Cricket Coaching Fast Bowling Tips/ Outswing Variation

by Richard Pybus
(Question From Jack In Australia)

Dale Steyn: Swing Bowling Master Class

Hi Coach,

As an opening bowler, my natural bowling action means I bowl outswingers with the new ball. However, when I want to set up the batsman and bowl an inswinger, it goes straight and does not swing in. I am also not accustomed to the action of inswingers as I am so familiar with the grip of outswingers.
Is there any help to be able to bowl both types of deliveries comfortably?

Hi Jack, this is a common challenge for swing bowlers, developing a variation to compliment their stock ball.

It’s important you don’t mess around with your stock ball, having away swing as your main delivery is fantastic, if I may suggest, spend time watching Dale Steyn. You can’t have a better example of the pure simplicity of this art.

Now for your variation, there are two things you can do, firstly the straight ball is a great weapon when used intelligently. Getting the ball to straighten compliments your away swing. It’s part of learning bowling strategy. This post and video give a lovely example of this.

Dale Steyn’s Fast Bowling Strategy

You drag the batter across the crease for three or four balls, pulling his head and body over to the off side, building pressure and set him up for the LBW or bowled dismissal with the straight ball.

You don’t change your action, all you do is bowl the same line at off stump, middle and off. You turn the seam to fine leg to counter the natural swing of your action, the ball will either go straight on, nip back or dip in.

The second option is to look to bowl a genuine inswinger, the challenge with this is that it is counter to the natural shape of your away swing action.

What can happen is that in trying to master this you lose your away swing. If you want to do this I suggest you look to master it during the off season when you can play with it and allow it to grow into your game.

To do this, put your thumb just to the left side of the seam, this softens your wrist and allows you to angle the seam to fine leg on ball release. The bowling arm sweeps down straight or to the side of the right of the right thigh. The ball should follow the sweep of the arm. You need to play with this, be patient, do some shadow bowling off a couple of paces so you can feel the change of action.

Go to the nets and bowl off one pace into the netting to get a feel of this and see the angle of your seam, slowly work backwards using the standing, walking, jogging, running principle of learning to allow your conscious mind to be able to control your movements and get used to it.

Build this up over a period of weeks, just feel the action and take your time. Start off one pace, then three paces, five paces and so on working back to a full run as you master it.

In practice at the nets, your inswinger starts wider to allow for the swing, the goal is to hit off and middle and off.

In training always finish bowling your away swing action so that the remains the dominant action.

Best Wishes Coach

About Richard Pybus

I'm Richard Pybus, I've coached Pakistan, Bangladesh, Middlesex, Titans and the Cape Cobras in South Africa and the goal of this site is to help you to play winning cricket.