A seamer or a pacer is a type of bowler in cricket who has the ability to deliver balls at a faster pace that can clock between 135 – 150 kph. When the ball travels 22 yards through the air at this speed upon its release from the bowler’s hand, there are subtle variations that can bamboozle the batter. The ability to drift the ball by a seamer is called swing.
Swing bowling requires enormous skill to master. There are three aspects that determine the swing of the bowl. First is the placement of the bowler’s fingers on the ball and his or her wrist position during the release. Second is the nature of the pitch itself. A green pitch would facilitate swing bowling more as the new shiny ball in the earlier overs will have a more cohesion with the grass. If the bowl becomes old and rough, then the rough portion of the ball on a pitch that is dry and hard can cause a reverse swing later in the innings.
The third aspect determining the swing of the ball is the climate. A windy day will generate more swing. A pitch with more grass will have more moisture in the air. This will also be one of the facilitators of swing bowling.
The manner in which the bowlers keep the ball shiny on one or both sides of the seam also determines the amount of swing. The ball usually swings towards the rougher side of the ball. Thus, apart from the pitch a lot of other factors contribute towards a better swinging delivery.
