The Doosra

[silentstriker]

Nope, the doosra cannot be bowled without chucking. Murali, ironically, might be the only one who bowls it legally as he posseses a freak wrist.

 

[pup11]

If you give it a thought you guys would realize that how bowlers that have been reported for chucking at some stage of their career wear t-shirts with longer sleeves that cover their elbows which obviously hides the elbow-flex to a certain extent.

 

[vic_orthdox]

To bowl it, you need to use a very front on action. Rather than your normal off-spinner, where the back of your hand ends up facing towards mid off or cover, you need to get it right round so that it's facing the batsman.

 

[umop 3p!sdn]

How does Loudens one work then?

I've heard that the reason you need to bend your arm is to get enough speed and rip for it to actually travel the 20 odd yards. If you had a very fast arm action, do you not think that it could be possible?

OK another question, do you think that all the variations of spin have been found? I mean how much room is there for more variations? Have they all been sussed out? Have we done as much as we can do with it, as far as spinning the ball goes?

 

[Ikki]

I believe if someone chucks often in a game, then the action which is suspect to the viewers eyes would be analysed by the match referee, and the player would be fined, banned or whatever punishment they deem necessary. Too hard to fathom?

Except viewers/umps can't tell with their eyes. Has to be taken to testing in which said player can bowl legally and be cleared then do it again in Tests. How many times are the umps going to call them, knowing it will continue?

 

[Julian87]

I rate myself chucking the doosra TBH, chuck it with the same action as Muralitharan, but probably with an arm that's a bit more bent.

There mate, I fixed it up for you.

 

[neville cardus]

Hey,

I'm looking for information on how the doosra is bowled, I have no idea at all ho wit works. All I know is that it involves alot of topspin. I've tried looking around and cannot find anything to help. I'd love to know how to bowl one, even if I can't put it into practice.

I have developed a ball that does go the other way, but after a couple balls the batsmen will be able to pick it. it involves griping the ball with two and a half finger starting with the index. As you push down to deliver the ball, you let the ball slip out the left hand side of the hand, while still moving the wrist and hand in the same off spin movement. I've worked on this for some time, and can get it to move a bit but it's taken ages.

I'd love to know how to bowl a doosra or atleast know the process in how it is delivered. Any help would be great thanks.

I discovered in my garden t'day that it's possible to bowl the doosra with a straight arm. Admittedly, my unhealthily flexible wrist has a lot to do with it.

 

[Perm]

There mate, I fixed it up for you.

 

[Perm]

my unhealthily flexible wrist

 

[Julian87]

And tbh, a couple of the Pakistani off spinners definitely chuck the ball.

An interesting coversation started up after cricket on Saturday. One off spinner saying you have to throw it a bit to bowl god off spin and myself and a couple of older guys saying it BS.

 

[Richard]

Those alluding to the chucking issue are demonstrating poor form. We all know (at least, those of us not clinging to old false ideals) that virtually no delivery can be bowled without some amount of changing sinuosity of the elbow. We also know that the currently ascribed "chuck" angle is 15 degrees, and that many bowlers bowl countless hundreds of different types of deliveries under that limit.

Anyway, the first thing to recognise about "the Doosra" is that it's not a universal term. There are three or four different balls which are all called "Doosra", none of which (bar one, and the stock-ball of that bowler is recent too, and un-copyable) are recent inventions.

There's the "Alex Loudon" version, first known to have been bowled by John "Jack" Iverson in the late 1940s, and copied (not terribly successfully) by Jack Gleeson in the late 1960s. This is possible, so they say, to bowl without any massive straightening. It's very tricky, obviously, and no-one's had any great success (bar Iverson who had a very short career at domestic and Test level) with it anyway.

There's the most common version, brought back to prominence by first Saqlain Mushtaq then Harbhajan Singh in the late 1990s, and first known to have been bowled by Eripalli Prasanna in the 1960s. No-one that matters has ever had any great problems with the legality of this ball, and frankly whenever anyone tries to, I tend to regard it as stupidity and &%$£-stirring TBH.

Then of course there's the Murali version. Now, no-one with a "normal" (ie, not double-jointed) wrist can bowl Murali's stock-ball, and so obviously they can't bowl his wrong-'un either. There's no point trying to analyse this or analyse that and copy it; the only way to do it would be to have a double-jointed wrist. They say there are those who managed it (Tariq Mahmood being a name that flies to mind) but most people, as we know, cannot bowl orthodox wristspin, never mind wildly unorthodox wristspin, with the required accuracy, so it's pretty unlikely we'll ever see another Murali.

So basically, there are two "Doosra"s that matter, both of which are fingerspinner's balls. The most common version, the Saqlain\Harbhajan one, involves complex hand movements which I can sort of copy, but not possibly explain. And I can't bowl fingerspin to save my life anyway.

 

[neville cardus]

 

[neville cardus]

Admittedly, the jury's always been out on Cardus.

 

[Prince EWS]

How does Loudens one work then?

I've heard that the reason you need to bend your arm is to get enough speed and rip for it to actually travel the 20 odd yards. If you had a very fast arm action, do you not think that it could be possible?

OK another question, do you think that all the variations of spin have been found? I mean how much room is there for more variations? Have they all been sussed out? Have we done as much as we can do with it, as far as spinning the ball goes?

Loudon changes his grip and flicks the ball with his middle finger upon release. Would be easy to pick if you knew what you were looking for.

 

[neville cardus]

Loudon changes his grip and flicks the ball with his middle finger upon release.

Sounds like Gleeson and Iverson.

Would be easy to pick if you knew what you were looking for.

Barry Richards told his fellows in a team meeting ahead of the 1969/70 series that he could judge which way Gleeson was spinning it by whether or not there were lots of fingers in his grip.

 

[Perm]

Sounds like Gleeson and Iverson.

There's the "Alex Loudon" version, first known to have been bowled by John "Jack" Iverson in the late 1940s, and copied (not terribly successfully) by Jack Gleeson in the late 1960s. This is possible, so they say, to bowl without any massive straightening. It's very tricky, obviously, and no-one's had any great success (bar Iverson who had a very short career at domestic and Test level) with it anyway.

Indeed.

 

[Richard]

Barry Richards told his fellows in a team meeting ahead of the 1969/70 series that he could judge which way Gleeson was spinning it by whether or not there were lots of fingers in his grip.

Richards also said he could pick the length by the angle of the bowler's arm as he released the ball.

Nothing short of astounding, that man.

 

[umop 3p!sdn]

DO you think there are many more variations left to be discovered? I know it's a very general question.

 

[Richard]

There's probably new variations of just about everything left to be developed and discovered TBH.

 

[umop 3p!sdn]

There's probably new variations of just about everything left to be developed and discovered TBH.

Quickest response ever?

It's hard to imagine what else there is left to do with a ball (In spin bowling) or maybe, it's more about how to disguise it.