The art of spin bowling, a breakdown
What Happened
In a thrilling display of spin bowling, Afghanistan's Rashid Khan showcases his exceptional skills on the cricket pitch. Rashid Khan, a skilled bowler known for his versatile spin deliveries, is facing off against a batsman during a cricket match. As Rashid Khan approaches the crease, he has a variety of spin options at his disposal. He begins by bowling a delivery that goes right and then cuts left, known as an "off-spin" delivery. The batsman plays it cautiously, not attempting to run. Rashid then tries a delivery that goes left to right, or "leg-spin," which nearly beats the batsman, causing him to edge the ball without being dismissed. Continuing his repertoire, Rashid mixes up his deliveries, making it increasingly difficult for the batsman to anticipate his next move. The batsman struggles to read the subtle changes in Rashid's grip and release, which dictate the spin and direction of the ball. At one point, the batsman requests a brief pause, acknowledging that something in his vision is blocking his ability to properly track the ball. Seizing the opportunity, Rashid reveals that he was planning to bowl his stock delivery, the one that goes away from the batsman, but instead decides to surprise him with the "wrong 'un" or "googly" delivery, which turns the other way. The batsman, caught off guard, is clean bowled, much to Rashid's delight. The crowd erupts in cheers, celebrating Rashid Khan's mastery of the art of spin bowling. Through a detailed breakdown of the different grips and release points, the video demonstrates the intricacies of Rashid Khan's spin bowling technique. By overlaying the trajectories of the previous and current deliveries, the viewer gains a deeper understanding of how Rashid's subtle adjustments in grip and release can completely deceive the batsman. The video showcases Rashid Khan's exceptional skill, leaving the batsman and the audience in awe of his captivating performance on the cricket field.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentThanks for clicking play. I promise you that this one is really cool. At least I can promise you
that I think this one is very cool. This guy's name is Rashid Khan. He's a bowler for Afghanistan.
He's really good. He's got a couple different balls. This one goes right, then it cuts left.
Here we go. This one goes right, then it cuts left. And this one cuts in or stays true. So
that's the sequence he can use. And that one went right to left or in cricket, they referenced the
batsman. So that would be off spin. And it went away from him the off side and he just plays it
he doesn't run so he stays up and now he dices him up the other way. Oh no, he beat him. He beat
him but he just edged it and when he edged it, it hit him in the leg and it didn't hit the wickets
and they weren't able to catch it but you want to hit it in the middle and he got him so that went
left to right or leg spin. And that's what he's trying to do.
So now he's got to start the sequence over and he's like, okay, back to this way. That one's
going away from him. They hold him for a single. He says, thank you. Good job. He's going to double
it up and he beats him a little bit again there but they don't get it. Look, that one, it cuts
to the left and he's got his line. He's protecting the stumps, the wicket because if the ball hits
that, he's out. But also if that ball catches the edge of his bat and then the keeper catches it,
he's out. So that one moved more than he was anticipating.
It went right to left to off spin and they just almost got him. So now, oh wait, he says, hey,
hey, something's blocking my vision. He says, well, I was going to bowl this one. So you're
lucky. That's what I was going to do. And they're smiling. He's like, oh, it's okay. Someone's
blocking my vision. Last ball of the over. He switches it up again and gets him right through
top of middle stump. He's out. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. I got you.
I'm the best. I'm Rashid Khan. The fans are cheering for him. Cheers for Rashid Khan.
Now watch this is where it gets really fun. This is what I was able to do to show you guys what's
happening. This was the fifth of the over the one that he almost got out on, just almost edged it
and look where his bat was and look where the ball was. So that's where his bat was. And then the
ball's a little bit off of it. Now the next ball happens and he's like, oh shit, he almost got me
there. I got to move my bat over.
To protect from that ball and see his bat. Now it's right in line with the yellow ball. That was
the previous ball. But Rashid Khan throws the wrong and throws the one that goes the other way,
completely tricks him. So he's more extended. He's trying to protect from that ball that he
almost just got out on the yellow one. You can see his bats in line. He had made the adjustment,
but Khan made the other adjustment and says, nah, dude, I'm coming inside now and gets him.
And he's out and he's done. And this is how both deliveries look when you overlay them.
They're very similar. How are you supposed to know which ball is which? Just like baseball,
you got to pick it up by the spin. And then also the spin is gnarly because I don't know how you do
that with your hand to the other way of your body. But you can see on the left is the one
that's going to bounce and go offside. And you can see the last pressure point is his pointer finger
on the seam and he's spinning it. Now on the right is the wrong or the googly and his thumb is
still there. And his thumb is really going to help flick that to keep it straight and overpower
or balance out his pointer finger. But very similar in arm action, very different in grip
and spin, like very different. Look at the grip is way different. And the thumb is more involved.
And the other one,
just the pointer finger way more involved. But the coolest thing about this is if you rewind
and go to the ball when the batsman was like, hey, there's something in my vision. Can you stop? And
he's saying, okay, well, I was going to throw this. I was going to throw this. You can see his grip
and it's actually his stock delivery or the one that goes away from the batter. See how his thumb
is tucked? Well, that's not the wrong end. When he's throwing the wrong end on the right, his
thumb is out. When he's throwing the other one, it's not the wrong end. It's the right end.
So that dude was going to play the correct shot and play the turn and block it. But he was like,
hold on. Something's blocking me. And Rashid in that time goes, okay, fine. He goes, actually,
nevermind. I think I'm going to throw the wrong. And I got you set up for this and throws it that
way. So he screwed himself by saying, timeout, timeout. And that's why he's saying, aha, ha,
ha, ha, ha. You played yourself. High five.