Carrom Ball

About Carrom Ball

Carrom Ball is the name for a style of bowling delivery used in cricket, named because the ball is released by flicking the ball between the thumb and a bent middle finger in order to impart spin.

The delivery was invented by Jack Iverson of Australia and continued by John Gleeson, also of Australia. However it has re-entered the cricketing consciousness after its use by Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka.

The ball is held between the thumb, forefinger and the middle finger and, instead of a regular release, the ball is squeezed out/flicked by the fingers like a Carrom player flicking the disc on a Carrom board. The term "Carrom Ball" was coined by Mahendra Mapagunaratne, a Sri Lankan lawyer resident in Toronto, Canada.