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You are in: Cricket: Skills |  |
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What is the 'doosra'? | |
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Around the Academy: |
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Murali's doosra has been called into question
It's the word that's suddenly on everyone's lips in cricket.
But what is a 'doosra' and what does it do? In Hindi and Urdu, doosra means "second" or "other". Put simply, the doosra 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. It's 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. Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan used the doosra with great effect against England. And Pakistani off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq is developing another new delivery. He's called it the "teesra" which translates as "third one". He has kept this ball secret so far, but no doubt batsmen will be on their toes when he's playing for Surrey this season. As with all spinners, variation is very important. So remember to change your flight and pace when you're bowling.
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