The Day Reverse Swing Found Me
A surprising discovery during a muddy school cricket game.
The first time I came across reverse swing, I had no idea what was happening!
I wasn’t trying to master some advanced skill or experimenting with new tactics. It just sort of… happened.
I was playing a school cricket game for Beechen Cliff against Wells Cathedral School.
It had been raining leading into the match and the pitch was soft.
The ball had been hit to the boundary a few times, some of those off my own bowling, and when it came back to me, one side had bits of mud attached to it while the other side was smooth and shiny.
Like any bowler would, I polished the shiny side and tried to swing the ball out conventionally.
But I noticed something strange happen.
A strange swinging sensation
Instead of swinging away like I was trying to swing it, it swung in and went down the leg side—a wild, wide ball that wasn’t even close to the target.
It was weird because it was so far away from what I normally bowl and I had a reputation of bowling at a decent pace with accuracy. Basically I hardly ever bowled wides!
I thought maybe it was a fluke, so I grabbed the ball again. Same situation—one side shiny, the other rough with mud attached to the rough side.
I set the ball up in my grip for an away swinger just like the ball before.
And what happened………………. The same result, another wide down leg! At this point, I started wondering what was going on.
As I was walking back to my mark I decided that for the next ball I’d try something different.
I held the ball for an in-swinger and released it like an out-swinger, really following through across my body with my bowling arm and boom, it swung out, big time.
Next delivery, I did the same as before, I held it for an in-swinger but released it for an out-swinger. And sure enough, it swung out again!
Experimenting with the unknown
At the time, I had no idea why this was happening. I didn’t know the science behind it or even that it had a name—reverse swing.
All I knew was that it worked, and I wasn’t about to stop.
Within three overs, I took five wickets with the ball doing the complete opposite of what I was actually trying to bowl. I went with it and adjusted my line accordingly.
That was my first taste of reverse swing, and it completely changed the way I thought about bowling.
What I’ve Learned About Reverse Swing Since Then
It wasn’t until much later that I actually understood why reverse swing works. Here’s the simplified version of what’s happening:
1. It Starts with Seam Presentation
To get reverse swing, bowlers need the skill of presenting a good seam with little to no wobble as it’s travelling down the wicket.
Whether it’s upright or slightly angled, the seam has to stay stable as the ball travels through the air. If the seam wobbles big, the airflow ‘trips’ and gets messed up, and the ball has little chance to reverse.
Here is a video I posted on instagram talking through some options of presenting swing seam positions:
2. Rough vs. Smooth Sides
The ball needs a noticeable difference between the smooth, shiny side and a rough or ‘fluffy’ side. The air glides across the smooth side while the rough side creates turbulence as the ball is travelling down the wicket.
Here is Brett Lee talking through how he used to bowl reverse swing and the importance of the ball condition: Brett Lee Reverse Swing
3. How Turbulence Creates Swing
The rough side disrupts the airflow, and if the turbulence is strong enough (like when there’s mud on the ball or the ball is very rough or ‘fluffy’), it actually pushes the ball in the direction of the shiny side. That’s what makes it swing the “wrong” way compared to conventional swing.
4. Pace Matters
Faster bowlers can get reverse swing with very little ‘rough’ because their pace generates enough turbulence and air movement. Slower bowlers, though, need the rough side to be really rough to get the same effect.
Why Reverse Swing Changed Everything for Me
That muddy school game taught me more about bowling than I could’ve imagined.
Once I started to understand what was going on it gave me the option of being able to still achieve swing, or lateral movement, for longer, especially if the ball stops swinging conventionally.
Reverse swing became one of the most important skills I could call upon, and it started as a fluke in a school game and more than a hint of curiosity as a schoolboy.
If there’s one thing I’d say to any bowler trying to master reverse swing, it’s this: don’t underestimate the importance of your seam presentation. Keep and eye on it and always spend time perfecting it.
You could have the roughest ball in the world, but if you’re not in control of your seam it won’t swing.
So next time you’re out there, experiment. See what happens when you try something new. You might just discover a game-changing skill like I did that day.
The question is, do you always practice what you ‘know’ or are you open to practicing what is ‘new?’
Be curious.
You never know what you might discover!