The aerodynamics of Reverse Swing !

Brett Lee celebrates another English wicket

A combination of Shane Warne and Australia's fast bowlers brought England crashing to defeat in the second Test in Adelaide.

One bowling weapon that aided their cause was the same one used so effectively by England 18 months ago.

This time, Brett Lee found reverse swing in the heat of south Australia.

But what is swing? And more to the point - what is reverse swing and how can certain bowlers harness it so potently?

We explain the theories.


WHAT IS SWING?
The cricket ball often moves in the air towards or away from a batsman when a pace bowler is bowling.

It is this deviation most fast bowlers strive for because of the problems it causes batsmen.

Swing is all about aerodynamics, more of which is explained in the next section.

Batsmen are used to facing orthodox swing - which happens when the ball is still relatively hard and new in the first 10 to 15 overs.

However, over the past 20 years fast bowlers have developed a new method of making the ball move in the air with the older ball called 'reverse swing'.

But to obtain any sort of movement, there are a number of factors to consider.


THE BALL
You will often see fielders constantly shining one side of a ball by rubbing it on their trousers.

The rubbing helps to maintain a smooth, shiny side while the opposite is left to deteriorate through normal wear and tear.

In simple terms, the aerodynamics of bowling means the shiny side travels faster through the air, while the rough side acts as a brake, pushing the ball in that direction.

But other factors also play a part too.


SEAM POSITION

The conventional grip for the seamer

The stitching around the centre of the ball is called the seam, which acts as a rudder for faster bowlers.

All fast bowlers grip the seam vertically, with the middle and index fingers on either side, with the ball resting in the third finger and thumb.

The straighter the seam when the ball is delivered, the greater the chance of swing, especially when the ball is older with one shiny and one rough side.


IN AND OUTSWING
To move the ball in an orthodox fashion away from a right-handed batsman, the rough side of the ball will be on the left side with the seam angling towards second slip.

And it is the other way round for inswing - the rough side is on the right with the seam pointing towards an imaginary leg slip.

Both deliveries also require a subtle change in seam grip too.

This generally happens when the ball is relatively new but tends to stop after the ball has lost its shine and hardness.


WHAT IS REVERSE SWING?
Once the ball becomes older and more worn, it will begin to move in the opposite direction to where it would usually swing with no great change in the bowling grip.

For example, an outswinger's grip will move towards the batsman in the air while an inswinger will move away from the bat.


The grip is all important bowling reverse swing

All this tends to happen very late on in the delivery, making it difficult for the batsman to pick up the changes in the air.

Not every single bowler can obtain reverse swing - the ball needs to be propelled above 80mph or thereabouts to make it move in the air.

Former Pakistan international Sarfraz Nawaz was the founder of reverse swing during the late 1970s, and he passed his knowledge on to former team-mate Imran Khan.

It was Imran who schooled bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, who brought the art to the cricket world's attention during the late 1980s and 1990s.

The dynamic duo managed to make the old ball swing a considerable distance at pace in both directions, a skill few bowlers can master.


HOW DOES IT WORK?
There have been plenty of theories about why, but here's the simplest explanation from former England bowling coach Troy Cooley:



"Reverse swing is all to do with the deterioration of the ball and the seam position in flight.

"As the ball becomes rougher, it will take on a different characteristic as it deteriorates.

"So if you present the ball as an outswinger, the ball has deteriorated so much on the rough side that it takes on the characteristics of the shiny side.

Which means a natural outswinger will become an inswinger and conversely, an inswinger into an outswinger."


WHEN DOES THE BALL START TO REVERSE?
Since reverse swing favours the older ball, it will usually start to move around the 40-over mark.

However, England's bowlers last year were able to make the ball reverse after just 15 to 20 overs. Lee found his reverse swing in Adelaide on the 30-over mark.

But how can bowlers manage to do this so early in the innings?


Wasim Akram brought reverse swing to the public limelight

One theory could be the ball. In England, Test balls are manufactured by Dukes, while in Australia and the sub-continent the Kookaburra brand is usually used.

Like footballs, each manufacturers' cricket balls are different. Some have more pronounced seams while others deteriorate slower, all of which have an influence on how the ball will move in the air.

Another theory is how some players are able to rough the ball up faster than other teams.

In England's case last year, Harmison and Flintoff both banged the ball hard into the pitch.

While their fielders often throw the ball back to wicket-keeper Geraint Jones on the bounce from the outfield, all of which contribute to the deterioration of the ball.

However, nothing has been scientifically proved - but batsmen the world over know what to expect when the ball starts to get older.



Article Source : BBC

Dravid, the sixth player to score 10000 runs in Test Cricket !

Rahul Dravid became the third Indian and the sixth player to score 10000 Test runs !

He continues to be the No 1 Test batsman, says Sreenath. The innings he played today was a character innings, in a day dominated by the Springboks.


He holds the world record for being involved in 72 century partnerships !

Veeru perished in the slips, but only after he had scored 319!


These are the records set up yesterday

1 The fastest 300, off only 278 balls

2 In 503 minutes, 41 fours, 5 sixes.

3 The third batsman to score triple twice, after Bradman & Lara

4 The first triple against two different countries.

5 The first opening batsman to score two triples

6 The highest score in India and in Chepauk

7 Of the 8 200 odd partnerships, Sehwag figure in four

8 His 14th hundred, and third against RSA

9 The fastest double hundred against RSA, off 194 balls!

10 The first Indian batsman to score a double agains RSA

11 The highest score by an Indian batsman ( 257 )

12 The highest opening partnership at Chepauk

13 The second best opening partnership against RSA ( 213 )

14 The second wicket partnership and Indian record ( 255*)

15 Having two partnerships over 200 runs for the first time !

Thank you, Sehwag !

Players who have scored more than 10 K runs in Tests



Player Tests Runs

Brian Lara 131 11953
Sachin 147 11762
Border 156 11174
Steve Waugh 168 10927
Gavaskar 125 10122
Dravid 120 10031


and in ODIs

Sachin 417 16361
Dravid 333 10585
Lara 299 10405

Sehwag scores fastest triple hundred against mighty RSA

The entire Chennai stadium erupted with joy as Sehwag scored the fastest triple century ever. Sehwag blasted 42 fours and 5 sixes in an incredible batting display, scoring 257 runs in a day, out of 384 runs scored by his team !

His 309 not out today is considered better than his 309 at Multan. On the first day, he was then 228 not out. Today he scored 257 runs !

His captain had told him to bat responsibly til the end and he did oblige Kumble !

At lunch he was 110 and at tea he was 218, scoring a century during the post lunch session, off only 67 balls. . He said it hurt when he was out of the team. He had worked hard and Kumble's advice was very apt.

Some of his shots were described by the commentator Rameez Raja as " lazy elegance "

300 off 278 balls ! The fastest 300 ball-wise! He plays a Test match like a T20!

He became the third batsman to score a triple hundred twice, after Lara and Bradman !

What a glorious day for Indian cricket! India 468/1 ! India has become a world power in Cricket and is going from strength to strength. Gone is the inferiority complex which had plagued this nation !

Harmison may join IPL. May both IPL and ICL go from strength to strength, promoting this game of glorious uncertainties ! Healthy is this competition between IPL and ICL. Players are already benefitted !

Sehwag scores century & India consolidates !

India at the moment are 176/0, with Sehwag on 110 and Jaffer on 60 ! This is a good reply to RSA's 540.

ICL will be staging international matches with an Indian XI, Pakistan XI, England XI etc , said their spokesman Modi.

Another Modi, of IPL, said that IPL had already raked in 2 billion dollars, without a ball being bowled. Sponsors are coming to them with higher rates, as well as adverisers. Anything will click in India, a cricket mania country. Well, the business of sports, or rather the business of cricket is really taking off !

India reply well to SA's 540

Sehwag scored 52 not out out of 82/0. The six he blasted was worth going miles to see.

Indian fielding was shoddy and conceded 81 boundaries to the South Africans. Amla scored a brilliant 159 and Boucher 70, along with McKenzie 94 and Smith 73.

So on the placid Chennai track, a batting paradise, we are yet to see records ? Will there be Indian records tomorrow? Let us wait and see. It is time for India's formidable batting line up to click tomorrow.

SL beat the WIs comprehensively.

In ICL matches, to match Sharukh Khan, Mithun Chakrvarthy has taken over the Kolkotta Tigers. Rechristened Bengal Royal Tigers, Mithun is posing a big challenge. So far ICL is put under pressure by BCCI. But no more !

Show some courage, says Kirsten

November 24, 2006 19:47 IST

South African great Gary Kirsten has identified technical flaws in Indian batsmen and advised them to work on their defensive tactics if they were to succeed in the remaining part of their tour.

The former opening batsman said the Indians tend to play away from their body on faster pitches rather than showing the courage to get behind the rising delivery.

"They were not quite there on the off-stump and it's a failing which usually causes the downfall of most opposition batsmen on South African pitches," said Kirsten.

"But for Australia, nobody seems to get it right here."

Kirsten is the highest run-scorer ever for South Africa in Tests and this is well-reflected in figures -- in 101 Tests he scored 7289 runs at an average of 45.27 with 21 centuries.

Kirsten said the problem with the Indian batsmen is that they did not try to get behind the line of the ball.

"Most of them don't get behind the line of the ball. One of the things which successful batsmen do on such surfaces is to get behind the line rather than play away from the body.

"You can get away with such a faulty technique in India where the edges fall short of slip cordon but here they disappear right into the cusp of their hands. Indians must also learn to get behind the line of the ball."

Indian batsmen were shot out for 91 in the second one-day international in Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday, mostly playing away from body.

Kirsten also said the Indian batsmen would have to come on the front foot more often than they have been doing on this tour.

"I watched them on Sunday and most of them seemed to play from inside the crease. It simply won't do on such surfaces. You need to be on lookout to come on the front foot. The more you stay on the backfoot and inside the crease, the lesser are your options of scoring."

Kirsten though sees a silver lining for India in the way he perceives the tour would pan out from now onwards.

"The rest of the pitches wouldn't be quite as difficult as it was in Kingsmead in Durban so in that respect they would have far easier batting conditions. I also feel there is a great deal of class in your batting line-up and it would come good before long.

"Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in particular are seasoned and proven enough to leave their stamp on any conditions. They would soon be providing the thrust to your team."

The former left-handed willower, however, sounded a word of caution for the rest of the batsmen.

"I want to stress here though that a few of the youngsters in your team need to really tighten up their technique. It wouldn't work what they have been doing in India.

"They need to adapt and do it quickly. Anyway it's the hallmark of acknowledged international players that they are not found wanting on any surface. If they can do well here, it would truly get their careers going. In a way, it's also an opportunity for them."



Artidle Source : Rediff

India takes on mighty South Africa on 26th !

England lead by 487 runs! Andrew Strauss scores century. It seems England is taking revenge on the Kiwis. Ryan Sidebottom swung them out for 168 (7/47).

Jayawardhene scored a century as SL consolidated their position against West Indies.

Graeme Smith admitted that the series against India will be tough. RSA is fully confident. And so is India. Both India and RSA have scored substantial triumphs of late. So a royal battle is in the offing. We can play in the subcontinent well. This is proved by our experiences in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Confonting India is the greatest challenge. Our fast bowlers have the ability to bowl out the world class Indian batsmen. Ntini, Morke, Steyn & Sondesky are class bowlers. They can shine in India as well. Also spinners Paul Harris & Petersen. The players have been rattled by the recent changes in the team. But we are professionals and can overcome any crisis. Andre Nel was sacked and Langveld was taken. This created a crisis. This was part of the Board's decision to field 6 non white players. So Langveld withdrew and Sondesky was taken in place.

Not only in bowling, but also in batting RSA is powerful. Along with Smith, Kallis, Boucher, Bram Villiers, McKenzie, Prince, Amla strengthen the Springbok batting line up.

The RSA coach Aurthur said that all coaches have thorough knowledge of the opposition players, when asked if Gary Kirsten and Upton, both South Africans, will pose a threat !

Kumble, leader of the glorious Knights, said that confronting RSA is a formidable challenge. The last series was won by India, but only after a fierce battle. In Bangladesh, they proved that they can acclimatise quickly. Their team is full of world class players.