IntermediateIn development
Bouncer
Also known as: bumper, short ball
A bouncer is a fast, short-pitched delivery that rears up toward the batter’s head or chest, used to intimidate and to set up the fuller ball.
By banging the ball into the pitch halfway down, a fast bowler makes it climb steeply, forcing the batter to duck, sway, or take it on with a pull or hook. Beyond the wicket-taking threat of a top edge, the bouncer’s real value is psychological and tactical: it pushes the batter back so the following full ball or yorker is harder to defend. Laws limit how many may be bowled per over.
Example
After two bouncers force the batter onto the back foot, the bowler slips in a full yorker the batter can’t get down to.
Related terms
- Pull ShotThe pull shot is a back-foot, cross-bat stroke played to a short-pitched ball, swinging it around to the leg side, typically between mid-wicket and square leg.
- YorkerA yorker is a delivery bowled to pitch right at the batter’s feet, under the swinging bat — one of the hardest balls to score off and a key death-overs weapon.
- Swing BowlingSwing bowling is making a fast-bowled ball curve sideways through the air — toward the batter (inswing) or away (outswing) — by using the seam angle and the ball’s shine.
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