Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/250

 short-leg than the wicket. G. Giffen is even more tantalising; for, just before the ball leaves his hand, his arm is completely hidden, and there is more of his back than his face to be seen. Ferris, the left-hander, starts his long run with his bowling-hand close to his leg; when he has got over three or four yards he brings both hands together almost on a level with his chin, and looks as if he were kissing the tips of his fingers to the crowd. Down goes the hand again, another trot of four yards and he brings his hands together above his head; and just as you get a little bit excited and wonder when he is really going to bowl, his arm disappears behind, to re-appear with startling rapidity to deliver the ball. J. C. Shaw, the famous left-hander, also puzzled most batsmen the first over or two. He brought his arm from behind his back, and caused me a lot of trouble in the early part of most innings I played against him. I could name many others who want careful watching; but those I have given are sufficient to prove what I say that the bowler who delivers the ball sideways is more difficult to watch than the bowler who delivers it with a full front.

The next point to be considered is the height of the arm in delivering the ball. It may now be safely accepted that above the shoulder is more effective than under it; in fact, the higher the better. If the wicket be at all fast, the ball invariably comes quicker off the pitch, rises higher, and is more likely to lead to a catch. However, care must be taken to bowl with a free arm, or there will be very little sting or "devil" as it is called in the ball. Most of the great fast bowlers of the past had a beautiful arm action, and have not been surpassed in that respect by Lohmann, Turner, or Sharpe three of the most prominent bowlers we have at the present time.

George Freeman, the best fast bowler I ever played