The sport of cricket finds its roots in the 16th century. In its earlier days, bowlers used to roll the ball along the ground or hurl it in an underarm motion to deliver the ball. It was not till the 1760s that bowlers were given the license to bowl overarm.
Overarm bowling opened a range of options for the bowlers in terms of variations. Pace bowling became a common norm with bowlers hitting the deck hard and delivering the balls at a rate of nearly 140-150 km/hr consistently. Spin bowling became a promising aspect of professional bowling with bowlers able to turn the ball in both directions with their finger and wrist.
These initial years set the tone for cricket pundits to standardize the four most common variants of cricket bowling – pace bowling, swing bowling, finger spin bowling, and wrist spin bowling. Pace bowling saw the bowler deliver the ball at different speeds. Swing bowling was prominently appreciated when the ball was new. Spin bowling was called off spin or leg spin. Both these deliveries could either be delivered by spinning the ball with fingers or releasing it with the wrist.
Bowlers who stick to the conventional routes of delivering the ball are called orthodox bowlers. They seldom opt for massive variations and have a conventional delivery stride and action. They are skillful in altering the pace of deliveries and have a very sturdy stock ball. Though they are easier to read and have restricted variations, their discipline in line and length makes them economical.
Orthodox bowlers are thus steadfast to the conventional bowling styles, action, and technique.
