Ben Kellaway is a unique bowler in English cricket.

His ability to bowl with both his stronger right and weaker left arm has brought him firmly into the spotlight this past week.

In a sport now dominated by ‘match-ups’ and data-driven selections, Kellaway’s ambidextrous ability is a potent weapon for his club Glamorgan, as was seen in their recent win over Surrey.

With Glamorgan firmly on top, reducing Surrey to 106-8, captain Kiran Carlson brought Kellaway on to bowl. The 20-year-old all-rounder then took the final two wickets.

The first was with his left arm, his low action skidding through the defences of Conor McKerr and hitting leg stump. The second and final wicket of the innings was performed with his right arm, a classic delivery round the wicket to the left-handed Matt Dunn, thumping his front pad in front the of stumps.

Ambidextrous Ambition

One would think that this skill is something that Kellaway has worked on for years, but he reveals that it has been something that he has only taken seriously until very recently.

“It’s really quite a new thing for me,” Kellaway explained.

“It really came on this winter when I noticed that I had a bit of a talent for it during Covid time. I used to mess about with my brother and try it on him and it got better and better.

“Then ahead of this season I decided that I’ve not really got much to lose with it, so I gave it a go against Surrey and its worked straight away!”

Kellaway is not alone in experimenting with bowling with their weaker arm in training, England fast bowler Jofra Archer’s likes to start each day before play by sending down some lovely, loopy, left-arm spin before warming up his 90mph rockets.

Kellaway, though, was nervous to try it for the first time in a game, but had the backing of his coach and captain to go for it.

“I was terrified!” he said.

“It was really nerve wracking, but I had the backing of from my teammates and coaching staff which gave me a lot of confidence.

“I had nothing to lose with it and it was great to see it come out quiet nicely and get the rewards for it.”

Support from Coaches

Kellaway is still a young player in the Glamorgan squad, having only made his professional debut in 2023, but his confidence has blossomed this season.

A more regular part of Glammy’s white ball sides, Kellaway has been an important source of quick runs and economical overs for his side. Up until now, though, he has not revealed his unique skill.

“Grant [Bardburn] and Mark Wallace are always pushing me to test my limits and part of that was trying bowling left-arm,” Kellaway said,

“If it hadn’t been for them, I probably would have taken a backseat with it as I wasn’t super confident in it to began with.

“Now, I’ve been practicing it as a skill like any other, rather than just as a fun thing to do. It will hopefully improve my chances of helping the team and the team structure with having two options in one player.”

Kellaway is an all rounder in all senses of the word, batting at number six for Glammy in the One Day Cup this season and laying a marker down with a crucial 65* in their first fixture of the campaign.

Although he is mastering left-arm bowling, do not expect him to be switching to batting left handed any time soon.

“Reverse sweeps are a big shot for me,” he joked.

“I use that a fair bit but I don’t think we’re going to see any left handed batting in the future, no.”

The Rise of Analytical Bowling

Kellaway admits that a large factor in his pursuit of this ability is the increase in data and analytics in the game.

It is a widely held belief that it is harder for a batter to hit a ball that spins away from the bat, as opposed to inwards. For Kellaway, having the ability to spin the ball away from the bat no matter whether the batter is left or right handed is another string to his bow.

“There’s a lot of data analysis behind it all,” Kellaway explained.

“At the minute, for me, it’s more about getting the ball to come out well consistently and just experimenting with it on the pitch and in pressure situations.”

The increased utilisation of ‘match ups’ – a practice of combining batters weaknesses with bowlers strengths – has seen players to are able to spin the ball both ways become very valuable.

Initially, it was through mystery spinners like Ajantha Mendis and Adil Rashid, and more recently bowlers like Liam Livingstone, who can bowl both off and leg spin.

For Kellaway, the next step is trying this skill in the longer form of the game: the County Championship.

“I think it can be just as effective,” Kellaway added.

“Depending on the situation, the pitch, the foot holes and rough, it can be a big weapon for me and the team.

“In terms of bowling left arm spin for extended periods, at the moment that’s a work on for me. The next few weeks in the One Day Cup gives me the opportunity to learn and improve with it and get it to a point where it’s ready to go and consistent for a long period of time.”

One Day Cup Opportunities

With the One Day Cup running concurrently with The Hundred, many counties are without some of their senior players. This gives young players like Kellaway the chance to put a run of game together.

It also takes the pressure off slightly and, for Kellaway, this means experimenting with his bowling.

“The One Day Cup is a great opportunity to try different things,” said Kellaway.

“With the opportunities that the youngsters get, we have a great chance to show what we’re about.

“The ambidextrous stuff has probably come along a little later than I expected.

“I had a few chances in the T20s but didn’t quite get around to it. Whether it was the match situation or conditions not being in my favour, I just didn’t try it until now.

“This competition, though, has given me the chance to push that part of my game forward and help the team keep going on our winning ways.”

A Unique Skill With a unique history

The only recent high-profile example of an ambidextrous bowler is Sri Lanka international, Kamindu Mendis.

While he is now an integral part of Lanka’s middle order batting, the 25-year-old all-rounder initially broke into the national side due in large part to his ambidextrous ability.

A few other examples include India tweaker Akshay Karnewar and Australian Jemma Barsby. All these players, including Kellaway, are spinners, but Yasir Jain of Lahore Qalanders in Pakistan, is able to bowl fast with both his right and left arm.

In international cricket, one of England’s greatest ever players, Graham Gooch was able to do it, but only in low-pressure situations.

The great Pakistani opening bat, Hanif Mohammad, was credited as the originator of this skill, bowling with both arms in test matches in the 1950s, although reports of ambidextrous bowling go back to 1876 and Leonard Shuter of Surrey, who bowled right-arm fast and left-arm spin.

If Kellaway can keep this start up, his (almost) unique skill could be a huge weapon in reaching the very top of the game.

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