OFF-SPIN

 

Off-spin is the most popular method of spin in cricket and turns from the off side to the leg side when bowled at a right-handed batsman.  The spin is generated by the first and second fingers of the right hand, the more revolutions you can put on the ball, the better chance you have of getting more turn when the ball pitches.

 

STEP ONE

The middle joints of the index and middle fingers are well spread across the seam. The ball rests against the third finger but the thumb has little involvement.

 

STEP TWO

Turning the wrist and the index finger generate the spin on the ball, turning the ball in a clockwise direction, and use your first two fingers to give the ball a good "rip" at the point of delivery.

 

LEFT-ARM SPIN

 

A left-arm spin delivery turns from the leg side to the off when bowled at a right-handed batsman, It's bowled in the same way as a right-arm off spinner would deliver a normal off break, but because it's bowled with the left hand, the ball is released in the opposite direction, meaning it will turn away from the bat.  Most left-arm spinners bowl around the wicket, aiming to drift the ball towards the bat before turning it away.

 

STEP ONE

The middle joints of the index and middle fingers are well spread across the seam. The ball rests against the third finger but the thumb has little involvement.

 

STEP TWO

Turning the wrist and the index finger generate the spin on the ball, turning the ball in an anti-clockwise direction.

 

LEG-SPIN

 

It may be one of the most difficult skills to master in cricket, but a good leg spinner will almost certainly get

plenty of wickets.  Leg spin involves turning a ball off the pitch from the leg-side of a right-handed batsman,

to the off-side and it is often described as wrist spin because, unlike off spinners, the revolutions of the ball

are generated by the wrist rather than the fingers.

 

STEP ONE

The top joints of the index and middle fingers are across the seam, with the ball resting between a bent third finger and the thumb.

 

STEP TWO

As you release the ball, straighten the fingers and much of the work on the ball will be done by the third finger, turning the ball anti-clockwise, and flick the wrist so that the palm of the hand finishes facing downwards.

 

THE GOOGLY

 

The leg-spinner's prize weapon - bowled properly, a googly is almost undetectable.  A googly, or "wrong'un", is a delivery which looks like a normal leg-spinner but actually turns towards the batsmen, like an off-break, rather than away from the bat.  Unlike a normal leg-break, a googly is delivered out of the back of the hand, with the wrist 180 degrees to the ground.

 

STEP ONE

Hold the ball as if you're about to bowl a normal leg-break.  The top joints of the index and middle fingers should be across the seam, with the ball resting between a bent third finger and the thumb.

 

STEP TWO

At the point of release, the palm of your hand should be open upwards, towards the sky, with the back of your hand facing the batsman.  Your wrist should be 180 degrees to the ground, while the seam of the ball should point towards fine leg.  Again, it should be your third finger which does most of the work, turning the ball anti-clockwise on release.

 

You'll probably find it goes horribly wrong the first few times you give the googly a try, but don't give up, as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Use a tennis ball to help improve the flexibility of your wrist.

 

THE TOP-SPINNER

 

If trying to pick the leg-spinner, googly and flipper was difficult enough for a batsman, they've also got the

top-spinner to contend with.  Like a topspin shot in tennis, the ball will kick off the pitch with extra bounce, often striking the batsman high on the bat or the gloves.  It is delivered from the side of the hand, halfway between the release of a leg break and a googly.

 

STEP ONE

Hold the ball like a normal leg break - the top joints of the index and middle fingers are across the seam, with the ball resting between a bent third finger and the thumb.

 

STEP TWO

For a top spinner, the wrist will be about 90 degrees to the floor and the seam will be pointing to the batsman in flight.  Like a googly, the back of the hand should be facing the sky when the ball is released.  The ball should be rotating in an anti-clockwise direction with the seam facing the batsman. The third finger should be the one doing all the work.

 

THE FLIPPER

 

Like the googly, the flipper is yet another weapon in the leg-spinner's armoury.  Rather than turn away from the bat like a normal leg-spinner or towards the batsman like a googly, the flipper skids on low and fast after pitching.  You could describe it as a back spinner - and like the "wrong'un", it takes plenty of time to perfect.  The ball is "squeezed" between the thumb and fingers in a way so it spins backwards and skids on low and fast with under-spin after hitting the pitch.

 

STEP ONE

Hold the ball like a normal leg-break with the top joints of the index and middle fingers are across the seam.

 

STEP TWO

Unlike the leg-break and googly, it's the thumb that does most of the work. Imagine you're clicking your fingers when you release the ball.  The ball should be rotating in a clockwise direction with the seam facing the batsman.

 

THE DOOSRA

 

In Hindi and Urdu, doosra means "second" or "other", put

simply, the it is the off-spinner's version of the googly.  

Over the past five years, the world's top off-spinners have

developed the doosra to baffle batsmen.  It looks very

similar to a normal off-break, but rather than spin towards

the bat, it goes the other way like a leg-break.   The doosra

is bowled from the back of the hand with a lot of top-spin,

but the wrist still moves in a clockwise direction.

 

It is a very difficult skill to master so you'll need plenty of practice if you want to learn how to do it.

 

However, its validity has been called into question because of the number of off-spinners who have been reported to the International Cricket Council for suspect actions bowling the doosra.

 

Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan, India's Harbhajan Singh and Pakistan's Shoaib Malik have all

had to have their actions cleared by the ICC's Human Movement Specialist panel.

 

Sceptics claim the doosra cannot be bowled with a legitimate bowling action because it is  physically impossible to do with a straight arm.

 

As with all spinners, variation is very important. So remember to change your flight and pace when you're bowling.