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Which bowler's action would you try to copy when you were younger?

MenInG

MenInG

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Imran Khan, Wasim Akram....Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Qadir..... or Danish Kaneria....

Think I tried everything when I was a little younger - obviously didnt work out as I dont see my name on the Lord's honour board.

So who's action did you try out? Don't be shy - we wont laugh.
 
Allan Donald, although I would probably bowl at around 100 kmph :D
 
I grew up in the 90s so mostly it was Waqar and Shoaib. Later I switched it to something which I think is similar to Shane Bond and I have stuck by that action.
 
I started watching cricket after the two Ws retired but would watch videos of them on youtube and then immitate their actions, especially that of Waqar Younis - I actually mastered the Waqar's inswinging yorker (toe breakers) and Akram's inswinger and outswinging deliveries at a young age but sadly could never pursue organized cricket cause of my family's academic focus.
 
I tried copying Murali Kartik's action a lot.

I am right handed but while growing up tried bowling slow left arm a lot, eventually started getting it right. But I was predominantly a batter and did part time keeping and part time SLA bowling.
 
Chris Cairns when I used to bowl pace
Saqlain off spin
Paul Strang (Zimbabwe) leg spin
 
:akhtar

Especially that LONG run-up.

RingedAnchoredGreatwhiteshark-size_restricted.gif
 
Ab Fan said:
I tried copying Murali Kartik's action a lot.

I am right handed but while growing up tried bowling slow left arm a lot, eventually started getting it right. But I was predominantly a batter and did part time keeping and part time SLA bowling.
Click to expand...

Same here I used to copy Sanath Jayasuriya and Murali Kartik's bowling action but with a right arm.
 
We've all tired copying Malinga at least once.

After the t20 world cup in 2007, I would also try and bowl like Sohail Tanvir
 
Shoaib and Imran in fast-bowling.

Ashwin in off-spin and Warne in leg-spin :))
 
When i was a kid i loved practicing Danish Kaneria's action. I started watching cricket when i saw those England tours i think in 2005 or 06. Kaneria was famous and i loved his style. Licking your fingers and coming in to bowl with a huge leap.

Than as a medium pacer I bowled like Sohail Tanvir. Infact i was bowling like Sohail Tanvir even before i saw Sohail Tanvir bowl in 2008. Later i would find out my bowling action was like his.

Later on when i started club, i kept more of a Malik/hafeez type action for off spin
 
I was a leg spinner (not a good one either lol) but because I was a big Afridi fan so I would try to copy his action

When we would play for fun or play tapeball I would sometimes play as fast bowler again not a good one either lol but I would try to imitate Malcolm Marshall and in some cases try to do same run up as Shoaib Akhtar lol
 
Imran khan...obviously...duh

And Mudassir Nazar - I thought his side-on angle will help me in some voodoo way.

Eventually I realized it was not the action but lack of talent that was holding me back.

Oh well.
 
I was actually able to try and copy few bowling styles in casual warmups. I have done Wasim, Steyn, Asif, Flintoff, Anderson, Mcgrath, Wahab, Klusner, Andy Bichel, Balaji and maybe a few others. Copying actions and bowling even in the backyard alone was kind of one my childhood hobby.

Really loved copying Mohammad Asif, that consistent and smooth run up, really smooth arm motion in the load up which naturally allows you to copy the mindset of accuracy with decent wrist behind behind the ball to finish.
 
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From spinners I liked copying Saqlain, Malik (Who himself was inspired from Saqlain), Kaneria, Warne, Harbhajan, Afridi. Tried Murali as well which wasnt smooth and couldnt get much pace behind.
 
DK Lillee - later Waquar Younis & finally Ian Bishop

Though I liked most was Mike Holding but somehow never tried to copy him. In later stages, I really liked Bishop, but by then I stopped thinking on playing serious cricket and focused on studies. DK Lillee was my first crash - actually pulled a muscle in shoulders and suffered for three months trying to copy arm movement during run-up.


Among spinners - one and only A Qadir. Bowled off-spin as well, but that's just my own action, none in mind - people said it was like Tauseef.
 
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When bowling pace mostly Shoaib Akhtar including his run up, occasionally right handed version of Wasim Akram.

When bowling spin, Saqlain Mushtaq, Warne and Afridi.

Celeberation: Afridi

When Keeping Moin Khan.

When fielding Jhonty Rhodes.a

When batting normal Saeed Anwar, Lara, Inzi. When hitting out Razzaq.

Sorry got carried away 😂
 
As a leggie, I tried to pull off Warne's action (original I know).
 
Wasim, Lance Klusener, Warne also tried Mohanty just for fun.

Never understood why Pollock bowled like that.
 
Shane Bond was one I liked to copy (and I still do!). Love his action.and bowling. Probably my favourite bowler.
 
I pathan with only one arm keeping the right arm straight with no moment:broad, Akhtar obiviously, Brett Lee, Shane Bond , Gayle, Afridi, Hoggard.
 
Mix of Agarkar and Mcgrath.

With that action I used to believe that I could bowl outswingers with a tennis ball :dw
 
For some reason.....Ian Botham.

The main reason was that it was a fairly easy action to copy.
 
Come on, there must have been someone here who tried to be an Ashok Dinda :))
 
I have tried many different actions. LOL.

I used to try to bowl like Shakib. I had a similar action like him but obviously I wasn't as good as him.

I also tried Irfan Pathan's action, Mohammed Sami's action, Shane Warne's action etc.
 
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My fastest ball used to happen with Irfan Pathan's action. That minor pause used to give me extra pace.
 
I used to copy Srinath's action. Then once he retired I switched to Bret Lee's. And during the days when I was lazy and wanted to bowl spin, uses to imitate Tendulkar's action :srt:
 
My cousin did a funny version of Robin Jackman, with his little steps in his run-up.
 
Mohammed Amir, I also had his 2010 in swing (but at 90 kmph :)) ) and his 2010 hair style with bangs

too bad I hate him know...

his selfish behavior is to blame
 
While playing, I had my own action, probably a hybrid of a few.

I used to bowl a lot at home on my own (for hours). Man I tried so many during those times, but especially Wasim, Waqar, Aqib, Shoaib, Darren Gough and Shaun Pollock. Mushi, Warne, Afridi and my own version of Kaneria for leg spin. Saqlain for some off spin. Would try bowling left handed as Geoff Allot, Dan Vettori and Aamir Sohail. Heck I even did Arshad Khan's action (after he picked up Aravinda De Silva I think it was off an armball)!
 
Afridi (actually quite good at it and picked up wickets)
Ajmal
Warne (my favorite)
Hadlee (got some decent out swing)
McGrath

And I can’t believe nobody mentioned... Flintoff! That’s the most fun one in my opinion.
 
At the time when South Africa came to England for the summer i decided i'd emulate Paul Adams.

I must have been a pretty dumb kid, i can only imagine how i must have looked.
 
ManFan said:
Afridi (actually quite good at it and picked up wickets)
Ajmal
Warne (my favorite)
Hadlee (got some decent out swing)
McGrath

And I can’t believe nobody mentioned... Flintoff! That’s the most fun one in my opinion.
Click to expand...

First time I ever did spin was leg spin and it was Shahid afridi's action and it would just give so much spin

I think his action is great and I just felt sexy while bowling it (I don't know the reason)
 
Bigboii said:
First time I ever did spin was leg spin and it was Shahid afridi's action and it would just give so much spin

I think his action is great and I just felt sexy while bowling it (I don't know the reason)
Click to expand...

I think it’s because his action is unorthodox for a spinner, more like a fast bowler. It used to hurry the batsmen and I would almost always get some natural drift or swing in.
 
In the 1990s, most kids favorite fast bowler was Allan Donald..Mimicking his bowling action alone would make you think you have some super powers. The attitude came naturally. :yk
 
Shoaib akhtar.....always..

oh and shaun pollock....somehow his action got me some really pronounced outswing lol
 
I went through phases

The first ever was Waqar Younis when I was barely 7-8 years old. Got decent success and also was able to use angle of arm coming down well.

But then few years later I wanted pace so shifted to Shoaib Akhtar action. Actually it got me pace (relatively speaking anyway) but accuracy was lacking and there was no movement whatsoever.

For a bit I also tried Wasim Akram’s action right-handed. But it really did not seem to be lending any value to me. The pace was low since the action uses little of your back and there wasn’t much going too. Once an opposition called my delivered ‘halwa’ and so I changed again. And then I shifted to Shane Bond’s action. It yielded good results But people said I was ‘chucking’ so I decided to change before it became big issue.

Since 2009-10 or I have settled on a mixture of Brett Lee and Sean Tait’s action and it has clearly yielded the best results for me. Unfortunately haven’t played a whole lot in past couple of years but that is now my action. You can get decent pace out and also be able to manouever your wrist enough to get movement.

Some other actions I tried for short lived periods include: Makhaya Ntini (lol- don’t know how it didn’t result in many injuries
For him) and also a right-handed Zaheer Khan.
 
Bigboii said:
First time I ever did spin was leg spin and it was Shahid afridi's action and it would just give so much spin

I think his action is great and I just felt sexy while bowling it (I don't know the reason)
Click to expand...

Yes it was very smooth. Warne’s for eg takes a lot out of your arm rotator and back. Once I was playing street cricket and bowling spin for some reason using Shahid afridis action. The ball literally spinner a mile for one of the deliveries but hit top of off stump. I still Don’t know what happened but it spun like Warne’s did v Strauss. Most likely hit a bump or small piece of stone :))
 
Wasim Akram (younger), Shoaib Akhter ( Teen ager) and Razzaq ( just when want to troll left hander) :-D
 
Define younger!
When i was 6-10 tried, I tried copying Waqar & Wasim. In my teens it was Shoaib Akhtar, and then in my 20s when i started playing leagues it was always Shane Warne (I became a leg spinner in late teens). So basically, been one since then and the action is still same (Warnesque), if ever I play cricket.
 
I used to copy Colin Croft's action. That was a tricky one.
 
There certainly is something about afridi's action. Dude used to get a lot of drift for the pace that he used to bowl. I'd like someone like [MENTION=141557]Chief Destroyer[/MENTION] or [MENTION=152972]Pacy with wisdom[/MENTION] to analys lal's action(2004-11) and tell us why that was so.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
There certainly is something about afridi's action. Dude used to get a lot of drift for the pace that he used to bowl. I'd like someone like [MENTION=141557]Chief Destroyer[/MENTION] or [MENTION=152972]Pacy with wisdom[/MENTION] to analys lal's action(2004-11) and tell us why that was so.
Click to expand...

Where is Chief Destroyer these days, really used to enjoy his insights.
 
Slog said:
Yes it was very smooth. Warne’s for eg takes a lot out of your arm rotator and back. Once I was playing street cricket and bowling spin for some reason using Shahid afridis action. The ball literally spinner a mile for one of the deliveries but hit top of off stump. I still Don’t know what happened but it spun like Warne’s did v Strauss. Most likely hit a bump or small piece of stone :))
Click to expand...

Yes exactly I used to get lots spin (sometime exactly like what you're talking bout those big warne vs strauss type deliveries) I thaught it was happening because I was a leftie and the angle suited me but I didn't know that it was happening to lot of people

Btw are you a leftie too or one can get that spin without the angle?
 
I tried Shoaib Akthars action quiet successfully for a couple of years in School cricket, until i was called out for Chucking. May be the batsman did not like the speed.
Then I tried Glen McGraths action after that and I was quiet successful in my Engineering college intra branch tournament. Reached till finals which we lost.
My figures in 5 matches with 4 overs per bowler allowed in a 20 overs match.
4/20 (1st match)
3/27 (2nd Match)
5/30 (Quarter final)
2/23 (Semi-Final)
0/44 (Final).. Typical Windy and Cloudy Punjab winter morning. Too much swing and bowled almost 15 wides in 4 overs. No control. We lost.
I won bowler of the tournament trophy but the final loss still stings, as I was Match Ka Mujrim...:broad
 
These days in Melbourne i play club cricket and bowl off-spin using Saqlains actions. Not bad figures in few matches i played as everyone just wants to whack the spinner and i got few stumping and bowled outs with people swinging wildly.
 
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