What is drift of a spin bowler in cricket? And does it depend upon the conditions?
1 Answer
Drift in cricket is getting the ball to move sideways while in the air. When a spin bowler imparts spin to the cricket ball at an oblique angle to the length of the pitch, it is also possible for the Magnus effect to cause the ball to deviate sideways through the air, before it bounces. This slight deviation is called drifting. Side spin along with drift is very effective to beat the batsman or get an edge or force a soft dismissal.
Drifting can happen after bounce and before reaching 'keeper. But that is rare for spinner but fast bowling.