In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a leg spin bowler.

While a normal leg break spins from the leg to the off side, away from a right-handed batsman, a googly spins the other way, from off to leg, into a right-handed batsman. The bowler achieves this change of spin by rotating his wrist from the normal leg break delivery so that the ball rolls out the back of his hand with a clockwise spin (from the bowler's point of view, assuming a right-handed bowler). A googly may also be achieved by bowling the ball as a conventional leg break, but spinning the ball further with the fingers just before it is released.

This change of wrist action can be seen by a skilled batsman and the change of spin allowed for when playing a shot at the ball. Less skilled batsmen, or ones who have lost their concentration, can be deceived completely, expecting the ball to move one direction off the pitch, only for it to move the other direction. If the batsman is expecting a leg break, he will play outside the line of the ball after it spins. This means the ball can either strike the pads for a potential LBW appeal, or may fly between the bat and the pads and hit the wicket.

The googly is a major weapon in the arsenal of a leg spin bowler, and can be one of the bowler's most effective wicket-taking balls. It is used infrequently, because its effectiveness comes mostly from its surprise value.

See also

Effective users

• Anil Kumble
• Mushtaq Ahmed
• Stuart MacGill
• Upul Chandana
• Bhagwat Chandrasekhar

External links

• Origin of the word
• Preferred delivery of the International Google Cricket Club