Simon Hughes
Probing the edge
The opening bowler's number one priority is to make the batsman
play. What batsmen love are several friendly overs that they can watch whistle harmlessly by, with the odd four-ball thrown in. What they hate is remorseless accuracy and lots of searching deliveries that they're not sure whether to play or leave. Incite indecision in a batsman and you're over halfway to getting him out. That's why the best new ball bowlers use the bouncer only sparingly. Not only might it sail harmlessly over the batsman's head, but it also expends energy, which ought to be directed
at this point into the 'corridor of uncertainty'.
 In the corridor
Curtly Ambrose (left) has been a master of landing the ball consistently in this channel. He can do it ball after ball, which means his bowling poses a constant threat.
It's Geoff Boycott's favourite phrase and the batsman's least favourite place. Basically, it's a channel on the pitch about eight inches wide, on, and just outside, the off-stump. Especially when facing a new ball, which can swing or deviate either way off the pitch, batsmen aren't sure what to do with balls landing in this channel (see above), indicated here by two parallel lines.
Play at a ball in this area and it might dart away and take the edge. Leave it and it might nip back and rattle into the pads or, worse still, uproot the stump. It's a dilemma that the batsman has about 0.38 seconds to resolve. Only a few rare pacemen can stick at it for long – of current bowlers, Glen McGrath sticks at it the longest.
Copyright material reproduced under license from Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London, England
Copyright © Simon Hughes 2001
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