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Declaration bowling is deliberately bowling in such a fashion as to concede runs, usually to force a result in a game that looks like it's heading for a draw. I've never witnessed it personally, but it does seem to crop up occasionally. As far as I can makle out, it can be advantageous only in very specific circumstances. The first is if the batting team is down a few wickets and chasing a total which is more or less unatainable, but the bowling team needs a win and so bowls wides and sitters until the target starts looking realistic. The idea here is to tempt the batting team to bat more aggressively, thus risking wickets. I think there may be some other circumstance that gives rise to the practice, probably arising out of some arcane point-awarding system in county cricket. I have no idea why it's called "declaration bowling" as as far as I can tell nobody declares anything. As you can probably tell I'm not really that clear on it myself, so if you do ever find a better description, or if anyone else can help, here's the place to post. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.211.185.189 (talk) 20:41, 7 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Sixteen years on, I can answer this. The idea is to get the batting side in the third innings (or first in a one-innings match) to score fast and reach a total such that they have a good lead and plenty of time left in the game, such that (a) the batting side fancies its chances of bowling out the opposition in the final innings (if the opposition go for the chase) and (b) the opposition reckons it has a chance of making the total required to win. The batting side then chooses to declare, and the match should not then peter out into a draw. The "declaration bowling" may be on the inititative of the bowling side, or the two captains might agree that if they can manufacture a certain lead by a certain time, there will be a declaration. Without such a scheme, the sides will have judged that there is little chance of bowling the batting side out early enough to set up a run chase.
The previous answer is in the final innings, and could not be considered "declaration bowling" because, as noted, there isn't a declaration involved. Both situations might come under the description "manufactured" (or similar), and both would be the type of situation the WLT (usually) disallows. So I'd say "declaration bowling" is the wrong phrase for this article. AndyI13:48, 13 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
