Who Started Knuckle Ball In Cricket: Although not the first to use it, but Zaheer Khan made the this technique very popular with his mastery of the skill, and is often considered as the inventor of the knuckleball in cricket.

The modern format of cricket has been very rapid and fast paced with batsmen trying to hit every ball out of the park. So, bowlers, especially pacers have had to work hard and develop new fast bowling techniques that can help them deceive batsmen and get wickets at any crucial points of the game. One of these various fast bowling variations of techniques is the knuckle ball fast bowling technique in cricket. It is a variation use by fast bowlers usually in the death overs of the game.

What is a knuckleball in cricket?

There a many variations a bowler can use to vary their pace to trick batsmen in the death overs. An important one of these variations is the knuckleball. The knuckle ball is a key technique where the bowler grips the ball with the knuckles, releasing it with minimal spin. This unique grip makes the ball’s speed and trajectory unpredictable, often causing it to dip sharply and lose pace. This dip and sudden change of pace makes it very difficult for the batsmen to judge the delivery and time it perfectly often leading to them losing their wickets. A lot of modern fast bowlers have adopted this slower ball as it is very effective in both, defending runs and picking up wickets.

How to bowl a knuckleball in cricket

Grip the Ball:

Use your fingernails to hold the leather ball against it rather than gripping it tightly with your fingers.
Position the ball in a way that it feels slightly loose in your hand.

Run-up:

Approach the crease with your usual run-up.
Maintain your regular speed and rhythm to keep the batsman unsuspecting.

Release:

As you release the ball, let it roll off your knuckles.
The loose grip causes the ball to be delivered slower than usual.

Switching Grip:

Some bowlers find it challenging to maintain the knuckle grip while running.
If that’s the case, switch to the knuckle grip just before releasing the ball to add an element of surprise.

Important Points to remember

Any slower ball variation will only work if your stock delivery is fast enough to see a considerable change in pace. If you are a medium pacer by nature, changing of pace will not be very challenging for the batsman to pick. Also, remember to always use these variations at the right time, and not excessively. You don’t want the batsman to know what you’re going to bowl at every moment.

What are the other types of slower balls in cricket

There are many types of slower balls in cricket that fast bowlers can use in the death overs to deceive the batters. You can use the leg and off cutters, the back of the hand deliveries and the knuckle ball in order to deceptively change the pace of the ball.