Straight balls part of Craig’s spin roster for India

Overseas spinners coming to Indian shores might fantasise of the ball turning square, but not New Zealand’s Mark Craig.

“The one that goes straight is probably just as invaluable as the ball that turns. I think over here, at times it can probably do too much, so the key is trying and find a way for the ball to slide on straight,” he said a week out from the first of three Tests in Kanpur.

Craig is yet to play a first-class match in the country and has not played Test cricket in seven months after a beamer struck his hand while playing for his state side Otago. He has used his time away from the game to make technical changes, he said. All of them pertained to his bowling action, which a spinner relies on quite heavily.

“I was getting pretty flat with the shoulders, trying to get my shoulders back to 45 [degrees, to be taller at the crease] when I load up,” Craig said. “Not getting too long in my delivery stride and just closing off with the feet. So just three things that I can always go back and look on now. And yeah, happy with the changes I’ve made.”

His tweaks have come in …

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