5 reasons why spinners bowl with the new ball

#4 Due to the bowler’s preference

Herath has always shown interest in bowling with the new ball

Sometimes, the personal preference of a spin bowler also pushes the captain in favour of throwing the new ball towards him. This mostly happens when the premier wicket-taker in the team is a spinner and he believes in his ability to make early inroads for his side.

The pitch conditions, again, tend to play an important role here as it must have something in it for the tweakers to feel that they can do the job. Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath is known for taking the mantle of bowling with the new ball, particularly on home pitches.

Legendary Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble, too, was one of the bowlers who preferred to take the new ball at times and given his credentials, the captains seldom disagreed.