An inswinger is a type of delivery of the

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

in the

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

. In such a delivery the ball curves—or "swings"—in toward the batter's body and the

wicket In cricket, the term wicket has several meanings: * It is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch. The fielding team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a batsman out. ...

. By contrast, an

outswinger An outswinger is a type of delivery of the ball in the sport of cricket. In such a delivery the ball curves—or "swings"—out and away from the batter's body and the wicket. By contrast, an inswinger swings in toward the batter and the wicket. ...

swings away from the line of the batter and the wicket. Inswingers are

bowled In cricket, the term bowled has several meanings. First, is the act of propelling the ball towards the wicket defended by a batsman. Second, it is a method of dismissing a batsman, by hitting the wicket with a ball delivered by the bowler. (Th ...

by swing bowlers. The term has also been adopted into

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

commentary, in which context it describes a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

of the

kicked so that it curves in toward the

goal A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...

Grip

Image:Inswing FromSide.jpg Image:Project3.gif Image:Inswing FromBehind.jpg An inswinger is bowled by holding the

cricket ball A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket. A cricket ball consists of a cork core wound with string then a leather cover stitched on, and manufacture is regulated by cricket law at first-class level. The trajectory of a crick ...

with the seam vertical and the first two fingers slightly across the seam so that it is angled a little to the leg side. Once the ball has worn and been polished so that one side is rougher than the other, the rough side is placed on the leg side. The ball is placed on the pad of the thumb. This thumb position locks the wrist in a position inclined to the leg side.

Back foot contact

Inswing can be bowled from side-on, mid-way or chest on positions. But bowlers usually tend to pitch it in the good length spot or up to the batsman. It is the wrist position that is crucial, not the position of hips or shoulders. (See thumb position above).

Point of release

{{further, Point of release When the bowler delivers the ball, he angles the seam so that it points slightly to the leg side. To help achieve this position the bowling arm should be near vertical, brushing close to the ear. At release the wrist should remain cocked so as to help impart backspin along the orientation of the seam. The angle of the seam to the direction of motion produces an

aerofoil An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine. ...

effect as the ball moves through the air, pushing it to the leg side. This is enhanced by differential air pressure caused by movement of air over the rough and smooth surfaces, which also tends to push the ball to the leg side. The result is that the ball curves, or ''swings'' in to the batsman.

Use of the inswinger

Inswingers are not considered to be as difficult for a right-handed batsman to play as an

. This is because the ball moves in towards his body, meaning that his body is often behind the

line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

of the ball, and any miscalculated shot that is hit by the edge of the bat may be intercepted by his body rather than flying to a fielder for a catch. Inswingers can, however, sneak between the bat and pad to hit the

and bowl the batsman out, or miss the bat and hit the pads for a

leg before wicket Leg before wicket (lbw) is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an appeal by the fielding side, the umpire may rule a batter out lbw if the ball would have struck the wicket but was instead in ...

. A particularly effective delivery is the inswinging

yorker In cricket, a yorker is a ball bowled (a delivery) 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 ...

, which can cause a batsman to attempt to pull his feet out of the line of the ball, leaving him vulnerable to being bowled, or out lbw if he is too slow. Another deceptive type are those pitched around the off-stump that appear to be passing the batmen by but swing in wildly to knock the stumps off. In the final match of 1983 World Cup,

Balwinder Sandhu Balwinder Singh Sandhu (born 3 August 1956) is a former Indian Test cricketer. He represented India in eight Test matches as a medium pace bowler who could swing the ball and was a useful batsman. Career A late starter in cricket, Sandhu' ...

famously clean bowled

Gordon Greenidge Sir Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge (born 1 May 1951) is a Barbadian, former first-class cricketer, who represented the West Indies in Test and One-day Cricket for 17 years. Greenidge is regarded worldwide as one of the greatest and most destructive o ...

with a huge inswinger to which the batsman had shouldered arms.

External links

The Science of SwingHow to bowl an inswinger - BBCCricfannInswinger Basics video - wisdomtalkies Swing bowlers in world cricket
Bowling (cricket) Cricket terminology

Grip

Back foot contact

Point of release

Use of the inswinger

See also

External links