In
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 ...
, the flight of the ball is its trajectory through the air between being released by the bowler and bouncing on the pitch. The flight of a delivery may be varied by changing the pace of the ball or through use of the
Magnus force
The Magnus effect is an observable phenomenon commonly associated with a spinning object moving through a fluid. The path of the spinning object is deflected in a manner not present when the object is not spinning. The deflection can be expl ...
.
Flight is a key weapon of
spin bowler
Spin bowling is a bowling technique in cricket, in which the ball is delivered slowly but with the potential to deviate sharply after bouncing. The bowler is referred to as a spinner.
Purpose
The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ...
s. A common objective of spin bowling is to beat the batsman "in the flight". This implies that the bowler has deliberately varied the trajectory of the ball in order to deceive the batsman as to the exact location it will land. This may result in the batsman missing or mis-hitting the ball and thus being dismissed.
If the bowler bowls the ball slightly slower or with
topspin
In ball sports, topspin or overspin is a property of a ball that rotates forwards as it is moving. Topspin on a ball propelled through the air imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air (see Magnu ...
, then the ball will land further away from the batsman that he would otherwise anticipate, whereas if the bowler bowls the ball slightly quicker or with
backspin
In racquet sports and golf, backspin or underspin refers to the reverse rotation of a ball, in relation to the ball's trajectory, that is imparted on the ball by a slice or chop shot. Backspin generates an upward force that lifts the ball (see M ...
, then the ball will land closer to the batsman. Applying a lateral Magnus force will make the ball move sideways in the air, this is known as drift.
The term "flighted delivery" or ''flighting'' is often used to describe a delivery that is bowled slightly slower with a higher trajectory.
[ For flight as "loop."] This is seen as an aggressive tactic for spin bowlers.
A quicker delivery with a lower trajectory is sometimes described as "flat" or "flatter". In one-day cricket, spinners will often "push through" flatter deliveries, as they are perceived as more difficult to strike for
boundaries by aggressive batsmen.
See also
*
Bouncing ball
The physics of a bouncing ball concerns the physical behaviour of bouncing balls, particularly its motion before, during, and after impact against the surface of another body. Several aspects of a bouncing ball's behaviour serve as an introd ...
References
Cricket terminology
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