Over the years, batsmen have invented several different cricket shots, which have transformed into fours and sixes for them. Bowlers, though, in return, have now come to rely on each other, using their skills and different kinds of deliveries, hoping to baffle the batters.
Fast bowlers’ among the variations that they have, the knuckleball is which has been more or less accepted by the contemporary bowlers. So, what about the knuckleball?
Let’s try to unravel the mystery of the knuckleball in cricket.
Knuckleball Variation
You must have been watching the bowlers who were applying the slowest and quickest deliveries to confuse the batters; the batters might read the delivery wrong and make up their minds to play the shot a bit earlier than expected.
The slower deliveries have proved to be effective not only in getting wickets but also in stopping run scoring. So, bowlers have a variety of slower deliveries; one of them is the knuckleball.
Nevertheless, the knuckleball differs from the other variations in one respect – its grip. Other slower deliveries are done by gripping the ball with the fingers whereas in the case of knuckleball it is totally different.
How to bowl a Knuckle ball?
As the name suggests, the ball is delivered through the knuckles of the finger. Thus, the bowler positions the ball between the index and middle fingers’ knuckles with the thumb taking the support.
The bowler’s entire run is the same as the faster one, in fact, the way he delivers the ball still does not change. The batters, on the other hand, are unable to gauge the speed and thus mistiming their bat.
The fast bowlers pulling off the knuckleball as a mixed delivery after 2-3 quick ones are the ones who deceive the most. The knuckleballs have on so many occasions helped bowlers by giving them wickets at their most crucial moments.
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Yet, still, many bowlers view the knuckleball as the hardest of variations due to its odd grip. To avoid the ball slipping off the knuckles the bowlers then work on taking a good grip on the ball.
But those who have gone through the pain of mastering this variation are now reaping the fruits of deceiving batters and getting wickets.
