Left-arm orthodox spin, Left-arm off spin also known as slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling, is a type of
left-arm finger spin bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thou ...
in the sport of
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
.
Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left-arm bowler
using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch (from the bowler's perspective).
Left-arm orthodox spin bowlers generally attempt to drift the ball in the air into a right-handed batsman, and then turn it away from the batsman (towards off-stump) upon landing on the pitch. The drift and turn in the air are attacking techniques. The stock delivery of a left-arm orthodox spin bowler is the left-arm orthodox spinner.
The major variations of a left-arm orthodox spin bowler are the
topspinner
A topspinner is a type of delivery bowled by a cricketer bowling either wrist spin or finger spin. In either case, the bowler imparts the ball with top spin by twisting it with his or her fingers prior to delivery. In both cases, the topspinner i ...
(which turns less and bounces higher in the cricket pitch), the
arm ball (which does not turn at all, drifts into a right-handed batsman in the direction of the bowler's arm movement; also called a 'floater') and the left-arm spinner's version of a
doosra
A doosra is a particular type of delivery by an off-spin bowler in the sport of cricket. The doosra spins in the opposite direction to an off break (the off-spinner's default delivery), and aims to confuse the batsman into playing an unavoid ...
(which turns the other way).
Notable slow left-arm orthodox spin bowlers
Players listed below have been included as they meet specific criteria which the general cricketing public would recognise as having achieved significant success in the art of left-arm orthodox spin bowling. For example, leading wicket-takers, and inventors of new deliveries.
*
Rangana Herath
Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath ( si, රංගන හේරත්; ta, ரங்கன ஹெரத்; born 19 March 1978), known as Rangana Herath, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played all forms of the game and a f ...
– 433 Test wickets
*
Daniel Vettori – 362 Test wickets and 305 ODI wickets
*
Derek Underwood
Derek Leslie Underwood (born 8 June 1945) is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Through much of his career, Underwood was regarded as one of the best bowlers in Test cricket ...
– 297 Test wickets
*
Bishan Singh Bedi – 266 Test wickets
*
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindrasinh Anirudhsinh Jadeja (born 6 December 1988), commonly known as Ravindra Jadeja, is an Indian international cricketer. He is an all-rounder, who bats left-handed and bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He was the captain of the Chennai Su ...
– 223 Test wickets and 188 ODI wickets
*
Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan (Bengali: সাকিব আল হাসান; born 24 March 1987) is a Bangladeshi cricketer and current captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team in Tests and T20Is. He plays for Barishal in domestic cricket as an all- ...
- 215 Test wickets, 115 T20I wickets (including the most wicket taker of
ICC T20 world cup
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup (earlier known as ICC World Twenty20) is the international championship of Twenty20. Organised by cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the tournament consists of 16 teams, comprising t ...
by 47 wickets
) and 277 ODI wickets
*
Ravi Shastri
Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri (born 27 May 1962) is the former head coach of the India national cricket team, a cricket commentator and former captain of Indian Cricket Team. As a player, he played for the India national cricket team between 19 ...
– 151 Test wickets
*
Keshav Maharaj
Keshav Atmanand Maharaj (born 7 February 1990) is a South African professional cricketer who plays for the South Africa national team in Tests, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket. He is currently the vice-cap ...
- 129 Test Wickets
*
Ashley Giles
Ashley Fraser Giles (born 19 March 1973) is a former English first-class cricketer, who played 54 Test matches and 62 One Day Internationals for England before being forced to retire due to a recurring hip injury. Giles played the entirety of ...
- 143 Test wickets
*
Taijul Islam
Taijul Islam (Bengali: তাইজুল ইসলাম; born 7 February 1992) is a Bangladeshi left-arm orthodox spinner who plays for the Bangladesh national cricket team. He made his international debut for Bangladesh in September 2014.
Tai ...
- 134 Test wickets
*
Jess Jonassen
Jessica Louise Jonassen (born 5 November 1992) is an Australian cricketer from Rockhampton, Queensland. A left-arm orthodox bowling all-rounder, Jonassen has been a member of the national women's team since 2012, going on to win four ICC T20 ...
– 109
WODI wickets and 71
WT20I
Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) is the shortest form of women's international cricket. A women's Twenty20 International is a 20 overs-per-side cricket match between two of the International Cricket Council (ICC) members. The first Twe ...
wickets
*
Sophie Ecclestone
Sophie Ecclestone (born 6 May 1999) is an English cricketer who plays for Lancashire, North West Thunder, Manchester Originals, Sydney Sixers and England. In December 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named her the Emerging Player ...
- 64
WT20I
Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) is the shortest form of women's international cricket. A women's Twenty20 International is a 20 overs-per-side cricket match between two of the International Cricket Council (ICC) members. The first Twe ...
wickets
*
Ajaz Patel
Ajaz Yunus Patel (born 21 October 1988) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Central Districts in domestic cricket. Patel is a slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in October 20 ...
- Only left-arm orthodox spinner to take 10 wickets in an innings of a Test Match
*
Monty Panesar
Mudhsuden Singh "Monty" Panesar (born 25 April 1982) is a former English international cricketer. A left-arm spinner, Panesar made his Test cricket debut in 2006 against India in Nagpur and One Day International debut for England in 2007. In E ...
- 167 Test wickets
*
Ashton Agar- Highest test score by a number 11 batsman
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Left-Arm Orthodox Spin
Cricket terminology
Bowling (cricket)
Articles containing video clips