- May 6, 2025
During this IPL season, if you are like most fans, you probably found yourself shouting at your screen every time Mitchell Starc bowled a ball that smashed the lateral sticks off deliveries. Well, here’s a revelation: it isn’t all about raw speed, and there is a little thing that is sometimes referred to as the wobble seam delivery. Now, wobble seam delivery doesn’t sound like much of an innovation, but this cheeky little delivery method is growing into a closely guarded secret weapon of Starc’s. So, what exactly is wobble, and why is it so devastating for top-order batters? Should we be calling it the “Starc Special?” Come on, let’s explore and unravel the mystery like Star-Lord breaks down one seam at a time.
Breaking Down the Wobble Ball
First of all, what is a wobble seam? It’s like a ball that can’t decide what it wants to be when it grows up. It is not a proper seam-up delivery, but it’s not scrambled either. The bowler will grip the ball with fingers across and not along the seam, creating some doubt. Instead of a nice upright seam position, it “wobbles” through the air, meaning the subsequent ball movement off the pitch is less predictable.
Starc’s delivery? Unpleasant. Against Travis Head, it wasn’t a conventional outswinger—he was using his wobble seam. It angled in and then seemed back sharply, catching Head unaware. The important thing is that the batter sees one thing in the air, but the ball reacts differently off the pitch. Starc presents this confusion to the batter, and especially left-handers, he can exploit their strengths and make them a weakness.
Why It Works So Well on Slower Pitches
IPL pitches are not as quick and bouncy as you may think. As the tournament progresses, many of them, particularly towards the back end when the pitches start to become a little tired, are not very true. On these pitches, the wobble seam will provide a real point of difference. When you bowl a seam-up delivery on a slower wicket, the ball often comes on to you at the same speed the bowler released it. But with the wobble sea, you can create greater deception.
Why? Because of the extra revs. Every time you bowl a wobble seam, you are grabbing hard on the ball with your fingers, like you are trying to spin it without spinning it at all. This is the torque, and the extra revs make the ball wobble, and the pace is also different. So, not only does the ball move in an unknown way, but the batter is unsure of the speed it is coming. This late seam movement + pace variation is very tough for aggressive top-order players trying to go big during the Powerplay.
Mitchell Starc’s Mastery: It’s More Than Just Speed
Listen, we all know Starc for his rockets going at 145+. However, what has been interesting to see this season is how he is developing. He is not just running in and hoping the ball swings; he is assessing the conditions, picking when to swing and when to bowl, and changing the seam position. That wobble seam is no longer just a Plan B; it has become a tactical weapon.
Consider his matchups. With batters like Travis Head, Starc isn’t overcommitting to the outswinger. He mixes it up. Sometimes the ball holds its line, while other times it jagged in off a deck, which made batters half a second indecisive about whether they can drive, leave, go hard, or wait back. In a format where a split-second timing of a decision can often matters, that half a second of not knowing can be enough.
Starc is adding breadth to his game, and it’s this addition that isn’t in far-fetched manner. It’s quiet. Clever. Clinical. So, a question to leave you with: is the wobble seam the future of T20 bowling, or is it just another style that batters have yet to catch up with? Let us know below.
For more, visit JeetBuzz News to read our quality Cricket Blog updates. Explore if you want to reminisce and enjoy all of your favourite cricket players and nostalgic match moments. To ensure that you never miss out, keep updated and join in the fun!
