Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of bowling style in cricket where the ball is spun with the wrist by a right arm bowler (the left arm equivalent is slow left arm unorthodox). Leg spin is tricky and makes the ball move strangely, making it hard for the batter to decide where the ball is going. The leg spinner's normal delivery causes the ball to spin from right to left (from the bowlers perspective). The ball generally spins away from the leg side of the pitch, and this is how a delivery gets the name leg break, meaning it "breaks away from the leg".[1]
The bowler grips the ball with the thumb and the ring finger positioned on opposite sides of the seam. In effect, the ball is lying along the ring finger. The wrist is bent inwards as the bowler approaches, and is then flipped forward at the point of delivery. The ring finger features in this flip. It imparts most of the spin as it and the little finger are flicked upwards.[2]
Among famous exponents of leg spin have been Bernard Bosanquet, Clarrie Grimmett, Tich Freeman, Richie Benaud, B. S. Chandrasekhar, Abdul Qadir, Anil Kumble, Shane Warne, and Mushtaq Ahmed.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Sivaramakrishnan, Laxman (24 January 2017). "The Science of Spin Bowling: Basics of a Leg Break". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ↑ Barclays 1986, p. 697.
Sources
[change | change source]- Barclays (1986). Swanton, E. W.; Plumptre, George; Woodcock, George (eds.). Barclays World of Cricket. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-00-02181-93-8.
