EXPLAINED: What makes bouncers a lethal strategy at Lord’s?

Traditionalists will be shocked, but the iconic Lord’s is no longer a paradise for swing. 

A venue where people usually flocked in line so as not to miss the first session of a day has now almost become a terrible nightmare for the new ball bowlers, so much so that they don’t hesitate one bit before turning to the short ball ploy. 

With Sri Lanka already losing a grip over the ongoing Test, their pacers, including Asitha Fernando, quickly turned towards bouncers in an attempt to inflict damage on the hosts. So, why the short-ball strategy, and…. 

What do the numbers say?

Purely from a numbers perspective, Lord’s is a venue where the pacers have employed the short ball strategy to the fullest extent. 

At Lord’s, the pacers have picked up 22 wickets while bowling short (10m+), where the bowling average has been 11.9, the lowest for any venue in the country. Not just that, the wickets have come so frequently (25.5) that it is understandable why the pacers have banged it short. 

Only the surface at Edgbaston comes close to rewarding bowlers for bowling it short in England, with eight wickets @ 23.4. 

Who are the bowlers who have gained from this strategy?

Since the Bazball takeover, one bowler who gained a lot out of the bouncer strategy was none other than Stuart Broad, who found ample success at the venue. The former English pacer picked up four wickets at the venue while bowling a bouncer, averaging 5.5. 

But the fascinating detail here is the volume of bouncers Broad has bowled at the venue since 2022. Over the last two years, the Nottinghamshire man has bowled 11.2 overs of bouncers. 

Following Broad closely is Ollie Robinson, who, too, was well rewarded for pitching it up short, with three wickets in his 8.4 overs. In the ongoing Test, Asitha Fernando has gravely benefitted from following an already-set template, with three wickets via bouncers. 

Already set template, when did that happen?

The 2023 Ashes Test at Lord’s is always going to go down in history as a match dominated by ‘bouncers’. Both Australia and England did not hesitate one bit before doubling down on their short ball strategy. 

During that Test, England, according to CricViz’s data, bowled an average length of 11.05m. It was the shortest that any team in the history of Test cricket had bowled in any session. So, what triggered the short-ball strategy? 

With England at 91/0, Australian pacers were quickly running out of ideas before Steven Smith chipped in with the suggestion of bowling it short, a ploy that soon defined the Test. After Zak Crawley’s dismissal, Australia quickly went to their short ball strategy, which then helped the visitors take a massive 91-run lead. 

Did that help then and now?

Of course, 54.3% of the wickets in that particular Test were all short. 

But if you were wondering why it worked? There are two reasons behind the resurgence of the short-ball strategy at the Lord’s - 1) Indifferent bounce and 2) Accuracy. 

While England's pacers in that Test had indifferent bounce because of their different speeds, the Australian pacers were largely rewarded for showing a great deal of consistency in bowling at that length, as exhibited in the image below: 

That’s what led to Sri Lanka employing the short-ball strategy.

Naturally, the Sri Lankan pacers turned their attention towards the short ball, with Asitha Fernando picking up three wickets via just bouncers. Lahiru Kumara, too, got some purchase while bowling short, with a wicket against his name. 

Where does Lord’s stand on a global level?

Well, well, get ready for a shocker. In all Tests since 2022, no venue, I REPEAT, NO VENUE has had more dismissals from the short ball area than Lord’s.

With 47 wickets across the last two years (average of 25.7, strike rate of 37.75), the short ball strategy has been identified as fruitful at Lord’s. Don't be surprised if more pacers employ it in the coming years. 

(All stats only till session 1 of day three)

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