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Googly
Around the Academy:

The leg spinner's prize weapon - bowled properly, a googly is almost undetectable.

A googly, or a "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 your wrist 180 degrees to the ground.

It's a very difficult skill to learn, so you'll need plenty of practice in your back garden or in the nets.

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.


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Off spin
Left-arm spin
Leg spin
Googly
Flipper
Top spinner
'Doosra'

Our guide to spin

TIP: Once you've worked out the basics of the googly, experiment with pace and flight, as well as the amount of spin you put on the ball






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