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

It's ironic that that best English-style seamer of modern times has been an Australian: Glen McGrath. As a model to copy, there are few better examples of a classic seamer than 'Pigeon'.

How did he do it, and how can new seamers emulate his performances to take stacks of wickets?

In a world of twenty20 bowling variations it's been forgotten that really good seamers trade in a different currency: accuracy.

At club and school level there is no need to have a huge number of variations. Most batsmen will get themselves out if the bowler puts the ball on a nagging length on or just outside the off stump:

 

The length, as you can see, can vary between 10-13m (33-46 ft) from the bowler's end. The fuller balls have the aim of hitting the stumps, the back-of-a-length balls are looking for the edge.

Either way, the seamer is relying on the ball and the pitch to help him as much as possible. With the seam upright at the point of release he is giving himself the best chance of the ball hitting the seam and deviating enough to catch the edge or bowl the batsman through the gate.

A "scrambled" seam also works well as a subtle variation here. Most bowler's do it by accident when trying to keep the seam up. When it happens he seam doesn't stay perfectly upright after release (it appears to be "wobbling" as the ball goes down). It might then hit the shiny part and skid on, or the seam and bite. This variation in bounce and movement is very hard for the batsman to read.

Good seamers are tall and they release the ball from as high as possible. If you imagine the arm position at release to be like a clock face, the ideal position is 12 o'clock but to get good bounce it should never drop earlier than 11:

This, combined with the ball hitting the pitch with the seam, creates an extra bounce that no batsman finds comfortable. The ball can hit the edge or splice and go to waiting slips or short legs. It also stops the batsman being able to get on the front foot and drive through the line meaning they could end up playing a rash shot after being tied down.

The seamer rarely has express pace on his side. It's also rare that he will get perfect seaming conditions to be able to fire out a team. That means he needs to keep going and bowling that nagging line and length until the batsman makes a mistake.

Sometimes that can take a while, so the seamer needs to be fit. Not just gym fit (which is a good place to start) but also bowling fit. Seamers need to be able to bowl with the same pace and accuracy in their 20th over as they do their first.

As you know, there is not much need for variety with a good seamer. They let natural variations in movement and bounce does all the work for them.

That said, there are times when on flat wickets or in very short games where some variety can upset the batsman's rhythm. Some options are:

• Bouncer aimed at the ribs
• Slower ball
• Yorker

You can read more about these variations in this article.

image credit: The Waterboy

This edition of Laws of Cricket, in association with the International Institute of Cricket Umpiring and Scoring, covers some more tricky questions of the Laws.

Many times on the pitch (and after the game) we have come to discuss whether a controversial situation should be allowed or not. There are precious few players with a deep enough understanding of the laws for our arguments to be resolved, but many times it's the players who also act as umpires. Now we can consult a team of expert experienced umpires for the answers to those tricky questions.

You can submit your own questions to the umpires here.

Non-striker - out of his ground?

"The wicket-keeper was not best pleased as a result of the following incident. The batsman hit the ball and set off on what looked like a suicidal single. The non-striker practically flew down the pitch, just made his ground, and then fell backwards onto the pitch to avoid being hit by the ball, which was being thrown in. The ’keeper took the ball, whipped off the bails and appealed for a Run out. The non-striker was well out of his ground at that moment. Why was the appeal turned down?"”

The appeal failed because, according to your description of events, the non-striker had already made his ground. The only reason he had left his ground after that was to take evasive action to avoid being struck by the ball.

Law 38.2 Run out (Open Learning Manual Page 115)

What does encroachment by the wicketkeeper mean?

"It’'s so unusual to hear an umpire at square leg call 'No ball' that we spectators sat up with a start when it happened in a match recently. Yet there weren’t more than two fielders behind the popping crease on the leg side, and it certainly didn’t seem as if the bowler had thrown the ball. When they came off for tea I heard fielders talking about the wicket-keeper ‘encroaching’. What did they mean by this?"

The umpire at striker’s end called and signalled No ball because some part of the wicket-keeper’s person or equipment was not completely behind the wicket when the ball came into play. The wicket-keeper must remain wholly behind ‘his’ wicket until either the striker touches the ball with his bat or person, or it passes the wicket, or the striker attempts a run.

Law 40.3 The wicketkeeper (Open Learning Manual Page 121)

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