Pace bowlers have a separate fanbase in the world of cricket. When a bowler bowls express pace, people across the world are excited to see him bowl. Genuine pace bowling is an art, and very few pacers can say that they can trouble the batters with their fast bowling.
Another art of bowling is spin. The spinners bowl much slower than the pacers, but they deceive the batters with the turn and bounce. Sometimes, even a straight delivery deceives the batters because they attempt to play a spinning delivery.
Depending on the pitch and conditions, the pacers have sometimes resorted to spin bowling. Some even preferred spin to do away with long run-ups. Here’s a list of four popular pacers who also bowled spin in their careers.
1. One of the top pace bowlers – Sreesanth
Sreesanth was the hero of India’s T20 World Cup 2007 win. He was also in the playing XI of India for the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka. Sreesanth has retired now, but in the last few domestic games of his career for Kerala, he was spotted bowling leg-spin.
2. One of the top pace bowlers – Jason Holder
Current West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder is one of the tall pacers in Caribbean cricket. Holder tried off-spin bowling in the recently-concluded Test against Zimbabwe, where the pitch was assisting the spinners.
3. Andrew Symonds
Former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds was a right-arm bowler, and he used to change between spin and pace, depending on the conditions and his own wish.
4. Ollie Robinson
Current England bowler Ollie Robinson has made a name for himself with his swing and pace. Robinson resorted to right-arm off-spin in an Ashes Test match against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 2021. England did not have a frontline spinner in their playing XI, which forced Robinson to bowl some off-spin.
