Different Bowling lines

Line and length are two terms you are guaranteed to hear several times at every cricket match, probably once or twice in each and every over. 

For comprehension's sake, that would mean up to 50 times in a single ODI innings and up to 100 times in an ODI match.

It would only make sense to better understand these terms as they are the cornerstones of any bowling effort. 

Not only do they determine how good a delivery is but how good it is with respect to the qualities of the batsman to which that ball is bowled. That is to say some batsmen are stronger playing balls off their feet whilst others are stronger playing wider balls.

This discussion will only delve into the basic fundamentals of line, however, length is also very well broken down >>here.<<

Key

stump - Wicket line

stump - Fourth stump line

stump - Fifth stump line

stump - Leg side 

Wicket line

Often called bowling wicket-to-wicket, these deliveries are bowled aiming for the stumps. This could be off stump, middle stump, or leg stump. 

Depending on the stump on which the ball is aimed at, the line is correspondingly called an off-stump line, middle stump line, or leg stump line.

 

The wicket line is often used by bowlers to try and keep the batsmen in check, especially on pitches that favor the batsman. The risk of being bowled when they miss a shot limits batsmen (to an extent) from playing extravagant shots.

 

Wicket-to-wicket lines mainly offer two forms of dismissal, namely, bowled and Leg Before Wicket (LBW).

Fourth stump line

The fourth stump line, as the name suggests, is a channel right next to the wickets where an imaginary fourth stump would be.

 

The main weapon in bowling a fourth stump line is the element of uncertainty. Fittingly, it is often called "the corridor of uncertainty."

 

A batsman without a good command of his off stump can often be troubled in judgement on whether to leave or play at a ball in the fourth stump line.

 

The fourth stump line is often a go-to delivery when there is assistance in the pitch for bowlers as it offers a wider array of dismissal types. 

Firstly, it brings the wicket keeper and slips into play for the outside edges on deliveries bowled with out-swing. Secondly, it brings LBW and bowled into play for deliveries that will jag back into the batsman or those bowled with in-swing.

Lastly, it also challenges the inside edge, and so the batsman can be caught by the wicket keeper or he can edge the ball onto his stumps.

Fifth stump line 

The fifth stump line is a channel around which an imaginary fifth stump would be positioned.

Bowling this channel generally doesn't challenge a batsman's stumps as it is a much wider line. It does, however, entice a batsman to play a cross-bat shot, (a shot with bat parallel to the ground) which is much more riskier than playing with a straight bat.

 

The fifth stump line therefore tends to rely more on ball deviation, lateral movement, and variable bounce as a weapon. This, in turn, can lead to nicks on either side of a batsman's bat, thus bringing slips into play as well as inside edges that will play the ball back into the stumps. 

Leg side

When a ball it going down the leg side it generally won't challenge the stumps and more often than not it will be called a wide if it does not make contact with either the bat or the batsman.

The leg side line may be used by pacemen when they are deliberately targeting a batsman's body with fast, sharp bouncers. This is another ploy usually used when there is no assistance whatsoever on the wicket for bowlers.

Spinners, on the other hand, may find a little more joy bowling the leg side line, especially in longer formats of the game. 

This is because the line is prone to faster degradation due to bowlers' foot marks during their run-ups. The track also endures further degradation as batsmen leave tread marks while running between wickets.

The disintegrated surface will therefore offer more grip and turn for spinners.

 

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