A negative bowling refers to the continuous bowling of the bowler towards the leg side of the batsman. This is a common strategy used by bowlers, particularly in Test matches. With the negative bowling, the batsman will have difficulty in making runs.

Common Reasons for Negative Bowling

Whenever a good batsman is on the field, the fielding team would not want the batting team to earn more runs. As a result, there are some bowlers that use a negative bowling strategy to prohibit the batsman from scoring. Often times a good batsman can hit a ball aggressively and gain as many runs as he can. Hence, a bowler would want to avoid giving the batsman the opportunity for a good hit.

How to Avoid Negative Bowling?

Giving a batsman negative bowling is often a strategy of a bowler. It prevents the batsman from getting a good hit that can earn him several runs. The bowler would use negative bowling to provoke the batsman from making a wrong selection of shots. If a batsman loses control and decides to hit the ball, the result might not be favorable to him. Instead of the opportunity to earn runs, he might get dismissed from batting. Therefore, it is important that the batsman does not get provoked this strategy and wait it out. Eventually, if the umpire notices it, the bowler might be penalized. Although, such a strategy is not possible during T20 and ODI matches as the rules are stricter than test matches.

Disadvantages of Negative Bowling

When using a negative bowling strategy, the downside of it is it might lead to the match getting boring. Cricket fans are always looking forward to a fun and exciting match. If a batsman notices that the bowler keeps on giving negative bowling, the batsman might decide not to make that run after hitting the ball. Although the batsman might get a cricket dot ball, at least he was not able to get dismissed if a fielder manages to catch his ball. As a result, not only will the batsman gets frustrated, but so does the cricket fans.