Leg cutter

A leg cutter is a form of cricket ball serving used in pace bowling. One of the distinguishing characteristics of this method is the modification of the axis of rotation of the ball, which causes the ball to deviate to the left as it is being bounced. This deviation creates inconvenience for the right-handed batsman. If he is not fast enough to react to the movement, the ball bounces, either to the body or the legs, from which the name went.

Leg Cutter: Details

The throwing technique is like an inswinger with a front-on grip. This is how the bowler holds the ball with three fingers exactly in the middle of the seam to fix it in an upright position. In order to give the ball a spin in a clockwise direction, the middle finger is placed on the smooth surface.

It is widely acknowledged that the leg cutter is among the most straightforward and efficient deliveries that can be used to take a batsman by surprise. Meanwhile, the feed has problems because it doesn’t rotate fast enough. Former Australian captain Ian Chappell ironically commented on the leg cutter of his fellow compatriot Jeff Thomson as “a good sign” because otherwise, he would have to hit the ball flying at a speed of 95 miles per hour right in the head.

Alec Bedser, Fazal Mahmood, Terry Alderman, Carl Rackemann, and Venkatesh Prasad are among the most well-known players who have contributed to the development of this approach.

Considering the peculiarities of modern cricket field coverage, the leg cutter, as a rule, began to be used when playing indoors.