The Big Bash’s leading wicket taker reveals the secret behind his mystery ball
Sydney Thunder seamer Daniel Sams is the current owner of the golden cap as the leading wicket taker, courtesy of a slower ball that has been baffling and fooling opposition batsmen.
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It arrives slowly than expected but it’s quickly becoming one of the most potent weapons in this season’s Big Bash.
Almost halfway through the tournament, Sydney Thunder seamer Daniel Sams is the current owner of the golden cap as the leading wicket taker heading into Monday night’s clash with the Brisbane Heat at the Sydney Showground Stadium.
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More than half of his 12 wickets this season have come courtesy of a cleverly disguised slower ball that’s fooled some of the biggest hitters in the BBL including Moises Henriques, Dan Christian, Phil Salt, Sam Harper and Jake Weatherald (twice).
By his own admission, it’s a pretty simple delivery which he bowls so often it’s almost become his stock ball, but what makes it so effective is that he adds a twist by bending sideways to release the ball when his arm has passed the perpendicular.
We've got a new owner of the @BKTtires Golden Cap! #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/thLTA6Va0A
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 2, 2020
“That means I can get a little bit more spin and more revs, which means the ball can drop a little bit more and if the pitch is conducive, it’ll move a little bit off the wicket,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“There’s a lot of slower balls going around these days, there’s a knuckle ball and one going out of the back of the hand, but I just think with my slower ball I just kind of have the variations of what the pitch does, the length I bowl it and how slow and how much I try and turn it, and it seems to be working quite well.”
His success has been one of the reasons behind the Thunder’s strong start to the season – though he didn’t make the best beginnings himself.
In his first over of the season, against the Brisbane heat, he got belted for two successive sixes then bowled one straight at the square leg umpire after the ball slipped out of his hand.
Unsurprisingly, that one gaffe has been shared more times on social media than any of his sublime wicket-taking balls, but being able to laugh off any blunders and rebound so quickly has been the key to his success this year.
“The mental side is definitely something I’ve had to work on a lot,” he said.
“The nature of T20 cricket as a bowler is that there’s going be games where you get hit for sixes and things don’t go right so you’ve just got to be able to move on and be ready for the next scenario.
“That’s how I’ve approached this year and so far it’s probably been the biggest improvement in my game. ”