Bowling types explained: pace, swing, seam, off spin and leg spin

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Cricket bowlers come in many styles, and commentators use a lot of shorthand to describe them. Pace bowlers, swing, seam, off spin, leg spin and left-arm orthodox all mean something specific. This guide explains the main types, how they make the ball move and what a batter is up against.

The two big families

Bowlers are broadly split into pace and spin. Pace bowlers rely on speed and movement off the pitch or through the air. Spin bowlers bowl more slowly and make the ball turn sharply after it bounces. All bowlers must deliver with a straight arm; throwing the ball is illegal.

Pace bowlers

Pace bowlers are described by speed, though the boundaries are loose.

Fast bowlers rely on sheer speed, steep bounce and short balls to hurry the batter.
Fast-medium and medium-fast bowlers combine decent pace with accuracy and movement.
Medium pacers depend mostly on accuracy and subtle movement.

Pace bowlers mix up their deliveries: the yorker, aimed at the batter's feet; the bouncer, short and rising towards the body or head; and the slower ball, disguised to deceive the batter's timing.

Swing bowling

Swing is movement through the air before the ball bounces.

Outswing moves away from a right-handed batter, towards the slips. It tempts edges.
Inswing moves into a right-handed batter, threatening the stumps and pads.

Conventional swing comes from bowling with the seam upright and angled, and with one side of the ball kept shiny and the other allowed to become rough. Fielders polish the shiny side, which is why you see them rubbing the ball on their trousers. Conditions matter: swing often seems more pronounced under cloudy skies, though the reasons are debated. Reverse swing happens with an older, scuffed ball at high pace, and the ball moves the opposite way to what the shine would normally produce. It is hard to read and especially dangerous late in an innings.

Seam bowling

Seam movement happens after the ball bounces. The raised seam lands on the pitch and makes the ball deviate unpredictably, sometimes a little, sometimes sharply. Seam bowlers aim to land the seam upright on a good length time after time. Green, grassy or damp pitches usually help seam bowlers most.

Spin bowling

Spinners impart rotation with the fingers or the wrist. The ball grips the pitch and changes direction after bouncing. Spinners also use flight, dip and drift through the air to deceive the batter about length.

Finger spin

Off spin: a right-arm bowler spins the ball with the fingers so that it turns from the off side towards the leg side for a right-handed batter, into the batter. The main variation is a ball that goes straight on, and some off spinners bowl a doosra, which turns the other way.
Left-arm orthodox: a left-arm finger spinner. The ball turns away from a right-handed batter, from leg to off.

Wrist spin

Leg spin: a right-arm bowler spins the ball out of the back of the hand with a flick of the wrist, and it turns from leg to off for a right-hander, away from the bat. Leg spinners have several variations: the googly turns the other way, while the top-spinner and flipper change the bounce and pace.
Left-arm wrist spin: sometimes called chinaman, though many now avoid the term. The stock ball turns from off to leg for a right-hander, into the batter.

Wrist spin is harder to control but offers more variety and bigger turn.

Where the ball pitches

Length describes where it bounces: a yorker at the feet, then full, good length, back of a length and short.
Line describes where it is aimed across the stumps. A line just outside off stump, often called the corridor of uncertainty, makes batters unsure whether to play or leave.

Which type should you try?

Try both. Young players often start bowling medium pace and add spin later, or the other way round. Pace bowling places heavy loads on the back and joints, so work on technique with a qualified coach and follow any workload guidelines your club or national body sets for junior bowlers. Spin is easier on the body and rewards patience and practice. Do you bowl pace or spin, and which delivery took you longest to learn? Share your experience or questions in the comments.