Leg Spin - A Dying Art?

[ved_]

I just had a random thought on my mind about leg spin and how it is now fading. So did a quick search and found this article. What are your views?

Go back 10 years and the likes of Shane Warne, Mushtaq Ahmed and Anil Kumble were at the height of their powers; they consistently left quality international batsmen trudging back to the pavilion, bewildered by the mystery of leg-spin. And it wasn?t just the revolutions on the ball which caught the eye; these spin-bowling masters had something which you?d be hard pushed to find in international cricket nowadays ? charisma which conjured excitement in spectators each time they were called upon to bowl.


Read more on this over here...
Cricket Depth: Leg spin – a dying art or just a blip?

 

[Epic]

Wondered this many a times before, the art isn't dying, it's just going through a lean phase.

----------

Genuine pacers are just about extinct today, does that mean they will never return? Absolutely not, there will come a time when spin in general will have to take a back seat and the pacers will rule for a bit. It's just another case of things changing with time, for the better and for the worse, you just have to be patient and not force the issue.

 

[sifter132]

^Genuine pacers are extinct?? Depends which country you live in...

Interesting when Brad Hogg bowled they mentioned how rare a left arm wrist spinner was and how that may have contributed to batsmen not being able to pick him as easily as they probably should.

The other thing about leg spin vs finger spin is the pitches you play on. Leg spinners do better on bouncier, firmer surfaces. That's why Australia has been the chief exporter of wrist spin way back from O'Reilly, Grimmett, Benaud etc.

 

[Epic]

^Genuine pacers are extinct?? Depends which country you live in...

Name one guy in the International circuit that bowls 150ks on a regular basis.

 

[spooony]

Wrist spin is less demanding than finger spin. Bowlers who start will start with finger spin as finger-spin represents the natural first step for young bowlers looking to get the ball to deviate.

Many people are under the impression its the spin that fools the batsman which is not basically true.

Let me ask this. What do you calculate first when you are a batsman? Remember spinners must rely almost entirely on deceit on persuading the
batsman to play the wrong line or length, or to play too early, or not early enough.

Is it a art or a simple matter of science?

The human brain cannot accurately calculate the exact trajectory of a delivery that spends a part of its flight coming directly towards the eyes, or that travels above the horizontal plane of the eyes.

A top class spinner can adapt to any pitch and any conditions as it all is dependent on the strength of his fingers, technique and the skills he has developed.

Name one guy in the International circuit that bowls 150ks on a regular basis.

150kph until it hit the pitch. Have a look at all those express pace bowlers and what happened to them. Injuries injuries injuries. So bowlers preserve their carreer by bowling a bit slower which is also less demanding on a bowlers. Also you got to remember that speed we see is when it leaves the bowlers hand.

 

[Epic]

150kph until it hit the pitch. Have a look at all those express pace bowlers and what happened to them. Injuries injuries injuries. So bowlers preserve their carreer by bowling a bit slower which is also less demanding on a bowlers. Also you got to remember that speed we see is when it leaves the bowlers hand.

Yeah, I know, but it still doesn't change the fact that no one bowls fast anymore.

 

[spooony]

Yeah, I know, but it still doesn't change the fact that no one bowls fast anymore.

Maybe because they want to preserve their career. What happened to the express pace? All retired early due to injuries

 

[sifter132]

Name one guy in the International circuit that bowls 150ks on a regular basis.

How many people have bowled consistent 150kph...EVER?? I doubt Larwood, Trueman or Hall were that fast - may have hit 150, but not consistently in my reckoning. Frank Tyson and Jeff Thomson, yes definitely. Lillee for a couple of years probably. Holding too, not sure any of the other Windies quicks would qualify though. You could argue Lee and Akhtar weren't consistent 150 guys either. So that list is pretty small. Certainly a lot smaller than the list of decent leg spinners. So I think your cut off point of 150kph is a bit unrealistic.

 

[Aalay]

You could argue Lee and Akhtar weren't consistent 150 guys either..

Well I would say that both of them did hit 150 consistently. The difference was that Akhtar bowled 150 consistently throughout his career and Brett Lee was hitting 150 mark during his peak, Lee4 did lose some pace at the end of his international career as he was bowling in early 140's.

 

[AsadAbrar]

IMO, hitting the 100 mph mile for a fast bowler isn't cool until he doesn't pick up wickets or gets hit for runs. A prime example would be Sami although he does not reach that speed but he still bowls pretty fast and he gets hit for quite a large number of runs every time. His love for speed has made him a really poor bowler, no variation at all, just a simple yorker length bowl.

----------

IMO, I like Leg spin better than Off Spin. It's just too classy. Although, I'm an off spinner my self, I would love to be an leg spinner.

 

[spooony]

Fast bowlers force batsmen into errors by beating their reflexes or by unnerving them with the threat of physical injury.

Seam and swing bowlers beat their man by getting him to commit to a certain line, and then moving the ball off that line too late for the batsman to adjust.

Spin Bowlers are without pace, either of the dangerous or the reflex-beating variety which means the bowler is completely vulnerable to the batsman?s reactions. Batsmen have to wait for the spinning ball to arrive at the best of times, bowl even slower just giving batsmen even longer to plan their shot.

Steyn was just your ordinary pace bowler. A nice guy but he was avg. It all changed when he smacked that guy from NZ against the head with the ball. Suddenly mr Nice guy got aggressive and he improved tremendously. FOr a fast bowler to bowl a guy like Tendulkar or Lara clean was the equivelant a 300 was to them. They know they have beaten the guy with pace. Same as when get him out on the hook. Yes it is a trap but it also means you scared the ---- out of him with injury as he did not keep his on the ball but just hit and hope 10 to 1 closing his eyes or not looking by turning his head.

Guy who I have the greatest respect for is Steve Waugh. One of the bravest cricketers you will find on a field if not thee bravest

 

[Satan666]

Name one guy in the International circuit that bowls 150ks on a regular basis.

Yeah its actually a bit sad, injuries might be the chief reason why, too much cricket being played means the fast bowler gets overworked.

 

[Ahmad94]

Its a dying art, because test cricket is now out of "fashion". this means the use of turning the ball has decreased, people like afridi you fire it in, go at an economy of 6 and take a wicket or two are classed as better than those you go for 4-40 because they actually spin the ball

 

[sifter132]

Yeah its actually a bit sad, injuries might be the chief reason why, too much cricket being played means the fast bowler gets overworked.

Only partly true. Shaun Tait for example. Too much cricket for him is 3 overs on the trot It's his own fitness that lets him down, not because he has a crippling schedule.

 

[Satan666]

^^In recent times AUS have unleashed some fearsome genuine pace bowlers and they get injured fast like just after a couple of games, why?