Imagine standing at the top of your mark on a warm summer day. The batsman is ready, the keeper and slips are way back in the distance.

You are the one with the ball; all the batsman can do is respond to what you deliver. What happens next is up to you.

But it’s how you view the batsman that is all important to your personality (and success) as a bowler.

You see, according to Somerset Chairman of Cricket and former England international Vic Marks, there are only really 2 types of fast bowler: The Duellist and the Surgeon.

The Duellist

When you stand at your mark you have contempt for the batsman. The better he is the more you relish the challenge of getting him out.

You want to test your skills and are looking for chinks in your opponents armour to exploit. You adjust fields, line and length. You try variations in pace and seam position.

When you bowl a good ball you give the batsman a stare, perhaps even a quiet word. You wear your heart on your sleeve. You’re not afraid to show your passion, especially when you get a wicket.

This approach to bowling means that you can have trouble bowling well when there is no duel to be had. It’s not easy for you to get motivated in a game where standards are poor or there is nothing on the match.

Sometimes you can also try too much clever stuff before getting the basics right. You can over-think your plans and variations and end up trying too hard to bowl the magic spell rather than being the stock bowler.

Batsmen who relish the challenge tend to love batting against you as much as you love bowling to them.

You have a different approach to the duellist. Your plan doesn’t involve the batsman because it’s all about what you do.

You know that if you bowl enough balls in the right line and length any batsman will eventually succumb.

It may be because you are swinging and seaming the ball well, scaring the batsman with speed and short balls, or squeezing the batsman with accurate bowling and no way of scoring. Whatever.

You are simply striving for perfection every ball with a repeatable action.

When you bowl well you react in the same way as when you are bowling badly. You turn and go back to your mark for the next ball. Your reaction to a wicket is always slightly muted because to you it’s just the natural consequence of your mechanical, clinical and precise bowling.

Game situations don’t bother you much, you have the same aim.

Batsmen who like the duel find you frustratingly cold, which is an advantage if they get distracted by your lack of concern.

But this can lead to you being predictable and unimaginative if your plan doesn’t work.

Which are you?

It’s important to know what type of bowler you are so you can develop a style and role in the side.

For example, more introverted surgeons are suited to the less glamour of stock bowling. Your style just keeps going, taking wickets and keeping the run rate down.  Duellists prefer the glamour of strike bowling. Your extrovert style makes bowling entertainment.

Knowing your bowling personality also helps you to decide what to do in practice.

Surgeons will naturally spend a lot of time bowling at a target, but it’s also important you find time to practice a variation or two when Plan A doesn’t work.

Duellists will work more on different areas to bowl at, experimenting as much as drilling. However, there is always time for a bit of ‘boring’ target practice with no batsmen too. Something you find easy to forget.

Finally, being aware of where you are weak mental can help you get through the tough times. Duellists need to find the challenge in the games with nothing on them, surgeons need to learn how to get creative under the pressure of a game situation.

So what type of seamer are you? Leave a comment.

image credit: SarahCanterbury