inswinger

cricket

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

In cricket, an inswinger is a type of delivery where the ball curves in the air from the off side towards the leg side (into the batsman) after being bowled. This contrasts with an outswinger, which swerves from the leg side to the off side (away from the batsman). Bowlers use variations like spin and swerve to deceive batsmen, making it difficult to predict the ball's trajectory and bounce. The goal of bowling is primarily to dismiss the batsman, though preventing runs is also important, especially in limited-overs matches.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

cricket
Bowling
…swerves (curves) are the “inswinger,” which moves in the air from off to leg (into the batsman), and the “away swinger,” or “outswinger,” which swerves from leg to off (away from the batsman). A “googly” (coined by cricketer B.J.T. Bosanquet on the 1903–04 MCC tour) is a ball bowled…
Read More
…swerves (curves) are the “inswinger,” which moves in the air from off to leg (into the batsman), and the “away swinger,” or “outswinger,” which swerves from leg to off (away from the batsman). A “googly” (coined by cricketer B.J.T. Bosanquet on the 1903–04 MCC tour) is a ball bowled…
Read More