xtratime Logo

[caption id="attachment_9406" align="alignnone" width="580"] Jasprit Bumrah - India[/caption] Internet Desk: Complete rotation of shoulders, round arm action and a small leap before delivering the ball are the few constituent steps of an orthodox bowling action. Bowling greats like Wasim Akram and Glenn McGrath had very smooth bowling actions which were as pleasant to the eyes as they were effective. But cricket also had a fair share of bowlers whose actions went totally against the conventions of bowling. Now we aren’t referring to people with illegal bowling action rather we are alluding to that breed of bowlers which feasts on batsmen through the sheer awkwardness of their bowling action. Most of such bowlers hail from Asian countries because of absence or limited presence of cricketing academies at grass root level, bowlers develop raw actions into well-rehearsed ones which sometimes are very unconventional. Here is a list of some of the active bowlers who have, let’s say, different bowling actions. The lists are as follows: [caption id="attachment_9414" align="alignnone" width="580"] Jasprit Bumrah - India[/caption]   Jasprit Bumrah: In 2013, Mumbai Indians’ coach, John Wright went to watch a match involving Gujrat and this is where he spotted a youngster with a spark. He was quick enough to induct this young cricketer named Jasprit Bumrah in the Mumbai Indians’ squad. What impressed John was the unorthodox nature of Bumrah’s action. His high arm action and quick arm speed provides an added advantage to an already unorthodox action. His natural instinct is to bring the ball in to the right hander but his ability to straighten the ball from such a wide angle has already created doubts in a number of batsmen around the world. With 3 wickets against a strong Australian batting line up in Adelaide, Bumrah had announced himself at the world stage. He might get sorted out by the opposition teams sooner than he might expect but it will be fun ride for him while it lasts. He had an excellent Asia Cup where batsmen failed to make a way out against him. [caption id="attachment_9407" align="alignnone" width="580"] Lasith Malinga - Sri Lanka[/caption] Lasith Malinga: “Slinga Malinga” is what they call him because of his slinging, round arm action. Now instead of going on and on about his action he is called a specialist in shorter format especially in T20s. When he first appeared on International stage, his slinging action had everyone going gaga about him. Some even raised questions about the legality of his action but nothing stopped him from developing himself into a world class bowler. In the 2007 Cricket World Cup semi-final against South Africa, Malinga went on to take 4 wickets off 4 balls in an over of unparalleled brilliance. Such was the accuracy and artifice in his bowling. Malinga’s recent form hasn’t been one to be proud of but he is working hard before the World T20 and hopes to bring accolades for Sri Lanka. [caption id="attachment_9409" align="alignnone" width="580"] Bilal Asif - Pakistan[/caption] Bilal Asif: Making his debut in 2015 for Pakistan, Bilal Asif was reported by the field umpires for suspicious bowlling action in the very first series of his International career. After undergoing a test of his bowling action in Chennai, ICC declared his action to be totally legal. Now what is awkward about his action? Asif’s action resembles that of a conventional leg spinner. But at the very last moment he gives a sudden turn to his wrists which allows him to bowl off spinning deliveries. [caption id="attachment_9411" align="alignnone" width="580"] Al Amin Hossain - Bangladesh[/caption] Al-Amin-Hossain: Al- Amin Hossain of Bangladesh too has an awkward bowling action almost similar to Bumrah. He was reported for his suspect action in the 2014 but was cleared by the ICC. Al-Amin has been bowling very well since the recently concluded Asia Cup and will hope to continue his good run in the World T20 .