For spin bowlers, the technique is a must to master several variations. From the leg spin, arm ball to bowling the flipper, every bit of mastery counts. In this blog post, stay rest assured you have everything you need to perfect the top spinner.

We are quite sure you enjoyed the last blog post about bowling the flipper. In today’s post, we delve into the importance of technique and accuracy in bowling the perfect top spinner. The idea of bowling the top spinner is not to spin the ball. However, the goal here is to flight the ball and surprise the batter into making mistakes. The result of the top spinner also depends on the nature and bounce of the wicket.

The grip for a top spinner for a leg spin bowler stays the same as the flipper. Place your index finger, ring finger, middle finger and the thumb on the seam, and spread out across the seam. Another important part about the top spinner is that just like the flipper, the front of your bowling arm should be facing you and not the batter or any fielding position.

Now that we have the grip in place, let’s talk about the release. The trick in bowling the top spinner is basically the flight. Instead of spinning the ball, when it comes to releasing the ball, try giving the ball some flight. This becomes effective because the batter gets confused and plays the shot too early. Now, depending on the bounce of the wicket, the ball can either go low or bounce high, inviting the batter to make mistakes.

As for the follow through, have a steady momentum with a relaxed posture. Finally, with a perfect flighted delivery, you are on your way to master the perfect top spinner.

Top spinner for off spin bowlers

For an off-spinner trying to bowl the top spin, the grip is pretty similar. The index finger is placed on the side, the middle finger is on top and on the seam, while the ring finger is placed parallel to the index finger. However, as an off spinner, stretch your bowling arm as high as possible to release the ball. The downward trajectory or the flight of the delivery is sure to confuse the batter.

Now, when you complete your run-up to release the ball, following the similar grip, point the seam towards the batter. The idea here is to bowl a full-length delivery because if it’s pitched short of a length, the batter gets ample time to decide to play the pull-shot. Another tip to bowl the perfect top spinner is to over-spin the ball, which allows the ball to dip.

Practise hard and stay consistent as the top spinner is quite challenging to execute. For the next post, we learn the off spin or the off break.