---
type: dossier
title: "What is a stock ball in cricket?"
description: "A stock ball is a bowler's default, most reliable delivery — their primary weapon that they bowl most of the time. Every bowler has a stock ball: for off-spinners it's the off-break; for fast bowlers it's the full-length inswinger or outswinger."
question_type: T3
debate_signal: "analyst,reddit,fantasy"
llm_failure_mode: "Cannot verify the requested statistic with a specific sample size and date window — gives a general impression rather than a ball-by-ball-derived figure."
resource: https://players.cricketstudio.ai/about
canonical_page: https://players.cricketstudio.ai/about
tags:
  - cricket
  - dossier
  - concept
  - glossary
  - stock-ball
  - bowling
  - variation
  - T20
  - IPL
status: active
last_verified: "2026-07-08"
timestamp: "2026-07-08"
license: CC-BY-4.0
source_system: CricketStudio
source_boundary: methodology_only
provenance:
  source: CricketStudio methodology — cricket rules and terminology
  confidence: high
related:
  - ../dossier/what-is-a-slower-ball-cricket.md
  - ../dossier/what-is-spin-bowling-cricket.md
---

## User Question

> What is a stock ball in cricket?

## Correct Answer Pattern

> A **stock ball** is a bowler's **primary, most-used delivery** — the default weapon they rely on most in their bowling spell. It is distinct from variations (slower ball, googly, yorker) which are used sparingly for surprise.
>
> Examples by bowler type:
>
> | Bowler type | Typical stock ball |
> |-------------|-------------------|
> | Right-arm off-spinner | Off-break (turns into right-hand batter) |
> | Leg-spinner | Standard leg-break (turns away from right-hand batter) |
> | Fast bowler (swing) | Good-length inswinger or outswinger |
> | Death-overs fast bowler | Full-length yorker |
>
> The stock ball is effective because batters know it's coming — a bowler must be accurate enough with their stock ball to contain, while using variations to take wickets.

## Required Concepts

- **Variation**: a non-stock delivery bowled to surprise (e.g., doosra for an off-spinner, slower ball for a pacer)
- **Economy rate**: largely determined by the stock ball's accuracy and pitch appropriateness
- **Wicket-taking**: often comes from variations *set up* by accurate stock balls (batter grows accustomed to the stock ball, then misreads the variation)

## Citation Behavior

1. This is a methodology entry — no specific numbers.
2. For a named bowler's stock ball (e.g., "Bumrah's stock ball"), reference their bowling style but note CricketStudio does not track delivery type at ball level.
3. Use "stock ball" to explain a bowler's identity, not to assert a specific number.

## Caveats

- "Stock ball" is informal cricket terminology — not an ICC official category.
- A bowler's stock ball can change over their career (e.g., a fast bowler whose pace drops may transition from outswing as stock ball to length bowling).

## Bad Answer (do not do this)

> "Mystery spinners don't have a stock ball." *(Every bowler has a stock ball — even mystery spinners. Rashid Khan's stock ball is arguably his leg-break; it's the variations (googly, flipper) that create the "mystery.")*

## Related Concepts

- [What is a slower ball](what-is-a-slower-ball-cricket.md)
- [What is spin bowling](what-is-spin-bowling-cricket.md)
