Reverse swing is a phenomenon in cricket where a ball swings in the opposite direction to the normal swing, i.e., a conventional outswinging delivery comes into the batsman and vice versa. It is achieved by the bowler by altering the direction of the seam and imparting a certain type of spin on the ball. Reverse swing is used as a potent weapon by fast bowlers to get rid of batsmen over the years. It is different from conventional swing in that it occurs late in the balls trajectory and tends to be stronger than normal swing. The following are some key points about reverse swing in cricket:

• Reverse swing is when a pace bowler is bowling with an old ball and can often get the ball to swing in an opposite direction compared to his usual swing bowling.
• The complete opposite effect takes place in reverse swing compared to normal swing bowling.
• The science of reverse swing works something like this: Once the cricket ball is bowled, a thin layer of air forms around its surface – this is what is known as the boundary layer. In the case of reverse swing, the air flow moves through the opposite side of the ball instead of the same direction as the ball gets older over time causing it to swing in the reverse direction.
• Reverse swing can be challenging to play for a batsman, as it can change direction late and cause the ball to deviate significantly from its original path.
• Reverse swing was first noticed and utilized by Pakistani fast bowlers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with Salim Mir and his teammate Sarfraz Nawaz being credited as the pioneers of reverse swing.
• To deal with reverse swing, the batsman needs to keep the bat down and not have a high back-lift. High back-lifts won’t allow the batsman to bring the bat down in time to block an incoming reverse-swinging ball. Also, a batsman should play the ball late to tackle the late movement.

In summary, reverse swing is a technique used by fast bowlers in cricket to deceive batsmen by making the ball swing in the opposite direction to the normal swing. It is achieved by altering the direction of the seam and imparting a certain type of spin on the ball. Reverse swing can be challenging to play for a batsman, and it was first noticed and utilized by Pakistani fast bowlers in the late 1970s and early 1980s.