THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: You don’t often see a field captain deploying four slides and a leg slide in white ball cricket, especially in Indian conditions. And that too on a field where the team batting first scored almost 400 points.
But on Sunday night at the Greenfield stadium here in Thiruvananthapuram, India skipper Rohit Sharma decided to put such an attacking pitch in the last ODI of the three-match series because mohamed siraj was wreaking havoc among Sri Lankan drummers.
Siraj, who appears to be on pace in the run and was the most impressive bowler in the first two ODIs against the Lankans, had saved his best for last. In an inspired opening spell, he plotted the visitors’ downfall by showcasing the essential abilities of a new-ball bowler: he was able to get the ball away from batsmen, hold his line and bring it in too .
The 28-year-old, who finished with a career-best 4/32 and became the series’ top wicket-taker with nine wickets, attributes his success to his strategy of attacking batsmen in his first gust.
“My plan was to take as many wickets as possible with the new ball and put the opposition under pressure. Even if I concede limits, I’m okay as long as I can claim a few wickets and put the opposition on the back foot,” he said.
Siraj’s plan seems to be working well as he had the most wickets (15) for an international power-play bowler in the ODIs last year. For this, he credits the oscillating seam delivery he managed to develop. “With a swing seam, neither I nor the batsmen know how much the ball tends to move. Sometimes the ball can hold its line, sometimes it goes into the batsman. I take a lot of wickets with a swing seam “For me, it’s effective. I’m having success with it and I’m more confident in the oscillating seam,” he said.
The Hyderabad pacemaker made his T20 debut for India in 2017 before earning a first ODI call-up two years later, and was rewarded with a Test cap the following year. “I had the inswing first, but lost it after a while. So I developed the outswinger. Since I couldn’t play the inswing anymore, I developed the wobble It took me a long time to be efficient with Now the swing-seam and swing-seam deliveries come in handy.
“The seam stance I use is for a natural outswinger. When I use the wobble seam, the ball stance leans towards the thin leg. I try to hit the bridge hard when I use the seam wobble because it’s more efficient.” Siraj said. Although he made his international debut in the T20Is, where his save rate proves to be his downfall, the pacer seems to be on his own in the ODIs and Tests and has risen to the occasion in Jasprit Bumrahhis absence.
Although the pacer’s expressive intent can be gauged by the way he rushes into the bowl, he seems to have found a way to surprise the batsmen. “If I execute my line and length correctly, it will be difficult for batsmen to hit. Whether it’s Tests, T20I or ODI, if you keep playing in the right areas, the rewards will come. . “
With the Tests against Australia to follow and the ODI World Cup later, Siraj’s ability to deliver breakthroughs with the new ball will be crucial.
WHAT IS MOBILE TAILORING DELIVERY?
– When a fast bowler throws such a delivery, the seam wobbles slightly from side to side, unlike a conventional pacer’s delivery in which the seam remains straight.
– If the bowler bends their back and hits the deck hard, the swing seam delivery will unpredictably deviate from the pitch.
– England pacer James Anderson is credited with inventing the delivery, which he says he developed after watching Mohammad Asif closely during the Pakistani tour of England in 2010.
– The delivery is usually thrown holding the ball as one would a regular seamer’s delivery, with the ring finger and middle finger on either side of the seam, but much further apart so the seam is more visible.
– The trick is in the way the ball is released, with the wrist “locked” so the ball isn’t “pushed” out of the hand like a usual delivery, giving it a chance to wobble.
– Many top international bowlers, like Siraj, now have their own version of the swing-seam delivery.
