The Spin Doctor

This article is one of the exclusive pieces contained within the Sussex Sharks Vitality Blast tournament programme. Pick up your copy at tonight’s game or order online here!

Nobody has taken more T20 wickets for the Sharks than Will Beer. He shares some of the secrets of bowling leg-spin in the shortest form of the game…

COURAGE

You’ve got to be brave to bowl the ball above the batter’s eye line. Just because it's T20 and the batsmen are looking to be aggressive, you’ve still got to remember that you are a leg-spinner and that you're trying to take wickets. You have to be courageous enough to try and spin the ball, try and get it above the batter's eye line at the right times because your main aim is to always try and take a wicket. Wickets stem the flow of runs, whatever format of cricket you're playing.

BEING SMART

Having said that you’ve got to pick your moment to take the pace off and try and spin the ball past someone. You know the batsmen are likely to target your first couple of balls of your over, so maybe that's not the time to toss it up. That might actually be the time to bowl a googly into the wicket to get hit square of the wicket and get a guy off strike.

You’ve got to trust your gut. You read the match situation and get a sense of what a batsman is trying to do; whether they’re trying to just tick over or if they’re looking to come hard at you. You use that to decide whether you should bowl that googly into the wicket, toss a leg-spinner up or bowl a slow googly to try and get someone through the gate. I’m always trying to be one step ahead of the batsman, knowing and understanding the situation and trying to deliver the ball that is required.

VARIATION & INNOVATION

In T20, you're trying to bowl a different delivery almost every ball to stop the batsman getting used to you and lining you up. That's where variations come in - a leg-spinner, a googly, a slider, using the crease. And then there are changes to the field, maybe having two backward points, having a mid-wicket, whichever one it might be. Depending on the batsman you're up against and the situation, these things become your tools to choose from.

Take the situation where I know the batsman's going to probably try and hit me for a six this ball. What delivery can I bowl? Where can I bowl it from on the crease? Which direction can I spin the ball in? What pace am I going to bowl the ball? That’s the checklist for every delivery. Make your choices, then bowl that ball with 100% commitment.

I’m always looking to add to my toolbox, as well. I've watched some of the Afghan spinners bowling their flicks and carrom balls and I've been working on a couple myself. I’m always looking to evolve as a player to try and get an advantage by giving batters more to think about.

KNOWING THE OPPOSITION

The amount of help we get from our analysts and various sources is fantastic. We get information these days on where batsmen hit the ball so you can help place your field. You know what shots people play, whether they play reverse sweeps, whether they hit powerful shots down the ground. So you know exactly the type of player you're playing against.

Looking back to finals day last year and the semi-final against Somerset. I knew Corey Anderson is very strong against spin between long on and mid-wicket. So the ball spinning into him is a massive danger as the bowler. You know you're bowling into his arc. As a result, I don't think I bowled a single leg-spinner to him on finals day, I bowled googlies and a little seamer I've been developing. Without doing my research, I could have been foolish enough to toss up a few leg-spinners and get hit out the park. And suddenly you're under pressure, and it's a completely different game.

EXPERIENCE

Bowling is like anything in life – the more often you do something, the more experience you have to call on. Having played over 100 T20s, if I am now in a situation where the batsman’s trying to hit me out of the park, I know I’ve been there before and I know how to deal with that situation based on past experience. You still get nervous at the top of your mark, but you know how to control your breathing to relax for example. You know how to get yourself in the right mental state to be able to deliver the ball you want. I think that only comes from experience. You know that you’ve done something before and been successful, so you have confidence in yourself to be able to go and do it again.

The Sussex Sharks Vitality Blast tournament programme features:

• Exclusive player interviews with Jofra Archer, Luke Wright, Danny Briggs, Chris Jordan, Laurie Evans, Tymal Mills & Phil Salt
• Quick Singles with… George Garton & Delray Rawlins
• Overseas player profiles – Rashid Khan & Alex Carey
• ‘The Summer Collection’ – a fashionista’s review of every Sussex Sharks T20 kit
• Will Beer’s guide to bowling leg-spin in T20 cricket
• Squad profiles of all nine teams
• & more!

Get your copy at the match tonight or online here!