Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Ahmed noted that reverse swing is achieved by taking care of the shiny side of the ball

Former Pakistan leg-spinner and current England spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed has revealed that he has actually been helping the pace bowlers master the art of reverse swing as he was the team-mate of two reverse swing specialists, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

 “Regardless of my coaching, they [England’s bowlers] are doing extensive work in the nets [on mastering reverse swing],” Ahmed said. “They have realised that apart from the gym work, developing skills is equally important. They do discuss all the factors of reverse swing, but credit must be given to them for attaining it. The most inspiring thing is they [practice] in the nets, otherwise bowlers these days don’t work on their variations. They just wait for the ball to get old.

“I have experience with the likes of Wasim and Waqar. Both were the best in the business, so I am sharing my past experiences with them. They [England bowlers] do discuss the angles, the importance of using the crease, and a lot of other minor factors that could help. I am happy that things are being applied, and that they are getting results out of it.”

The 43-year-old is currently working with the England squad on a consultancy basis and noted that in order to achieve reverse swing, the bowlers have to take care of the shiny side of the ball.

“In my time, I used to take care of the ball, and I had to keep it in the best shape so that the utility of the ball did not go off,” Mushtaq said. “They asked me to keep one side of the ball dry, and not let it [get] wet by any means – which is a very important part. The more you look after the ball, the better the result you will attain. Players these days throw the ball with one bounce on the pitches to get the ball rough, but maintaining it thereafter is a skill.”