Line and length

A deliberate policy of aiming the line of the ball at the batsman's body was employed by England during their 1932-1933 tour of Australia.

A ball pitched too short may rise high and lose some of its pace, making it easy for the batsman to hit.

A ball pitched too full does not necessarily deviate horizontally in its flight, also making it easy for the batsman to hit.

A good length ball is a compromise between these two options, bouncing far enough from the batsman for lateral deviation to be significant, but not too far that he can react easily to hit it.

If the batsman does not react to the change in length quickly enough, he can be left with his weight on the back foot and, if he misses the ball with his bat, in danger of being out either bowled or leg before wicket.

Another attacking ploy is to pitch a ball very short, making it bounce up around head height as it passes the batsman.