Banana Swing: Cricket’s two biggest rivals India and Pakistan will face each other on the field today after a long time. Cricket fans all over the world are eagerly waiting to watch these two arch rivals clash at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka this evening. This Asia Cup 2023 group stage match is also being considered as a rehearsal for the Cricket World Cup to be held in India in October-November 2023. In today’s match, all eyes will be on Indian team captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill. However, experts say Pakistan’s pace battery will give these three a tough test. Rohit Sharma in particular will have to play Pakistan’s swing bowlers very carefully.
This match of Asia Cup 2023 is also being considered as a clash between Indian batting and Pakistan’s fast bowlers. Pakistan’s pace battery will consist of Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. In this, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s fast swing bowling can increase captain Rohit Sharma’s problems. In fact, hitman Rohit Sharma has been struggling against ‘banana swing’ and ‘in-swing’ bowling for some time now. According to former Australian batsman and commentator Matthew Hayden, Rohit Sharma will have to play the first three overs of his innings carefully in this match against Pakistan. Let us tell you that in the T20 World Cup organized in UAE in 2021, Rohit was dismissed by Afridi on his first ball.
‘Rohit will have to play carefully in the first 3 overs’
Matthew Hayden told Star Sports that Rohit Sharma will have to play carefully against Shaheen Afridi. Afridi dismissed Rohit in 2021 only on the basis of swing bowling. In such a situation, if the weather is humid and the ball swings, he has to play the first three overs carefully. Either way, he bowls only in-swing to make left-arm fast bowler Rohit Sharma his prey. Rohit has yet to find a way to get his pads off the line of the ball and make direct contact with the left-arm pacer’s delivery. Let it be known that Shaheen Shah Afridi is an expert in bowling ‘banana swing’ which has become Rohit Sharma’s weakness. Do you know what this ‘banana swing’ bowling is?
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A yorker delivery that swings quickly through the air is called a ‘banana swing’. (Image: Quora)
What is ‘banana swing’ bowling?
Banana swing is a type of reverse swing. To swing, the ball has to be thrown faster than normal. Simply put, a fast swinging yorker delivery can be called ‘banana swing’. In the banana swing, the ball is swung in the air in the shape of a typical banana, i.e. the English capital c. It can swing both inwards and outwards. It depends on whether the bowler has bowled an in-swinger or an out-swinger ball. The speed of the banana swing is quite fast. So it becomes almost impossible for the batsman to play it. The term ‘banana swing’ was first coined after watching Waqar Younis bowl against the Australian team in the late 80s. Later many bowlers mastered it.
How is ‘banana swing’ bowling done?
A banana swing cannot be bowled with the seam facing the desired direction like a traditional swing ball. Keeping the seam towards the slip will make the ball swing faster. To swing, the bowler has to keep the seam in the fingers straight. The wrist is then bent backwards, so that the ball itself is pulled forward, imparting backspin. To throw a banana swing ball, the ball must hit the pitch at the correct location, speed and seam position. Waqar Younis was the first to bowl the ‘banana swing’. Over the years Shaun Tait, Wasim Akram, Irfan Pathan, Lasith Malinga, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Shane Bond and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been seen bowling the ‘banana swing’.
How do bowlers swing the ball?
Swing is usually done with a new ball or a ball bowled after only a few overs. If the weather is humid on the day of the match, the ball tends to swing more. During the out swing, the bowler places the middle finger on the seam of the ball. At the same time, while releasing the ball, it has to move backwards. While throwing the ball, the seam is faced towards third man. Usually bowlers swing out between the creases, which makes the batsman think the ball is coming towards him. But, at the last moment the ball turns out. In out swing, the batsman is often caught in the hands of the slips or the keeper.
Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Rohit on the basis of swing ball in 2021.
What is the method of making these swings?
Bowlers use their index fingers to throw this swing ball. For this swing, bowlers hold the index finger on the seam of the ball. The middle finger is placed slightly outside the ball. While releasing the ball, the seam position is kept towards fine leg. This swing is considered best when bowled outside the crease. In this, the batsman thinks the ball will go out, but it swings towards his body. Batsmen are often bowled or LBW in this swing.
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Who got out the most times?
It is often said that Rohit Sharma has trouble playing left-arm fast bowlers. However, in contrast, in ODIs, it has been done most often by former Sri Lankan captain and all-rounder Angelo Mathews. Mathews has dismissed Sharma 7 times in 28 innings. In this, he has bowled Rohit Sharma four times, while being caught lbw twice and caught behind once. After this, New Zealand’s Tim Southee and South Africa’s Morne Morkel have dismissed him five times each, Australia’s Nathan Coulter-Nile, West Indies’ Ravi Rampaul and South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada have dismissed him four times each.
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Coulter Niles out in every other match
Angelo Mathews has dismissed Rohit Sharma 7 times in 31 matches, meaning the former Sri Lankan captain has sent the Indian captain to the pavilion every 4.42 matches. At the same time, Coulter is at the forefront of this matter. He has dismissed the hitman in almost every other match. So far he has bowled to Rohit Sharma in 9 matches out of which he has been dismissed 4 times. Tim Southee has dismissed Rohit 5 times in 15 matches i.e. every third match, while Trent Boult has dismissed Rohit 4 times in 13 matches. Apart from that, Ravi Rampaul has succeeded in dismissing Rohit 4 times in 12 matches. Morkel has dismissed him 5 times in 19 matches.
Rohit Sharma often faces difficulty playing left-arm fast bowler.
However, Rohit is the most reliable batsman
Despite all the challenges, Rohit Sharma is considered to be the most flamboyant and explosive batsman in cricket at the moment. His timing and ability to play long innings make him one of the most reliable batsmen in ODIs. If his bat works, he can be a problem for Pakistan’s pace battery. His ODI stats testify to this. He has scored 10,003 runs in 242 innings of 248 matches. It includes 29 centuries and 48 half-centuries. His best performance in ODIs is 264 runs. His strike rate is 90.10 and average is 40.33.
Rain can spoil the adventure
Rain is forecast in hilly areas of Kandy till today evening. In such a situation, rain can disturb the excitement of this match played between India and Pakistan. This may prove to be an anti-climax for cricket fans. However, if the rain stops and the match is played, cloudy skies and strong winds may prove helpful for Pakistan’s pace battery. Experts believe that apart from Rohit Sharma, Pakistan’s pace battery can also create trouble for Shubman Gill.
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Tags: Asia Cup, Cricket News, Hitman Rohit Sharma, India Vs Pakistan, Rohit Sharma, Shaheen Shah Afridi
First published: September 02, 2023, 07:44 IST