In cricket, why is the ball thrown so that it bounces off the ground, instead of an entirely mid-air throw?

satguru

It is a lot more dangerous to throw a cricket ball directly without bouncing, and involves far less skill. It is not illegal, called a full toss, but in fact besides being more likely to injure the batsman are far easier to play. Feb 03 07, 9:52 AM

neon000

Thank you. Feb 03 07, 4:28 PM

MiteAx

To ellaborate on satguru's post above... It is not primarily a question of danger to the batsmen, but due to the fact there are far more problems that bouncing (pitching) the ball can cause the batsmen that can cause him to get out. Bowlers often spin the ball one way or the other, or use the prominent stitched seam on the ball to make it deviate slightly from a stralight line, this happening a short way in front of the batsmen gives him little time to react accordingly and is harder to play. In times when batsmen didn't have the protective items (helmets, leg pags etc) a full toss was considered a dangerous ball and still is to some extent now (a full toss above waist height is an illegal delivery), though it rarely causes injury beyond bruising. Feb 05 07, 5:27 AM