Reverse Swing - How Does IT Work?

How Does It Work?

There have been plenty of theories about why, but here's an explanation from former England bowling coach Troy Cooley:

• "Reverse swing is all to do with the deterioration of the ball and the seam position in flight. As the ball becomes rougher, it will take on a different characteristic as it deteriorates. So if you present the ball as an outswinger, the ball has deteriorated so much on the rough side that it takes on the characteristics of the shiny side. Which means a natural outswinger will become an inswinger and conversely, an inswinger into an outswinger."

The defining point of swing is the separation point of the initial layer of air with the ball, whichever side has greater air coverage will have more lift and lower pressure, lifting and sucking the ball towards it. For greater detail on what causes separation-point differences see swing bowling.