The Arm Ball in Cricket — What It Is and How Spinners Use It
A guide to the arm ball: the off-spinner and left-arm spinner's variation that goes straight on rather than turning, and how it takes wickets by deceiving batters who play for spin.
What Is an Arm Ball?
An arm ball is a delivery bowled by a finger spinner — most often an off-spinner or a left-arm orthodox spinner — that goes straight on rather than turning in the normal direction. Instead of spinning, the ball skids on with the arm swing, continuing straight on its original trajectory after pitching. The arm ball gets wickets by deceiving batters who are set up to play for spin and find the ball beating them on the inside edge or hitting them on the pad.
How It Works
A spinner bowls an arm ball by reducing or eliminating the spin imparted at release — the ball comes out with little or no rotation, so it does not grip the surface and turn. The release is slightly different from the standard delivery, typically with less wrist action or a more locked-wrist position. When bowled well, the arm ball looks identical to the normal delivery until it pitches: the batter plays for the turn and finds the ball continues straight, often finding the inside edge or hitting the top of the stumps.
The Arm Ball in White-Ball Cricket
The arm ball is particularly valuable in T20 and ODI cricket, where batters often try to hit against the spin by playing early. An arm ball that goes straight on can defeat a batter who has committed to a cross-bat shot expecting the ball to arrive from outside off. Arm balls from left-arm spinners are especially dangerous to right-handed batters who play across their body expecting the ball to pitch outside off and turn away — the arm ball goes straight on and hits the stumps or pads.
Setting Up the Arm Ball
The arm ball is most effective when bowled after establishing the regular turning delivery. A spinner who has beaten a batter twice with a big off-break turning past the outside edge can then bowl the arm ball — the batter plays for the turn again and is beaten in the opposite direction. The best spinners use the arm ball as a decoy: they don't need to bowl it often, but the threat of it changes the batter's mindset and keeps them from fully committing to playing against the spin.
Frequently asked questions
What is an arm ball in cricket?
An arm ball is a delivery from a finger spinner that goes straight on rather than turning, deceiving batters who are playing for the usual spin.
Who bowls the best arm ball in cricket?
Ravichandran Ashwin of India is widely regarded as having one of the best arm balls in Test cricket — he uses it to take wickets against batters who read his off-break and leave a gap toward mid-on.