In cricket, a ‘‘leg-break’’ is one of the four types of deliveries. The others are the slower ball, the yorker, and the faster ball. If you think that the leg-break is used to simply get the batsman out, then you’re partially right – but not entirely. A leg-break is also one of the most difficult deliveries for a batsman to master. To score off a leg-break, the bowler needs to put down a delivery that is both fast and skips along the ground. If the ball passes through either of these two criteria, then the batsman has a good chance of scoring a four. It is therefore a very risky and powerful delivery. In the 2009 Ashes in Australia, England’s leg-break bowler Paul Denny famously took 5 wickets in an innings, including one of Australia’s top-order batsmen Michael Veletta. England won the series 3-2.
Why Should You Try To Do This Shot?
First of all, let’s discuss the merits of the leg-break. From a defensive point of view, it is an extremely difficult delivery to counter-attack against. If you’re facing a bowler of this stature, then you normally have two choices: stay back and watch the ball soar over your head, or come forward and try to drive it through the off-side. Staying back is generally the safest option, as it opens up the rest of the batting lineup to hit over your head. Staying back and letting the ball do the damaging is always the preferred option if you’re facing a bowler like this. The problem with this option is that you put yourself at a distinct disadvantage. Bowling fast is one thing, but skips is another. The more you skip, the greater the chance that the ball will turn over or pass through. This is why it is preferable to come forward and try to drive the ball through. As we have established, this is a very difficult shot to master. The ball may not always go where you want it to, but you have a chance of scoring a four.
The Biggest Threats
Now let’s take a quick look at some of the biggest threats that stand in the way of you becoming a decent leg-break bowler. The first threat is obviously the bowler himself. Paul Denny, for example, is an extremely quick bowler and he has the perfect action to back up his speed. As we have established, he is best employed on pitches that are slightly slower than usual. This makes him extremely unpredictable and the kind of bowler that you never know what kind of game you’re going to get. He can bowl quick, he can bowl slow, and he can change the pace of the game without any warning at all.
The second biggest threat is accuracy. As we have already established, a leg-break is a very tough shot to master. If you’re going to do this kind of shot, then you need to make sure that you are always delivering the ball where you want to and that you are not leaving yourself open to an easy return catch. Finally, thirdly, you need to make sure that you are hitting the right spot. A lot of leg-breakers blow through the line or over the top, giving the batsman no chance of scoring. Make sure that you always aim at the stumps and not the throat. This will help you avoid some of the serious injuries that this type of bowling can cause.
How Can You Practice?
Now that we have established the difficulties that you have to overcome to nail a leg-break, it’s time to discuss how you can practice. There are a number of ways that you can practice hitting this type of delivery. First off, find a good bowling coach who can work with you on your mechanics and help you identify your weaknesses. Second, find a good mentor who can show you the ropes. Third, find the time to go out and bowl against good batsman. This will not only help you improve your game but will also expose you to different kinds of bowling and allow you to learn from other players’ experiences. Finally, look at videos of top-class bowlers and study their techniques and see how they consistently hit the same kind of shot time after time. There isn’t any one specific drill that will make you a great leg-breaker. It takes a lot of practice to get there, but like anything else in life, the more you put in the better you’ll get.