Share this
Cricket is a game of variation and you would definitely agree if you know about Cricket. The bowler who have variations always perform better compared to a bowler with only having pace or spin.
Few years ago, people blindly wanted to become a fast bowler or a batsman. No one wanted to become a spinner because at that time (before Shane Warne) the world had never seen the magic of spin or never knew the potential of spin but the legend (Shane Warne) told everyone.
Now, spin is a skill which can make you a big player if you master it. So, basically there are two types of spin bowling: Leg spin and Off spin. So, if you don’t know the difference between them or facing any confusion then read our detailed article on Leg Spin VS Off Spin: Which One Is Better? If you think you know everything about the spin bowling, then you can read further but i would suggest you to go with the article mentioned above.
So, let’s see it in detail about how to bowl off spin perfectly.
What is Off spin?
In a nutshell, off spin is a type of spin bowling in which bowl spin towards the batsman after hitting the ground. It is opposite to the leg spin bowling.
Grip for off spin bowling
So, this grip is basically called “2 fingers” off spin grip. In this grip your 2 finger (index and middle finger) are kept at the top and plays more vital role in giving a good spin to the ball and, two small finger are kept at bottom to support other fingers and thumb is kept along the swing.
You should keep your two finger (index and middle) at appropriate and comfortable distance, otherwise you may face problem during bowling.
Run-up
Run-up for off break is slightly same as leg spin but generally smaller than the leg spin because in leg spin we take 9 steps whereas in off spin we generally take 7 steps. However, you can adjust as per your requirements and comfortability. There is no fixed steps for run-up. Every spinner takes steps as per his/her requirements.
Start slowly and gradually increase your speed of run-up. It would be better for you if you take a short jump at the last point of run-up. You can see that in the run-up of Nathan Lyon.
Release
Release is very crucial point for any spinner. You can’t get spin if your release is inappropriate. For off spin, release the ball from the highest point possible. Your front foot should be little bended towards the right facing leg slip and back foot should be facing mid wicket if you are bowling over-the wicket. If you are confused in Cricket fielding positions then you can read our article on Cricket fielding positions with images.
Line and length
As we know that line and length depends on many factors like field placement, weakness and strength of batsman and many more. However, there are some general line and length where you can bowl to practice and master your off spin skill. You can see that in the image given below.
This is the perfect area to bowl an off break. Always try to bowl an off spin on good length, it will give sufficient time to the ball to spin perfectly. Keep the ball offside the stump, so that it spins and hit the wicket.
Speed for off spin bowl
Speed doesn’t matters at all. Focus on the spin and try to get spin as much as you can. However bowlers bowl off spin at speed between 70 KPH to 90 KPH. Don’t frustrate, initially you can’t bowl at such speed as you are a beginner, just work on your spin and forget about the speed.
If you follow all these step then you can get a great push in Off spin bowling. So, these was all on “how to bowl off spin” and i hope you got your answer.
Hope you liked it. Please share the article. Thanks for reading.
Sharing is caring!