Types of deliveries in cricket

Pace bowling

Stock ball

The bowler's standard delivery: his natural pace, line and movement.

Yorker

A full ball aimed at the base of the stumps or the batter's toes, the hardest ball to hit at the end of an innings.

Wide yorker

A yorker aimed well outside off stump, to keep the ball out of the hitting zone.

Bouncer

A short ball that rises toward the batter's head. Played with a hook, a duck or a sway.

Short ball

Pitched short of a length so it climbs toward the ribs, cramping the batter for room.

Slower ball

Bowled with the same action but much less pace, so the batter is through the shot too early.

Back-of-the-hand slower ball

Released over the back of the hand, so it floats out slower and dips.

Knuckle ball

Held on the knuckles or fingertips, so it comes out slowly with almost no spin and can wobble.

Split-finger slower ball

Gripped with the fingers spread wide across the ball, taking pace off it.

Cutter

The fingers drag across the seam at release, so the ball grips and changes direction off the pitch.

Off cutter

A cutter that moves from off to leg, into a right-handed batter.

Leg cutter

A cutter that moves from leg to off, away from a right-handed batter.

Swing bowling

In-swinger

Curves in the air into the batter, aiming to beat the inside edge.

Out-swinger

Curves in the air away from the batter, aiming to find the outside edge.

Reverse swing, in

An older ball that swings late and the opposite way to conventional swing, into the batter, usually at high pace.

Reverse swing, out

Reverse swing that bends late away from the batter.

Off-spin: finger spin

Off-break

The off-spinner's stock ball, turning from off to leg into a right-handed batter.

Flighted off-break

Tossed up slower and higher, so it dips and tempts the batter to drive.

Arm ball

Goes straight on with the arm instead of turning, to beat a batter playing for spin.

Doosra

The off-spinner's other one: it turns the opposite way, away from a right-handed batter.

Carrom ball

Flicked out between the thumb and a bent middle finger, like a carrom striker, so it can turn either way.

Undercutter

Released with under-spin, so it skids on low instead of turning and bouncing.

Quicker ball

Fired in faster and flatter than the stock ball, to hurry the batter.

Top-spinner (off-spin)

Spun forward so it dips, bounces higher and goes straight on.

Leg-spin: wrist spin

Leg-break

The leg-spinner's stock ball, turning from leg to off, away from a right-handed batter.

Flighted leg-break

A slower, loopier leg-break that drifts and dips before it turns.

Googly

The leg-spinner's wrong'un: bowled with the same action but turning the other way, into a right-handed batter.

Top-spinner (leg-spin)

Spun forward so it dips sharply, bounces and goes straight on.

Flipper

Squeezed out with back-spin, so it skids through low and fast.

Slider

Delivered with little turn, so it slides straight on, usually a touch quicker.

How to bowl them in Cricket Red

Before each ball, choose a delivery from your bowler's own repertoire, tap the pitch map for line and length, and set the field. Then release on the meter: early and it drops short, late and it pitches up, too late and it is a no-ball. On a keyboard, 1 to 9 picks the delivery, A and D bowl the leg and off cutter, Shift with the arrow keys moves the ball in or away or gives you a yorker or a bouncer, and Space lets it go.

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