Frustrations of a leg spin bowler

For thirty-five years I have been bowling or coaching leg spin and it has been an enjoyable journey. Looking back, I was lucky because (without wanting to blow my own trumpet) I was very good at it. I went straight from school boy cricket into club cricket and then onto the Australian Cricket Academy in a very short amount of time. From that point on, I was playing A grade cricket and pretty much bowling as many overs as I wanted.

Since moving to the UK in 2002, I have coached and encouraged many very good leg spinners. Some of the youngsters I have coached were extremely talented, a lot better than I was at the same age, but for some reason the careers of these very good leg spinners have stalled or ended completely. Having coached and mentored these students for years and spoken to them in depth about their experiences, the same frustrations at club level keep occurring.

There are many reasons that contribute to leg spinners not faring well in England. These include: no two day club cricket matches, less emphasis on bowling teams out in club cricket and more credence given to keeping the runs down, very cold conditions early in the season, school cricket v club, poor field placing by captains and poor coaching of leg spin by club coaches. The number one reason though is lack of opportunity.

Lack of Opportunity

Leg spin is a difficult art and if the leg spinner is not getting regular bowling under match conditions they will become rusty and less consistent. Due to the nature of the game the leg spinner is often the fourth or fifth bowler used in a match. Rightly so, the seam bowlers open the bowling and often will come on first change as well. On seaming wickets, of which there are many in the UK, it is often the case that a bowling attack consisting of all seam bowlers is all that is needed to get the opposition team out. The young leg spinner picked as a bowler in a team may have to wait weeks before even getting the opportunity to bowl in a match. When that chance comes along it is often because the seam bowlers have not been able to take wickets on a pitch that is not offering them much assistance, or that the opposition batsmen are very strong and playing well.

It is often under these circumstances that a young leg spinner finally gets the opportunity to bowl. The problem they now face is that they haven’t bowled in a match for weeks, the pitch they are playing on is flat, offering no assistance to the bowlers, and the opposition batsmen are set and have their eye in. It is no wonder that under these circumstances, the opportunity does not tend to end well for the youngster. A couple of nervously bowled bad balls that get smashed out of the ground is an all too familiar story. After one or maybe two overs, the youngster is replaced and often is not seen again for the rest of the match. The leg spinner’s confidence is destroyed and come mid week selection they are dropped down a grade to make way for another seam bowler who had a good week in the grade below.

Understanding leg spinners

What captains and coaches don’t understand is that when the cricket pitch is good for seam bowling it is also really good for leg spin bowling. I was lucky in my career that I was always bought into the attack first change, sometimes I would bowl unchanged for the remainder of the match. I really enjoyed bowling on seaming pitches, the ball would grip and turn and it was great fun. My confidence grew the more I bowled, and because I was bowling regularly my accuracy and control were always quite good. Unfortunately the same luxury is not being afforded to young leg spinners today. I don’t think captains realise that seaming pitches also turn and so the leg spinner is often overlooked. I would love to see captains use leg spinners more on green seaming wickets, especially as the fourth bowler bowling into the wind. A young leg spinner needs a strong captain to believe in them and to back their ability. They need a captain that won’t retire them from the bowling attack after one or two expensive overs but to keep faith, set good fields and give them a chance to find their rhythm.

If you are a captain or coach please consider this. Next time you are faced with a green seaming wicket, why not give your leg spinner a chance to bowl instead of the fourth seamer? Give them the chance to show you how well they can bowl on a pitch that suits seam bowling. Be patient with them, set good fields and give them three overs to settle into their spell. If after three overs the leg spinner has not settled then bring the fourth seamer on; the leg spinner will just have to accept that it is not their day.

Confidence is key

Confidence is key to successfully bowling leg spinners. If the leg spinner knows that the captain and coach believe in them they are more likely to perform well when you really need them to. Don’t wait until all else has failed to bring them on to bowl, don’t just give them a token over before lunch or tea breaks.

From the ages of fourteen through to about nineteen, young leg spinners are being lost to the system. In simple terms, the clubs they play for or the counties they represent are not looking after them. There is a lack of understanding of how to nurture a promising leg spinner and as a result many talented youngsters are giving up the art. England has arguably never produced a leg spin bowler of note; Adil Rashid who played ten test matches for England seems to be the best of the lot. It really is a sad state of affairs; I believe the reasons are not due to a lack of talent coming through but due to poor management of leg spinners at club level.

Shane Warne proved that bowling leg spinners in England can get wickets and be an enjoyable experience. Who will ever forget the famous ball he bowled to Mike Gatting on his first visit to England?

I also enjoyed my time bowling here in the UK. Club wickets do turn and bounce and on days that weren’t freezing cold I really enjoyed bowling over here. Captains and coaches, I appeal to you to give your young leg spinners a chance. Give them a chance on the seaming wicket. Leg spin bowling is wonderful to watch, just look around at anyone watching a game of cricket, there is always more interest when the leg spinner comes on. Leg spinners make things happen, they bring excitement to the game and break up the monotony of seam bowling. Give the youngsters a chance and you will be pleasantly surprised by what they can do.