BATTING AGAINST REVERSE SWING
Dean Jones Description !!!
>Cricketer From Australia<
I was so lucky to play against the greatest exponents of reverse-swing bowling,
the likes of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis of Pakistan. It was
bad enough anytime facing these guys, as they bowled like lightning, but not
only could they swing the new ball, they seemed even deadlier when the ball
was 40 overs old.
Let’s take Wasim Akram, for example. Not only was he the greatest left-arm
bowler of all time, ‘Waz’ could bowl the most lethal reverse-swinging deliveries
ever. Just look at the highlights tape of the 1992 World Cup final and it will tell
you exactly how good he was.
These great fast bowlers tried to set you up with a series of bouncers, then
they would try in-swinging fast yorkers to knock your toes off your feet. It was
quite a bizarre time to play cricket in the 1980s and 1990s as the West Indian
fast bowlers tried to kill you with fast bouncers, while the Pakistani quicks tried
to break your toes with reverse-swing bowling.
The big trick for the Pakistani bowlers was to work on one side of the ball.
They never put spit onto the ball, just polished it as much as they could, with the
other side of the ball getting really roughed up. Their fieldsmen would often
return the ball short of the keeper or bowler, so they would scuff up one side of
the ball, and there was a technique where they would keep the seam horizontal,
like the rings of Saturn, to scuff the ball up.
The other neat little trick was that the Pakistani bowlers would run in with
both hands covering up the ball and their grip, so that the batsman could not tell
which way the bowler was trying to swing it.
SO HERE IS THE SECRET: Always look for length first and foremost.
These guys are bowling two lengths, one at your head, the other at your toes.
1. The Kookaburra ball used in Australia had two distinctive colours to it
when it was properly ‘prepared’ by the Pakistani bowlers. The shiny side
would look dark, and the scuffed-up or rough side looked lighter in colour.
All I did was to look for the dark, shiny side. When Wasim Akram had the
shiny or dark side facing the leg side, it would be an in-swinger; when the
shiny side faced the off side, it would be an away-swinger.
2. When facing reverse-swing bowling, the ball will always swing late
compared to new-ball bowling or conventional swing. So the key to facing
reverse-swing bowling is to PLAY THE BALL LATE. The ball must be
played under your nose, not out in front of you. If you go hard at the ball
when it’s reverse swinging, you will be back in the dressing rooms before
you know it!
3. Bat on a leg-stump guard. Sit very side-on to the delivery. And, what I say
will shock you, but do not try to use your feet, let the ball come to you and
just try and deflect the ball. Their swing is your strength: allow their swing
to create holes in the field, just deflecting it away.
Dean Jones
Dean Mervyn Jones AM (24 March 1961 – 24 September 2020) was an Australian cricket player, coach and commentator who played Tests and One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Australia. He had an excellent record in Test cricket and is best remembered for revolutionising the ODI format. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was recognised as among the best ODI batsmen in the world, a view which has been validated in the retrospective ICC Player Rankings. His batting was often characterised by his agile footwork against both pace and spin, quick running between wickets, and willingness to take risks and intimidate bowlers. In 2019, Jones was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
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