How the Bowling System Works

Bowling in Cricket All Stars has more depth than most mobile cricket games. The two features that set it apart from genre standards are the pre-delivery trajectory preview and the pre-over field placement screen.

The trajectory preview shows the ball's planned path before you release it. You can adjust line and length before committing to the delivery. This gives you precise control over where the ball lands — something that in most mobile cricket games is left to randomness or simple swipe direction.

The field placement screen appears before each over. You set where your fielders stand for the next six balls. Get this right and you convert half-chances into catches. Get it wrong and the batsman scores freely into the gaps you leave. Most new players skip the field setting or accept the default. This is a significant mistake.

Field Placement — The Highest-Leverage Decision

Before you bowl a delivery, decide what wicket you are trying to take. Then set the field to support that plan. These are the most common field setups and when to use them:

Attacking Off-Side Field

Use this when the AI batsman has been hitting through the off side. Pack the off side with two slips, a gully, and a point fielder. Then bowl full on or outside off stump. The batsman's natural response will go toward a waiting fielder. At Professional difficulty and above, the AI adjusts after three or four balls of seeing the same field, so be ready to shift the catching cordon after the third delivery.

Leg-Side Trap

If the AI is pulling and hooking short balls on the leg side, bring in a short midwicket, a fine leg, and a deep square leg. Bowl short on leg stump. The pull shot has fewer safe directions and a mishit goes straight to one of those three positions.

Defensive Field for Economy

In the 12-16 over phase when the AI is accelerating, a defensive field across both sides of the boundary reduces sixes but gives up singles. This is correct when you are defending a good total and need to control scoring rate without necessarily taking wickets. Push all catchers back and bowl full outside off stump to induce drives to fielders stationed at cover and mid-off.

Death Overs Field

In overs 18-20 when the AI is going big, you need two fielders at deep midwicket, one at long on, one at long off, and a fine leg. Your plan here is not to take wickets — it is to stop fours and force the AI into hitting over the top where a mistimed shot lands short of the rope. Bowl yorkers. Keep them out of the slot.

Delivery Types and When to Use Them

Outswinger

The outswinger is your primary wicket-taker early in an innings on a new ball. It starts on middle or off stump and curves away. With two slips in place, a full outswinger that clips the edge flies to first or second slip. Bowl three outswingers at full length outside off to set up the inswinger — the AI adjusts its feet for the away movement, then the inswinger comes in to hit the pads.

Inswinger

Most effective as a surprise delivery after establishing the outswinger. Full length on middle or leg stump. The AI playing for the away movement will play around it. LBW and bowled are both possible outcomes. Do not bowl successive inswingers or the AI adapts and clips it to fine leg.

Bouncer

Short deliveries are high-risk at lower difficulties because the AI times the pull well. At Professional and above, a bouncer after two full deliveries disrupts the batsman's rhythm and often produces a top-edge. Bowl one per four deliveries maximum — more than that and the AI starts timing it properly.

Yorker

The yorker is the hardest delivery to bowl and the most effective one at the death. Aim for the toes — the trajectory line needs to show the ball landing right at the crease. Over-pitching a yorker becomes a full toss, which is an easy boundary. Under-pitching it becomes a short ball, also dangerous. In the death overs, two yorkers per over is a realistic target. More than that on low-end touchscreens is difficult to execute consistently.

Spin — Off Break and Leg Spin

Spin bowling requires different line and length from pace. Flight the ball slightly more — a fuller length than you would bowl with pace. Use turn as the weapon rather than pace. On dry, dusty surfaces (which the game simulates through match progression), the trajectory line on spin deliveries curves more, giving you more control over where the ball ends up post-pitch.

Reading the AI Batsman

The AI in Cricket All Stars adapts. After two or three deliveries of the same type, it starts timing that delivery better. Here is how to stay one step ahead:

  • Watch the run scoring pattern between overs. If the AI scored 14 from the last over and 12 through midwicket, it is timing the leg side well. Switch to bowling wider on off stump.
  • Change your bowler type between overs — pace to spin and back. The AI's timing resets slightly when the bowling type changes.
  • After a wicket, the new batsman has not seen your bowling pattern. Bowl your best delivery first — the outswinger, the yorker, or the spinning delivery that has been working. New AI batsmen take two or three balls to "see" the conditions.
  • At World Champion and Legendary, the AI remembers patterns longer. Your variety needs to extend to line changes, not just delivery type. Bowl two on off stump, one on middle, two on off again — the AI expects the third ball to be on middle stump and plays for it.

When to Use Auto-Simulation

Cricket All Stars includes an option to hand bowling over to the AI for an entire over. The AI will bowl and set its own fields. Use this when:

  • You are chasing a target and want to focus mental energy on your batting innings
  • You are playing a long T20 League season and need to pace yourself through the session
  • The auto-AI consistently bowls more economically than you are managing — track the run rates and compare

Do not use auto-simulation in the final three overs of a close chase or defense. The auto-AI makes predictable decisions that experienced players can exploit. In a tight match, bowl those overs yourself.

Common Bowling Mistakes

  • Not changing the field before each over, leaving the same gaps open for six balls
  • Bowling the same delivery type repeatedly — the AI adapts fast
  • Bowling short to a batsman who is timing the pull well — change the length, not just the line
  • Relying on auto-simulation in close match situations where smart delivery choices matter
  • Not using spin at all — a four-over spin spell in the middle overs on a dry surface can take two or three wickets cheaply

Bowling and batting are two halves of the same game. If you want the batting side, read our batting tips guide. For the full picture of every mode and how to approach each one, head to our gameplay tips page.