The game of cricket is so much fun when a bowler is able to pull out something special and bamboozle the batsman. There have been many innovations in the field of bowling and here are the special men who innovated:
Lasith Malinga (Slow Yorker)
One of the pioneers of death bowling, Lasith Malinga practically invented the slow Yorker – A kind of loopy, mazy delivery that arrives later than expected and leaves batsmen on the floor. Most batsmen are already done with playing the shot before the ball clatters the bails off. It is a smart delivery at any point.
Ajantha Mendis (Carrom ball)
There was a point in time where Ajantha Mendis was practically unplayable. He famously ripped through the famous Indian batting order and won the Lankans a series at home. His carom ball could not be deciphered for the longest time thanks to the novel way in which he used to bowl it. Literally like hitting the striker in a carom board, Mendis would deceive batsmen and get them to play the wrong line and pick wickets for fun.
Zaheer Khan (Knuckle ball)
One of Zaheer’s most potent weapons is the knuckle ball that he had in stock whenever the situation demanded. He would bowl the ball by pushing it with his knuckles and it would defeat batsmen who were expecting a faster one. A really potent weapon, Zaheer used it to its fullest in the 2011 World Cup, one where he starred with the ball.
Mohit Sharma (Back of the hand)
Another delivery that is so hard to pick up because it is bowled with a fast-arm action, the slower one from Mohit Sharma is one that he has used wonderfully. A good death overs bowler, he pops the slower one off the back of his hand whenever batsmen are looking to slog and has picked a few wickets too.
Wasim Akram (In-swinging Yorker):
One of the deadliest and most legendary fast bowlers to have ever played the game, Wasim Akram was an exponent of the in-swinging Yorker. One of the most unplayable deliveries in the game, Akram said that he would view the top of the stumps in order to get the ball to cut back in sharply and clobber the base.
Sunil Narine (Top-spinner)
Sunil Narine has multiple weapons in his armoury – the carom ball, doosra, and arm ball to say the least. It is his top-spinner that has the ability to skid off the surface and catch batsmen off-guard. There have been multiple occasions that he has pulled it out and this is what makes him such an effective bowler.
Anil Kumble (Flipper)
One of the greatest leg-spinners of all time, Anil Kumble found tremendous success with the flipper delivery. The ball generally pitches low after bouncing and many batsmen have been bowled or caught leg before wicket. It was a delivery very dear to Shane Warne as well.
Saqlain Mushtaq (Doosra)
One of the most innovative spin bowlers of his era, Saqlain Mushtaq claims to have invented the doosra, which is a ball that is in essence a leg-break ball but bowled with an off-break action. Mushtaq ruled the cricketing world for a while with his new invention.
Waqar Younis (Reverse Swing)
One bowler who was deadliest at the end of the innings was Waqar Younis. The pacer was one of the masters of the art of reverse swing – a difficult but very effective delivery that could be bowled when the ball was old. Younis destroyed the best batting attacks with the delivery on multiple occasions.
DJ Bravo (Off-cutter)
A very risky delivery to bowl at the death, Bravo has completely turned it around and succeeded with the delivery. The ball is spun from the hand of a fast bowler who hopes the batsman is anticipating a faster one. The ball arrives later and clips the top of the stumps on most occasions.
