This article is part of the 'Classic bowling dismissals' series. To go to the start, click here.

Often thought of as the easier type of swing bowling, the inswinger can be a devastating weapon when used effectively.

When bowling to a right-handed batsmen, here are the classic ways to get a wicket:

The ball that starts it's line outside off stump and ducks back in between the bat and pad is dramatic and effective.

You are trying to deceive the batsman into playing down the wrong line only for the ball to come back in. This overhead view demonstrates the difference:

The red line is going straight on and can be left. The yellow line starts on the same trajectory and ducks back in forcing the batsman to play the ball.

The other key is bowling a length that makes the batsman want to play forward. Ideally on the drive when they are more likely to play with loose technique. The other reason you need to bowl full is to make sure the ball will hit the stumps if the batsman misses it.

The exact length will vary depending on the pace of the wicket, your speed and the reach of the batsman but as long as you are on target with the stumps you have a chance.

To illustrate that point, here is a beehive graphic using PitchVision to demonstrate:

As you can see, the red dots show balls that are hitting the stumps, making the batsman play (and hopefully miss, or get trapped LBW). The purple dots are wasted inswing balls. The good batsman will be able to leave them and any he plays and misses at will not hit the stumps.

The yorker is a variation of the "bowled through the gate" dismissal. The aim again is to hit the stumps or get an LBW. The line is the same as before but the length is very full, pitching around the toes of the batsman. It's almost unplayable at high speeds:

It's also useful for medium pace bowlers, especially at the death of a limited overs match.

Aim for the batsman's popping crease but practice it hard before trying it because if you get it slightly wrong it becomes a simple half volley or full toss.

Three very useful catching positions for inswing bowling are short midwicket, short leg and backward short leg/leg gulley. When the ball swings in it is natural to go more on the off side, especially against limited club or school batsmen who favour that area.

On quicker pitches the short legs can be in place to catch balls that are defended or pushed at from a shorter length. Short square leg can also be in for the ball that is defended on the front foot and goes from bat to pad then in the air.

Short midwicket is more common on slower pitches or more medium paced swing bowlers. These players are in place for the thick edged drive that doesn't quite get through.

The inswinger can also be used as a surprise delivery rather than a stock ball. To do this you need to set the batsman up.

This can be done over a number of balls or overs but most commonly is done with three balls:

• Ball 1: Good length, outside off stump, not swinging.
• Ball 2: Good length, wider outside off stump, not swinging.
• Ball 3: Fuller length, just outside off stump, swinging back in to hit the stumps.

This fools the batsman into playing the wrong line and getting bowled or LBW. Perhaps even better is when the batsman leaves the ball altogether only to get bowled. Round here we call that 'village'.

With left-handed batsmen the inswing bowler becomes an outswing bowler and can use their classic dismissals. The main difference is the angle, which will take the ball across the left handed batsman (if the bowler stays over the wicket). The ball that swings will be difficult to hit away.

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Making a quick decision to throw can be the difference between a run out and a stolen single.

Even if you are a dead-eye when throwing at the stumps, it's possible to give away overthrows and face the wrath of your "double teapot" captain and bowler.

That's a lot of decision-making to do in a short time and indecision usually just makes matters worse. You need to be confident. Confidence improves throwing accuracy and reaction time.

Cost-benefit analysis of throwing at the stumps

As far as I know no-one has ever sat down, gone through games with run out attempts and overthrows and worked out whether the runs conceded from overthrows are balanced out by the increased chance of a run out.

I suspect, at the professional level at least, this analysis would show a simple general rule: when in doubt, throw.

My suspicion is that professionals tend to be more aware that a throw is possible and get in a position to back up more quickly and efficiently. Knowing there is definitely someone to protect your shy can give you the confidence to throw.

However, even if it does go wrong I would imagine that the odd overthrow could be easily made up for by running out a star batsman who could go on the make a hundred.

To work it out you would need to get your team's scorer to record overthrows as well as actual run outs. Then you can work out how many overthrows per run out you concede.

You can make it more complex by also working out the value of the run out, but that maths is far beyond my limited statistical skills.

I'm willing to bet either way, that the throw comes out the winner.

Run out chances are one thing, but there has been a recent trend for players to throw back to the keeper, even if the batsmen are not attempting a run. The theory goes that this shows the batsman he or she is under pressure from the fielding team.

Even if the batsman does feel this way, they soon become immune to its effects as it happens after almost every ball. Also, at club level at least, the chance of a poorly aimed throw is increased when the benefit of getting a run out is non-existent.

There is some benefit in doing it as a fielder to find your range with throws early in the match. It also keeps the wicketkeeper's gloves warm. I still don't think that is enough to make the ball come back to the keeper every time. On balance I prefer teams not to do it.

Whatever your policy on throws (and every team should have one), it's vital to practice all the different throws. It should be the rare practice session or warm up that doesn't include some or all of the following:

• Underarm at the stumps
• Overarm returns to the keeper (including low returns when throwing with the sun behind you)
• Overarm at the stumps

There are a number of drills to do this as part of Derek Randall's fielding drills course on PitchVision Academy.

It's also important to watch how much you throw. For club players playing a couple of times a week this is not usually a problem, but if you play a lot of cricket you will need to be careful how much you throw in practice, keeping it limited but still working on something.

All players ideally would include some warm up drills to help prevent throwing injuries. This just means warming up the shoulder muscles with 'activation' work like:

• Tennis ball rolling drills
• YTLW
• Scap press ups
• T-spine mobilisation

These movements don't require equipment or more than a few minutes of your warm up. They an be done every day if needed and will help protect you from injury.

Injury prevention aside, my feeling is that most teams would benefit from the confidence of fielders who are happy to throw the ball. However not many teams should adopt the modern practice of throwing to the keeper every time.