Your Cricket Off spinners - around or over the wicket ?

Adarsh

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Which tactic do you think is more threatening ? The traditional one is over the wicket but nowadays you're seeing more bowlers go around the wicket to the right handers. I've started to prefer this type of bowling...which I think is more threatening to the batsman since you can beat him on both edges.

As a batsman, which would you prefer, and why ?
 

alexczarn

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I do both, I actually prefer going around, I go around al the time to lefthanders
 

angryangy

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Around is how Laker got his 19. I reckon you'd find that traditionally offies were more inclined to bowl this way. The pre-war lbw conditions would have demanded it, because bowling around the wicket you can land the ball in line with the stumps and still turn it towards off or middle. It seems unlikely that many if any got an lbw by just hurling a straight one at the stumps.

If the bowler gets turn, then it's really annoying because he's got a wide range of angles at his disposal. However, if this is not the case, then it increases the chance of bowling a ball that is easily hit through the offside by the right hander, which for an offie is not desirable. That might be why it became unfashionable, perhaps somewhere in the 70s when spinners were mostly used in defensive styles.
 

Aislabie

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If I bowl offies, then it tends to be more effective to bowl darts from around because it cramps the batter for room, especially if he makes room, then I turn it back into him.
 

ZoraxDoom

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Depends on the batsmen. Some of them drive away from the body, in that case you are better of bowling over the wicket, outside offstump, force them to drive loosely at a ball spinning and possibly angling in. Opens up the chance for both edges, or even bowling them through the gate.
Or if the batsman is very strong off his legs, then you bowl an outside-offstump line and wait for him to try and swing one to leg.

If the batsman plays over his pads a bit, or is more secure through the offside, then around the wicket is worth a shot. Pitch it on around middle and wait for him to make the mistake. I like this angle a lot, because if your accuracy is right then you become very hard to score off - the batsman has to either hit you against the line or against the angle.

It does also depend on how much turn you're getting and how well you're controlling your line and length on that day. If the pitch has a lot of spin in it, I'd rather bowl over the wicket and keep the ball outside off. Make them drive against the spin. Have a slip, short leg/short midwicket in place.

If it's not turning so much, but if I feel I'm bowling well, I try around the wicket. It's a naturally more defensive option though - you get your wickets from batsmen trying to score quickly of faults in their technique. So not recommended if you need wickets and the batsmen are just blocking away. Probably better off bowling over the wicket, and just a hit outside offstump them. Get them leaving one too close to them, or poking at one outside the body, or even missing one that turns in...
 

iridescentt

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^ +1.

Good technique = ineffective tactic. Otherwise you'll find players opening up a bit too much and leaving open their stumps.
 

hedger_14

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I always bowl over the wicket for right handers and usually around the wicket to left handers. The pitches I bowl on though, it's very hard to get turn though so I find I'm less likely to get hit when bowling over the wicket to right handers. And getting LBW's over the wicket is hard enough, no need to make it harder by bowling around to right handers :p
 

Aswin8

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For RHB good offspinners can go around the Wicket
 

Atharv

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Which tactic do you think is more threatening ? The traditional one is over the wicket but nowadays you're seeing more bowlers go around the wicket to the right handers. I've started to prefer this type of bowling...which I think is more threatening to the batsman since you can beat him on both edges.

As a batsman, which would you prefer, and why ?

Depends on how much the bowler can turn the bowl and make it bounce. If the turn is more I think he should come round the wicket more often,not regularly,just more often. Also RHB and LHB has to be considered. It is not a bad idea for any off spinner to come round the wicket . The angle is useful.
 

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