There are specific ways to bowl in cricket. Inswing style of bowling and off cutter style are two famous bowling styles to master while playing a cricket match. There are differences between both the styles of bowling depending upon the batsman and the bowler serving the ball.
Inswing vs Off Cutter
The main difference between inswing and off cutter is that the inswing bowling style is centered on the legs of the batsman at a regular speed. On the other hand, an off cutter requires the axis of the ball is spinning at a much higher speed to make it bounce.
Inswing style of bowling is a method of bowling in which the ball is targeted at the legs of the batsman. Inswing bowling behavior is done at a regular or a moderate speed in a way that the ball angles at the stumps to knock out in one take.
Off cutter is a bowling technique that makes the ball bounce just before hitting the batsman’s bat or the stumps. The off cutter style of bowling occurs at a much faster speed and is done in such a way that the ball appears to get deviated off its path.
Comparison Table Between Inswing and Off Cutter
What is an Inswing?
The Inswinging method to bowl is often regarded as inswinger bowling in cricket. It is a technique in which the ball is made to swing in the air making curves or arcs of a circular motion so that the batsman can be knocked out directly on the stumps. The inswing bowling is done at a moderate or a regular bowling speed which is neither too fast nor too slow.
It has a specific placement on the bowler’s wrist so that the bowling is done strictly that inswing technique demands. Inswing bowling has a simple hand grip. In this grip, the ball is placed in such a way that the seam of the ball is vertical and the index and middle fingers are adjusted across the seam.
The thumb is placed on the base of the ball. The other fingers are adjusted and made to target the legs of the batman in such a way that it performs a swing in the air to confuse the batsman and make him hit differently so that the bowler could take a wicket. Inswinger often takes time to hit the bat or the stumps for a direct knockout.
What is an Off Cutter?
Off cutter is a technique of bowling in cricket so that the batsman gets a direct bounce of the ball with a slightly deviated position. It often takes place at a higher or a faster bowling speed rate so that the ball hits the stumps in the blink of an eye. Off cutter, bowling does not aim at the legs of the batsman.
It is aimed in such a way that the ball cuts through the pitch after bouncing upon the pitch and points directly towards the batsman to either hit the bat or to knock out the stumps. Off cutter has a different hand grip. The ball is held in such a manner that the index finger and the thumb are directly at right angles with the seam of the ball.
The thumb is placed on the lower end to support the ball while bowling just like an inswinger or outswinger. In an off cutter, other fingers are laid across the seam of the ball to spin the ball and make it cut through the pitch. It happens at an instantaneous moment and acts as a quick process to make the batsman either hit or miss the ball.
Main Differences Between Inswing and Off Cutter
- The inswing method makes swings in the form of arcs in the air. On the other hand, off cutter technique is laid at cutting off the ball’s spinning after its bounce on the pitch.
- Inswing requires the arms of the bowler near the ear to target. On the other hand, an off cutter does not require any special arm adjustments.
- Inswing bowling is a slow technique. On the other hand, the off cutter is a fast technique.
- Inswing does not include the bouncing of the ball over the pitch. On the other hand, off cutters include the ball to get bounced from the pitch.
- Inswing is not aimed at bat hitting for a catch. On the other hand, the off cutter aims at catch attempts to make the batman out.
Conclusion
In both the bowling styles, the inswinger, and the off-cutter technique, the best-suited technique is the one in which the batsman is weak at. While bowling, the bowler has a plus point or an advantageous record if the bowler aims at the weak points of the batsman. In this case, inswinger will lead to either a wicket knockout directly or through wicket-taking by LBW rule.
Whenever an off-cutter is thrown, the weak point of the batsman is taken into consideration in which the batsman is weak at handling balls that bounce over the pitch to miss or hit.
References
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/036354658901700106
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268003309001697