Bowler facts for kids
In the exciting game of cricket, a bowler is a player who throws the ball towards the batsman. Unlike a pitcher in baseball, a bowler must keep their arm straight when they bowl. If a bowler bends their elbow while throwing the ball, it's called an illegal throw, and it's not allowed.
A cricket team usually has different kinds of bowlers. Some bowlers are so good at both bowling and batting that they are called an "all-rounder." Let's learn about the main types of bowlers!
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Fast Bowlers: Speed and Power
Fast bowlers try to get the batsman out by bowling the ball really, really fast! They can send the ball zooming towards the batsman at speeds of over 145 kilometers per hour (about 90 miles per hour). To get this much speed, they take a long run-up before they bowl.
One of the fastest bowlers ever was Shoaib Akhtar from Pakistan. He was the first to bowl at an incredible speed of 160 km/h (about 100 mph)! Another well-known fast bowler is Australian player Brett Lee.
Medium Pace Bowlers: Tricky Deliveries
Medium pace bowlers bowl a bit slower than fast bowlers. Instead of just speed, they use clever tricks to fool the batsman. They might make the ball curve in the air, or change how fast it goes, or where it bounces on the ground.
Some medium pace bowlers are very accurate. This means they can bowl the ball to the same spot over and over. This makes it hard for the batsman to score runs. Other medium pace bowlers grip the ball so it lands on its seam. This can make the ball bounce in an unexpected way, making it tough for the batsman to hit it cleanly.
Spin Bowlers: The Art of Spin
Spin bowlers usually bowl quite slowly, but they put a lot of spin on the ball. This spin makes the ball bounce off the ground at a different angle than the batsman expects. This forces the batsman to play each ball very carefully.
Spin bowlers are known for their "tricks" to get batsmen out. These tricks have cool names like the arm ball, googly, flipper, topspinner, or doosra. Spin bowling is more about fooling the batsman with clever spin than with raw speed.
There are different types of spin bowling. An "off-spin" (also called an off-break or finger spin) is when the ball spins from the bowler's left to right, towards a right-handed batsman's bat. A fast off-spin is the same action but with more pace, which usually means less spin.
A famous spin bowler was the Australian Shane Warne. He bowled "leg break" spin, which uses the wrist to spin the ball from the bowler's right to left. He could also bowl a "top spin," where the ball comes on straight and low.
Images for kids
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Spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan bowling to the batsman, Adam Gilchrist
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Australian fast bowler Brett Lee in action in 2005.
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Philadelphian cricketer Bart King bowling
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Jim Allenby in midflight, showing his body position during a delivery.
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The typical bowling action of a fast bowler.
