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Incricket, abeamer (less commonlybeam ball) is a type ofdelivery in which the ball, without bouncing, passes above the batsman's waist height.[1] This kind of delivery is dangerous, as a batsman will be expecting the ball to bounce on the pitch. The failure to bounce makes it much harder to avoid the ball or to hit it with the bat. It is usually an accident caused by the ball slipping from the bowler's hands at delivery, but they have been bowled deliberately, an act highly contrary to theLaws of Cricket and the sportsmanship expected of the players.
This type of delivery can result in injuries to the batsman, and the penalty is an immediateno-ball and, inTwenty20 andone-day matches, afree hit. The use of beamers is governed underLaw 41.7. The bowler is then given a warning by the umpire for dangerous bowling. Repeated or deliberate cases may result in the bowler being barred from bowling again for the remainder of theinnings (ormatch), as happened withWaqar Younis in the2003 Cricket World Cup.[2] Fast bowlers, particularly younger players yet to fully refine their techniques, are likely to bowl such deliveries more often than other bowlers, albeit accidentally.
A beamer may not necessarily be bowled with intent. It may be due to sweaty hands or a wet ball, causing a slipped release from the hand. It is also possible that the bowler attempts to bowl ayorker which goes askew.[citation needed]
A bowler can legally target the batsman with a ball aimed at his head that bounces, called abouncer. These are easier to play or avoid than beamers, as beamers do not land on the pitch and are illegal, batsman's are caught by surprise and the technique of batting, using feet and body movement to meet the ball after it pitches does not apply.
Abdur Rehman, aPakistani spin bowler, bowled three consecutive beamers in the2014 Asia Cup againstBangladesh, and was banned from the match without actually bowling a single legitimate ball, despite giving away 8 runs. This was the first time this happened in the history of cricket.[3]
Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistani fast bowler, admitted that he bowled a beamer againstMahendra Singh Dhoni on purpose.[4]