Dan Mousley aims to stand out from the chasing pack for England by showcasing his balance of temperament and skill.
Dan Mousley was playing his first List A match in three years when he went on to bat at Antigua.
Mousley, 20, addressed a coach at the Warwickshire Academy who had ties to Sri Lanka and asked if he might obtain a game because he had been missing cricket due to a string of broken fingers. After a few weeks, he left for Colombo.
Mousley has never been a follower of the rules. His unique “offspin” is currently demonstrating this point.
His hallmark action, bowling yorkers at 116 kph and 72 mph off three steps, got his first international wicket. Round the wicket, right-arm, quick, straight, out. Victim Rovman Powell.
Mousley bowls better than anyone else in the world. He is the fastest spin bowler since ball monitoring records started in 2006, claims CricViz. By miles, too.
His style has always included pace. However, he is now being urged to lean into it rather than slow down, like he was when he was younger.
Mousley would not have been to Powell, despite being new on the global scene. During the Hundred, Mousley’s quick spin and seamers gained widespread recognition after he helped the Birmingham Phoenix defeat the Trent Rockets with a triple-wicket final set of ten. Powell was on the Rockets club that day.
Whether this is the future that is unfolding before our eyes or a passing trend that batters will soon grasp and take to the stars, Mousley will be an intriguing case study.
With eight first-class wickets at an average of 38.37, Mousley is also not a one-trick pony. He has the abilities and ability to bowl in a traditional manner. Pretty offies won’t get you very far, though, if you’re bowling to Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell.
Batters are trained to react to specific cues throughout their lives. Because batters’ bodies do not have as much muscle memory hardwired into them, left-handed bowlers feel faster than right-handed bowlers. And Mousley takes advantage of this unfamiliarity.
“It started off because people say offspinners can’t bowl at right-handers,” Mousley says.
“But I don’t believe in that, I made it clear at Warwickshire I didn’t believe in that and then ended up getting a bit of confidence. It went from there. It’s a different skill, it’s probably not traditional offspin but it’s one of those things which I’ve just learnt to bring into my favour. It’s okay to be different as a bowler.”