Editing Bowling (cricket) (section)

==Bowling tactics==
[[File:Jim Allenby 2007.jpg|thumb|right|[[Jim Allenby]] in midflight, illustrating the position of the body during a delivery at the end of a run up, prior to bowling the ball.]]

The simultaneous twin objectives of bowling are to take wickets and prevent run scoring opportunities. Both objectives are achieved through the underlying aim of bowling the ball in such a way that the batter is unable to connect with the ball in the middle of the bat and control its movement after contact. There are three distinct means of achieving this aim: by bowling the ball on a good line and length, by bowling with sufficient pace that the batter struggles to react to the delivery, or by bowling the ball in such a way that it has lateral movement as it approaches the batter, either in the air or off the ground. A good bowler may be able to combine two of these skills, a truly great bowler may be able to combine all three.

===Line and length===
The fundamental skill of bowling on a good length incorporates the ability to pitch the ball such a distance from the batter that he is unable to move forward and drive the ball on the half volley, and is also unable to step back and play the ball on the back foot. This removes many of the batter's attacking options, and also increases the probability of misjudging a delivery and losing the wicket. A good length delivery is one in which the ball has had sufficient time to move far enough off the pitch to beat the bat but the batter has not had time to react to the movement and adjust the shot. The faster the bowler and the greater the movement he is able to generate, the larger the area of the pitch that can be designated an effective "good" length.

Other areas of the pitch may also often be used as a variation to a good length delivery. Primarily these are the [[yorker]], in which the ball is bowled directly at the batter's feet as a surprise delivery intended to dismiss the batter [[bowled]], and the [[bouncer (cricket)|bouncer]] in which the ball is bowled on such a short length that it rises towards the batter's throat or head as a means of physical intimidation. But the height of an attempted yorker or full toss must not be higher than the batter's waist, or else it will be called a no-ball [[Beamer (cricket)|beamer]], which could have bowlers banned from the match.

The line a bowler chooses to bowl will depend on several factors: the movement he is generating on the ball, the shots the batter is able to play, and the field the captain has set. The two most common tactics are to either bowl directly at the stumps, or to bowl 3 inches to 6 inches outside the line of off stump. Bowling at the stumps is an attacking tactic with the intention of dismissing the batter [[bowled]] or [[Leg before wicket|lbw]]. It can also be used as a defensive tactic, as the batter will feel less able to play risky shots knowing that he will be dismissed should he miss the ball. Bowling outside off stump is known as ''the corridor of uncertainty''. When done well, this line may confuse the batter into whether to defend the ball or leave it, and may tempt him to play away from his body with his head not in line with the ball. The main aim of this tactic is to dismiss the batter caught by the wicketkeeper or in the [[slip (cricket)|slip]]s. Other bowling variations, such as bowling wide of off stump or bowling at leg stump are generally seen as negative and defensive tactics.

Some different types of bowling tactic:
*[[Bodyline]]
*[[Leg theory]]
*[[Off theory]]

===Pace and movement===
Other than the ability to land the ball on a strategically optimum line and length, the main weapons of the bowler are his ability to move the ball sideways as it approaches the batter and his ability to deliver the ball at a high velocity.

The velocities of cricket bowlers vary between {{convert|40|and|100|mph|0|abbr=on}}. In professional cricket, a bowler in the 40–60&nbsp;mph range would be said to be a slow bowler, in the 60–80&nbsp;mph range a medium pace bowler, and a bowler 80&nbsp;mph+ a fast bowler. In the amateur game, these distinctions would be approximately 10&nbsp;mph slower. Many professional fast bowlers are able to reach speeds of over 85&nbsp;mph, with a handful of bowlers in the world able to bowl at 95&nbsp;mph+. The ability to react to a cricket ball travelling at 85&nbsp;mph is a skill that only professional and high level amateur cricketers possess. The pace of a bowler not only challenges the reaction speed of the batter, but also his physical courage. Fast bowlers are able to exploit this by bowling bouncers, either regularly or as an occasional surprise delivery.

Bowlers are also able to get the ball to move sideways by using either ''spin'' or ''swing''. Adding a spin to a cricket ball will make it deviate due to the [[Magnus effect]] in its flight (like a [[slider (pitch)|slider]] in baseball), and then produce sideways movement off the ground. Swing is obtained by using air pressure differences caused by angling the seam of the cricket ball to produce a lateral movement in the air. Fast bowlers will generally only use swing to obtain movement, but medium pace and slow bowlers will often use a combination of the two. The intention is that in creating movement in the delivery, the batter will misjudge the line of the ball as it arrives, causing him to miss it entirely, in which case he may be dismissed bowled or lbw, or miss-hit it, in which case he may be out caught.

To avoid becoming predictable, a bowler will typically bowl a variety of different deliveries with different combinations of pace and movement. A tactically astute bowler may be able to spot a potential weakness in a batter that a particular delivery may be able to exploit. Bowlers will often also bowl deliveries in preplanned sets, with the intention of dismissing the batter with the final delivery in the set. This is known as "setting a trap" for the batter.<ref>{{Cite web|title=England v Sri Lanka: Story of day five at Lord's|url=https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12123/10312877/england-v-sri-lanka-story-of-day-five-at-lords|access-date=2020-09-11|website=Sky Sports|language=en}}</ref> batters and bowlers will often also engage in a game of "cat and mouse", in which the bowler varies his tactics to try and trap and dismiss the batter, but the batter also keeps adjusting his tactics in response.