Slower balls and speed variations are important now more than ever where pitches are so flat that conventional swing bowling has a limited window of impact.

Here are 3 variations, as demonstrated by bowlers who have become masters of the slower ball.

Michael Kasprowicz: Cutters

"Kasper" was an excellent swing bowler yet made a huge impact in sub-continent conditions by undercutting the ball using an off cutting motion.

Tactically, he mixed this delivery with a fast straight ball keeping the stumps in danger constantly.

This mode of attack was supported by a man on the legside drive in a 5/4 offside field and squeezed the opposition whilst creating chances on a regular basis.

In recent years, Lasith Malinga has incorporated this into his armoury with his low bowling arm being perfectly suited to this delivery type.

Jade Dernbach: Over the top

Jade Dernbach has mastered inverting his wrist at point of release, effectively delivering the ball with the fingers in front of the ball rather than behind at point of release.

Certain plays find this easy as they have great levels of dexterity when their hands are away from their body, I'm sure that you have at least one of these players in your squad, so offer them this option.

Practice by flicking the ball in pairs back and forth in a style similar to the way a leg-spinner will work on new variations.

Jade Dernbach really pulls his front side towards the ground in order to allow his bowling arm to be perpendicular at release (12 o'clock rather than conventional 1 o'clock for right arm or 11 o'clock for left arm).

Dilhara Fernando: Split finger ball

Fernando holds the ball lightly in his fingers in his approach but remaining in a similar position to his usual swinging delivery. As he reaches his bound, he pushes the underside of the ball hard and this forces the ball to squeeze between the two fingers on the top of the ball.

The lack of contact with the back of the ball means that it has less force behind it and as a result the ball comes out slower.

What are the common these with these balls?

First, the best slower balls dip on the batter. this tends to happen when the bowlers arm speed is maintained or in some cases, actually speeds up.

Many club players slow their bowling arm speeds yet this often gives the game away visually, means that the ball does not dip on the batter and that control is lost.

Second, all slower ball deliveries require huge amounts of practice and perseverance.

Players such as Kasprowicz, Fernando and Dernbach are constantly working on their execution in the nets but more importantly flicking balls from hand to hand or forcing the ball through their fingers whilst sitting in the changing rooms.

What natural variations can your players find easy to try?