Carrom ball

The carrom ball (sometimes spelt carom) is a bowling delivery in cricket, so-called after the Indian table game of Carrom Snooker or Billiards where round discs like draughts are used instead of balls. The discs are propelled by the middle finger, which is suddenly released by the forefinger in a flicking motion. In cricket, the carrom ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the bent middle finger and upon release is flicked forwards by the bent middle finger, imparting spin either way or driving the ball straight on. Some sources maintain that this type of delivery has been around since the 1940s and the Australian spin bowlers, Jack Iverson and John Gleeson are thought to have used it during the 1950s and 1960s. Spin bowlers from the Indian sub-continent, however, are responsible for perfecting it from about 2008 onwards, notably Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka, Ravichandran Ashwin of India and Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan, who all developed a carrom ball. It is a very difficult ball for the batsman to read because it can spin either way or go straight on with no discernible difference in the bowling action.