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The 3 kinds of "reverse":
- Contrast swing: seam upright, swing towards shine. Shami.
- Reverse: seam to slips, shiny side inward, swings towards shine. Waqar, Zaheer.
- Old: seam to slips, shiny side outward, swings towards shine. Rare, but like conventional swing.
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- Contrast swing: seam upright, swing towards shine. Shami.
- Reverse: seam to slips, shiny side inward, swings towards shine. Waqar, Zaheer.
- Old: seam to slips, shiny side outward, swings towards shine. Rare, but like conventional swing.
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Technically swing is defined as conventional/reverse by whether it swings towards the seam direction or opposite that.
But we use "reverse" swing for something else in cricket: going towards the shiny side.
If swing is defined by the seam, what of the shiny side?
But we use "reverse" swing for something else in cricket: going towards the shiny side.
If swing is defined by the seam, what of the shiny side?
It turns out, many bowlers bowl "reverse" by keeping the seam fully upright. Shami is a great example. He gets the old ball to move towards the shiny side.
This is "contrast swing". This always swing towards the shine at speeds > 80 kmph.
This is "contrast swing". This always swing towards the shine at speeds > 80 kmph.
Second, true reverse swing. This is when the ball swings towards the shiny side but opposite the seam direction.
Release it like an outswinger, with the shine pointing into the batsman, and the ball swings in.
This is what Waqar did. inswing yorkers with outswing action.
Release it like an outswinger, with the shine pointing into the batsman, and the ball swings in.
This is what Waqar did. inswing yorkers with outswing action.
His natural ball was the outswinger. He would point the seam towards the slips, like he usually did. But the old ball would tail in to the right hander. Towards the shiny side.
This is also what Zaheer Khan did with the old ball.
This is true reverse swing.
This is also what Zaheer Khan did with the old ball.
This is true reverse swing.
The third, rarer kind is when the ball swings towards the shiny side but the seam is also pointed in the same direction.
This is actually like conventional new ball swing. Because the ball goes towards the seam direction.
This is actually like conventional new ball swing. Because the ball goes towards the seam direction.
Example:
I bowl it with the seam towards the slips, the shiny side directed outward, and the ball swings out.
So the ball is going towards the shine. But this is technically conventional swing.
This is like a left hander swinging it in, but with the old ball.
I bowl it with the seam towards the slips, the shiny side directed outward, and the ball swings out.
So the ball is going towards the shine. But this is technically conventional swing.
This is like a left hander swinging it in, but with the old ball.
All these 3 cases go towards the shine, but they're different in terms of their relation to the seam.
Contrast swing is the easiest to control. You just need to release the ball with the seam straight. You can flip the shiny side to achieve movement in the direction you like.
Contrast swing is the easiest to control. You just need to release the ball with the seam straight. You can flip the shiny side to achieve movement in the direction you like.
True reverse swing is easy for a swing bowler, who has an inswinger/outswinger by default.
The difference is, with the old ball, what you release as an outswinger will become an inswinger if you keep the shiny side inward.
Also, this needs speeds > 135 kmph.
The difference is, with the old ball, what you release as an outswinger will become an inswinger if you keep the shiny side inward.
Also, this needs speeds > 135 kmph.
Lastly, what I call "Old Swing", is when the ball goes towards the shine with the seam in the same direction. So I bowl it like an outswinger, keep the shine outward, and it swings away.
This is like new ball swing in execution.
But it's rare. Needs very high speeds.
This is like new ball swing in execution.
But it's rare. Needs very high speeds.
And at lower speeds, this third kind of ball can go *towards the rough side*. So I bowl an outswinger, keeping the shine outward, but the ball swings in!
So there's the three classes of swing you see with the old ball.
All of these are called "reverse" because they swing towards the shiny side.
But they actually are contrast, true reverse, and old ball conventional swing.
All of these are called "reverse" because they swing towards the shiny side.
But they actually are contrast, true reverse, and old ball conventional swing.
