Bowling and the basics

Whatever you bowl, you should be consistent in your action. By being consistent in your action, you will bring accuracy to your armoury which is by far the most effective weapon for any bowler as you can then exert pressure and force the batsman to make a mistake.

However, accuracy comes with practice and a solid technique. But is technique the be-all and end-all of everything? The basics are that as long as your front foot is facing towards the target after your back foot has touched down, and your hips and shoulders are in line, then you’ll be fine. Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga, with his low-arm slingy action, hasn’t got the greatest technique. However, his shoulders and front foot are near spot-on and he proves effective and continues to trouble the world’s top batsmen.

A model for all young fast bowlers to check out on the internet is Allan Donald - smooth, balanced, rhythmical and consistent - his hips and shoulders were perfectly in line, and his front foot was perfectly facing the target. If you look at England’s Andrew Flintoff, his hips and shoulders are perfectly in line, however his front foot is facing fine-leg and this has put excess weight and strain on his ankle.

If you can, get a qualified coach to observe and analyse your full action and then give you feedback.

If your action is fine and you have a technique that won’t cause you injury, but you keep on bowling down the leg side, you obviously need to practice! It could be a host of reasons why the ball is going like a spray-gun, but the most common reason is that you have no rhythm. Try putting a small plastic cone on your head and go through your action slowly several times.

The simplest method to create consistency is to remember that bowling is about line and length. If you run-in along the target that you want the ball to go, and you follow-through where you want the ball to go, then more often than not you’ll be accurate.

Just get those hips and shoulders in line, and you’ll be fine!