally a full toss can surprise a batsman so effectively that he is unable to play it properly, and this can lead to a wicket
, but few bowlers rely on this. There have been occasions in which a bowler intentionally bowls a full toss to achieve maximum swing into the base of the stumps. This was commonly seen with Waqar Younis
and Wasim Akram
of Pakistan, though recently Lasith Malinga
of Sri Lanka
has been bowling low full tosses with his unorthodox round arm action.
Full tosses below the waist are also commonly accidental. They can be caused by mistiming in the bowler's action as he attempts a yorker
or changes his hand grip to produce a deceptive slower ball.
A full toss can also be used by a bowler to deliberately intimidate weaker, lower order batsmen.
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 the sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of 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 describes any delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing on 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...
first.
Full tosses are rarely bowled
Bowling (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, bowling is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman. A player skilled at bowling is called a bowler; a bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder...
deliberately, as they defeat the purpose of most types of delivery, which is to deceive the batsman by bouncing unpredictably on the pitch. They are commonly greeted with delight by a batsman, as they tend to be very easy to hit. A full toss is frequently the result of an unintentional error made while attempting to bowl a yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
. A yorker usually bounces at the batsmen's feet.
Occasionally a full toss can surprise a batsman so effectively that he is unable to play it properly, and this can lead to a wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
, but few bowlers rely on this. There have been occasions in which a bowler intentionally bowls a full toss to achieve maximum swing into the base of the stumps. This was commonly seen with Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis Maitla is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket and widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time...
and Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram is a former Pakistani left arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman in cricketer and model. who represented the Pakistan national cricket team in Test cricket and One Day International matches....
of Pakistan, though recently Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga
Separamadu Lasith Malinga is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a fast bowler with a rare round-arm action, sometimes referred to as a sling action, which leads to his nickname, "Slinga Malinga"...
of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
has been bowling low full tosses with his unorthodox round arm action.
Full tosses below the waist are also commonly accidental. They can be caused by mistiming in the bowler's action as he attempts a yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
or changes his hand grip to produce a deceptive slower ball.
A full toss can also be used by a bowler to deliberately intimidate weaker, lower order batsmen.