Boundary Layer Separation - A Batsman's Nightmare Since my childhood, I have been fond of swing bowling. I feel that there is no better sight for a bowler than to see a batsmen being completely bamboozled by the swing. Watching Glenn McGrath, Zaheer Khan, James Anderson rip through some of the greatest batting line ups with a display of unplayable swing bowling was a sight to behold. Swing bowling is a sorcery which continues to fascinate me. Recently, I watched an NPTEL lecture by Prof. Suman Chakraborthy in which the fluid mechanics governing swing bowling was beautifully elucidated. Getting to know the science behind it made it lot more interesting. One of the fundamental concepts of fluid mechanics - 'Boundary layer separation' is responsible for the batsmen's nightmare. When a bowler bowls with a straight seam position with one side of the ball kept relatively smooth (shiny) while the other side is made rough by removing the shine, there exists a p...