3 fast bowlers who could also bowl spin
Fast bowlers, especially quality ones, are very rare to find because a lot goes into their fitness and the way they prepare themselves to bowl with accuracy and also with optimum speed.
Yet, at the end of the day, the pitch plays a role to some extent in a fast bowler's success. If there isn't enough help on the pitch, one can't really expect a fast bowler to pull a rabbit out of a hat every single time.
So there are times when the pacers have to adapt to the conditions and try something different. Some try the short-ball tactic, while others try to use the crease with different angles.
However, there have been some rare fast bowlers who have resorted to bowling spin in the middle of a game just because the pitch has been offering more help to the spinners. West Indies' Jason Holder bowling off-spin in their draw against Zimbabwe was one such instance.
Let's take a look at three such instances where a fast bowler had to resort to bowling spin:
#3 Jason Holder
So we gonna just pretend like we didn’t just see Jason Holder bowl off spin? 🤣
#ZIMvWI https://t.co/3cCZeEegE1
Jason Holder is one of the most dependable fast bowlers for the West Indies across formats and is also good with the bat.
A double-hundred from young opener Tagnarine Chanderpaul put the visitors in the driver's seat against Zimbabwe as their big first innings score helped them later in the game. The hosts were set a target of 271 to win the game, but they kept on losing wickets at regular intervals.
Realizing that West Indies had a genuine chance to win the game and that the pacers weren't getting much help from a day five pitch, Holder began to bowl off-spin. Although the visitors couldn't win the game, Holder showed that he had this skill up his sleeve.
#2 Sohail Tanvir
Ollie Robinson bowling off spin reminded me of Sohail Tanvir bowling LAO at Kolkata, 2007..
#Ashes #OllieRobinson
#SohailTanvir https://t.co/oKFkWmwiT9
Sohail Tanvir, in his prime, was one of the best T20 bowlers in the world. But in his early playing days, the left-arm pacer showed that he had the pedigree to play across formats.
Pakistan toured India back in 2007 and Tanvir played a Test in Kolkata where the pacers weren't getting much help. Realizing that the pitch had some grip on it, Tanvir turned into a left-arm spinner and got some fair purchase from the pitch.
Recurrent injuries robbed him of what could have been a successful and long career for Pakistan.
#1 Ollie Robinson
Ollie Robinson bowling spin
#Ashes2021 #AUSvENG #Ashes #OllieRobinson https://t.co/retDMU5jS5
England unleashed a four-pronged pace attack in the second Test of the 2021-22 Ashes as they felt the pink ball would help them flex their muscles and make a comeback in the series.
However, that wasn't to be as the visitors realized that the Adelaide Oval didn't provide adequate help to the pacers and they didn't pick any specialist spinners for variety. Captain Joe Root then threw the ball to Ollie Robinson, who became an off-spinner for a spell and tried to extract something from the pitch.
Although the ploy looked out-of-the-box, it didn't work in England's favor as they lost the Test by 275 runs.