England all-rounder Sam Curran successfully deployed his trademark slow delivery, known as the “moon ball,” to dismiss Jack Edwards during the second one-day international against Australia in Adelaide on Sunday.
The Success of the Moon Ball
Curran experienced a difficult run following his return from injury last month, managing only four wickets at an average of 55.75 across five ODIs before travelling from Perth, with an economy rate of 7.39. However, returning to his reliable variation brought immediate rewards when he bowled Edwards with the first delivery of a new spell, clocked at 50mph.
According to CricViz data, Curran averages 17 with deliveries under 90km/h (56mph) in ODIs since developing the delivery in 2025, compared to an average of 45.16 for deliveries above 90km/h. The dismissal of Edwards marked his fourth wicket using the moon ball, following previous scalps of India’s Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, and Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka.
Mechanics and Deception
While Curran’s top speeds reach about 83mph, and he has been clocked bowling as low as 43mph this year, the effectiveness of the delivery lies in the variation and deception. Speaking on the For the Love of Cricket podcast, Curran explained the necessity of creativity as batters develop rapidly, noting his hard work in maintaining consistent arm speed while landing the ball at the correct length.
The delivery that removed Edwards pitched about two metres from the stumps near the right-hander’s toes, representing the fullest of all his moon-ball dismissals, which have consistently arrived from deliveries pitched six metres or fuller.
Former England pace bowler Steve Harmison highlighted Curran’s ability to disguise the delivery, stating on TNT Sports that the release point sits further back than an off-cutter. Harmison explained that Curran holds the ball between his first finger and thumb, tosses it into the air while maintaining arm speed, and releases it from behind at a much slower pace.
Tymal Mills, a former England fast bowler who has faced Curran in domestic competitions, noted the challenge of picking the variation, describing how batters must wait an extended time for the ball to float towards them. Jade Dernbach, a former England seamer renowned for his back-of-the-hand slower ball, emphasized that modern one-day cricket requires bowlers to continuously adapt and introduce new skills rather than relying on a single approach.
As bowlers like Curran persist in finding innovative methods, the moon ball remains an additional challenge for opposing batters to navigate.
