The top 5 exponents of the slower ball in world cricket today

#3 James Faulkner

The tall all-rounder is a versatile bowler

The Aussies have produced some of the best fast bowlers in the world who have shattered batting attacks with pace and swing. However, on slow and sluggish pitches like those of the sub-continent, Australian pacers are often rendered ineffective.

James Faulkner lends this variety to their attack, as he is a crafty bowler who acts as the perfect foil to the likes of Mitchell Starc, as he has mastered the art of changing the pace of the game.

He bowls the back-of-the-hand slower ball with such accuracy that it often leads to fall of wickets in crunch situations. His slower ball deliveries don’t seem to come on and the batsman is forced into playing a rash shot.

He has 3 five wicket halls in T20 cricket and an impressive strike rate of 14.85.

In the final of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, Faulkner bowled a superb slower one to get rid of the well-set Ross Taylor, that led to the wrap of the New Zealand innings.

He was awarded Man of the Match in this all important match for his figures of 3/36. His other notable performance was against Pakistan in the 2016 ICC WT20 where he bowled 16 of his 24 balls as slower balls.

He picked up 5/16 in his match and it established him as one of the best slower ball bowlers in the present generation.