Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is enjoyed all over the world and there are cricket leagues of all the different stages, from domestic leagues to international championships. Cricket is estimated to have a fanbase of almost 2.5 billion around the world, placing it just behind football for popularity.
Wrist Spin vs Finger Spin
The main difference between Wrist spin and finger spin is that in Wrist spin, the ball is released from the back of the hand, over the little finger. On the other hand, in Finger spin, the ball is released by giving it a spin in the opposite direction to the throw.
Wrist spin is one of the many bowling styles used in cricket. These styles and techniques are used to make it difficult for the batsman to hit the ball, and to take him out easily. In wrist spin, the ball is released from the back of the hand, over the little finger.
Finger spin is a type of spin bowling style used in cricket. It is one of the most popular bowling styles as not many batsmen can hit a spin ball. In this style, the ball is released by giving it a spin using the fingers in the opposite direction to the launch of the ball.
Comparison Table Between Wrist Spin and Finger Spin
| Parameters of Comparison | Wrist Spin | Finger Spin |
| Definition | It is a bowling style where is ball is released from the back of the hand | It is a bowling style where the ball is released with a spin in the opposite direction |
| Advantage | It confuses the batsman as the ball changes direction quickly | The accuracy of the ball increases with the spin |
| Hand movement | The bowler’s hand is faced down | The bowler’s hand is faced up to the pitch |
| Requirement | The bowler must possess the high lower arm strength | The bowler must have good knowledge about the pitch |
| Prominent players | Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne are two of the most prominent wrist spinners | Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin are the most well-known Finger Spinners |
What is Wrist Spin?
Wrist spin is one of the many bowling styles used by bowlers in cricket. It is used to confuse the batsman with the direction of the ball. The direction of the ball changes in a sudden movement, making it difficult for the batsman to predict where the ball is going to land. Thus this style improves the chances of taking the wicket.
Wrist spin is not an easy move and it requires a lot of practice to perfectly use this style. This style heavily relies on the upper as well as lower arm strength of the bowler, as a lot of potential energy is required to change the direction of the ball.
In wrist spin, the bowler releases the ball from the back of the hand, over the small finger. The bowler does this by facing his palm to the pitch and rotating it just before throwing the ball. The result is that the ball is released from the back of the hand, near to the wrist.
As the ball goes through the air, the direction of the ball changes ever so slightly due to the wrist action. Thus the bowler can confuse the batsman with the direction of the ball.
What is Finger Spin?
Finger Spin is one of the most popular spin balls used in cricket. It is very popular among bowlers as the accuracy and the speed of the ball increase when the ball is released with a spin. It is also one of the toughest bowling styles.
In this bowling style, the bowler releases the ball by giving it a spin in the opposite direction to the throw of the ball. The bowler does this by keeping his palm facing upwards and twisting his fingers just before the throw of the ball.
The result is that the ball is launched with a spin in the opposite direction to the throw and hence it accelerates mid-air. Thus the speed of the ball goes on increasing as it travels through the air.
A major requirement for using this style is knowledge about the pitch. The direction and the accuracy of the ball depend highly on how the ball hits the pitch after the throw. Thus the bowler must have good experience and knowledge of the pitch for using this style.
Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin are two of the most famous and experienced Finger spin bowlers in the world. Experience and practice are very important for using this style.
Main Differences Between Wrist Spin and Finger Spin
- Wrist Spin is a bowling style where is ball is released from the back of the hand. Finger Spin is a bowling style where the ball is released with a spin in the opposite direction
- Wrist Spin confuses the batsman as the ball changes direction quickly. In Finger Spin the accuracy of the ball increases
- In Wrist Spin, the bowlers arm is faced down, whereas in Finger Spin the bowlers arm is faced up
- For Wrist Spin the bowler must posses good lower arm strenght. For Finger Spin the bowler must have good knowledge of the pitch
- Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne are two of the most prominent wrist spinners. Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin are the most well-known Finger Spinners
Conclusion
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world and is enjoyed by billions of people all over the world. Both Wrist spin and Finger spin are bowling styles used in cricket to confuse the batsman and take the wicket.
Wrist Spin is a difficult bowling technique and in this style, the bowler releases the ball from over the back of the hand. This gives the ball a spin just before the throw of the ball.
Finger Spin on the other hand is a common yet challenging style. The accuracy and the speed of the throw significantly increase when this style is used. The bowler must have good knowledge of the pitch for using this style perfectly.
References
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2017.1329547
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2019.1696265