Spinners are bowlers in cricket who have the ability to turn the ball upon pitching either away or towards the batter. They do so by either spinning the ball with the help of fingers or with their wrist. One of the many abilities of a finger spinner is their ability to bowl a carrom ball.
In the 1950-51 season, Australia’s Jack Iverson played only five matches that summed up his test career. In those matches, he showcased the art of carrom ball bowling. Two decades later, John Gleeson became the next known proponent of the carrom ball.
The forefinger, middle finger and the thumb are used to grip the ball to deliver the carrom ball. The ball is released with the help of the middle finger and the thumb by releasing the ball in a snapping action. The extent of the ball’s spin is based on the position of the middle finger.
The ball will spin from off to leg if the middle finger is flicked from the side of the ball that is pointed towards the off side. A flick of the ball from the side pointing towards the leg stump results in the ball turning from leg to off.
The trickiest variant of the carrom ball is one where the ball is flicked from the seam. This might be a delivery that would be difficult for the batters to read as the ball rarely turns and travels straight.
The 21st century saw Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis reintroduce the delivery back to the limelight in 2008. Moreover, India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, who calls the carrom ball sodukku ball, is known as one of the finest bowlers of this spin variant.
