Ian Chappell

Swing it to win it

Even the best batsmen are troubled by late swing. Why waste time finding ways to reverse the old ball when the new one can be just as damaging?

Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell
14-Feb-2010
Dale Steyn's bowling in Nagpur is up there with the great swing bowling performances of modern times  •  AFP

Dale Steyn's bowling in Nagpur is up there with the great swing bowling performances of modern times  •  AFP

Dale Steyn's performance in applying the wrecking ball to India's first innings in Nagpur has proved once again that swing and genuine pace are the most potent weapons in a fast bowler's armoury.
Deceptive late swing, especially when delivered accurately at good pace, is a skill that regularly troubles even the best batsmen. Steyn's effort in taking seven wickets to propel South Africa to a magnificent victory will now reside with some of the other historically famous performances that emphasise the point.
Bob Massie at Lord's in 1972, John Lever in Delhi in 1976-77, Sarfraz Nawaz at the MCG in 1978-79, Richard Hadlee at the Gabba in 1985-86, and the England pace quartet in 2005, to name but a few.
These performances were produced in a variety of circumstances. Massie took eight in each innings on debut; Sarfraz produced a devastating old-ball spell of 7 for 1, and Hadlee claimed all but one of the 10 wickets on offer in clammy conditions at the Gabba. However, nearly all those performances had a common theme; they immediately provoked claims of cheating from various quarters.
In both Massie and Lever's cases there were cries of foul play over the use of lip ice. Wherever Sarfraz went, controversy followed like a faithful puppy, and in the 1979 game, the culprit was rumoured to be ball-tampering. The England fast bowlers in 2005 were accused of using sweets, not to entice the batsmen but to help the old ball swing.
Why, when it's crucial to cricket's competitiveness, do successful swing-bowling exploits inevitably create a fuss?
Because raising the possibility of a conspiracy is preferable to an admission by batsmen that they find it difficult to cope with the late-swinging delivery. Any such confession would only spur bowlers on to try and master the art. I'm not sure why that hasn't happened anyway.
Recently there has been an inordinate amount of time spent on finding ways to swing the old ball, when it would make more sense to apply the same effort to mastering the craft with the new cherry. After all, if top-order batsmen are removed cheaply on a regular basis, it reduces the need for using dramatic swing to ambush middle- and late-order batsmen.
In theory, good new-ball swing bowlers should strengthen the case for the inclusion of a spinner in the team. After all, a capable spinner is well-equipped to deal with middle- and lower-order batsmen and he would be more effective if he didn't have to concentrate on separating top-order batsmen.
Why do batsmen have trouble with late swing?
If you can't unearth genuine fast bowlers, the next best option is to seek good swing bowlers
During the 2005 Ashes series there were complaints about the Australian batsmen flashing at deliveries wide of off stump and edging behind the wicket. There is a simple reason for batsmen making what appears to be an ill-judged shot when the ball is swinging late. It is impossible to pull out of an attempted drive. The batsman is committed and has to hope he misses the delivery, or if he does edge it, that the ball finds either a gap in the cordon or a butter-fingered fielder.
Therein lies the importance of swing bowling; the bowler provides the batsman with what appears to be a glorious opportunity to hit a boundary, but in reality it's an invitation to the batsman to participate in his own downfall. The cagey fox disguising himself to fool Little Red Riding Hood had nothing on a classy swing bowler.
Theories abound on how to play the late-swinging delivery. Nevertheless, the batsman's best options in the circumstance are a selectively bold approach and a bit of luck. If he can accumulate a few boundaries via daring drives, the batsman can force the bowler to pitch a little shorter so he doesn't get driven. However, if the bowler is skilful and stout of heart, there's a good chance he will come out on top, unless he's surrounded by poor fielders or if luck refuses to favour him.
Steyn's outstanding bowling performance has not only given South Africa a great chance of a rare series win in India, it was also a timely reminder of an important cricketing axiom: If you can't unearth genuine fast bowlers, the next best option is to seek good swing bowlers.

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is now a cricket commentator and columnist