What is off-spin?

An off-spun delivery, bowled by a right-hand bowler will veer towards the right after bouncing - from the bowler's (and most TV cameras') point of view.

Off-spin is often referred to as 'finger spin' as this is how the ball is spun. Off-spinners are usually the workmanlike poor relations of the leg spinner. Their job always seems to be to 'keep things tight' and 'not give away easy runs'.

However, in recent years, the off-spinner has been getting more glamorous. Exponents such as Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh have upgraded off spin bowling from a trade to an art by taking wickets and introducing a greater range of deliveries such as 'the doosra'.

However, there are still many off-spin bowlers for whom 'the one that goes straight on' is their most devastating delivery.

Other mysterious cricket terminology

What is leg spin?

A leg spin bowler's typical delivery veers to the left after bouncing - from the bowler's (and most cameras') point of view.

Leg spin bowling is also known as 'wrist spin' because it's the movement of the wrist which spins the ball.

Leg spin is widely regarded as the most difficult form of bowling, due to its complex technique. A good leg spinner will be lauded by cricket fans the world over, if he can prove his worth. He may also receive other benefits, such as text messages from English nurses, diuretics off family members and even hair growth endorsement opportunities.

Leg spinners often bowl a variety of different deliveries as well, in addition to their standard delivery, the leg break.

Other mysterious cricket terminology

What is spin bowling?

If you spin a ball when bowling, it grips the pitch on landing and rather than continuing in a straight line, it bounces slightly to the left or right, depending on which way you've spun it. The aim is to make the batsman miss or edge the ball.

Spin bowlers tend to bowl slowly as the ball will tend to move with the spin more when it lands.

The role of the spin bowler in English cricket is to take two wickets in an over and then get taken off because they also bowled a wide. English people don't get spin. It frightens them.

Other mysterious cricket terminology

What is reverse swing?

To be honest, reverse swing is just swing in many respects. The ball curves through the air. It might curve to the left. It might curve to the right.

Cricketers always shine one side of a ball and let the other scuff up. If the ball is bowled with one of these sides on the left and the other on the right and the ball retains this position through the air, then the ball can swing.

With normal swing, which happens when the ball is newer, the ball will swerve towards the rough side. With reverse swing, which happens when the ball is older, the ball will swerve towards the shiny side. You don't want to know why. This section of the website is 'what is...?' It's not 'why does...?'

Some people believe reverse swing to be one of the dark arts, like witchcraft or physics. It isn't. Although we accept that there is an element of physics involved.

What is swing bowling?

Other mysterious cricket terminology

What is swing bowling?

Swing bowlers attempt to make the ball swerve through the air, describing an arc rather than a straight line. The aim is to make the batsman miss or edge the ball.

The ball swings better when the weather's humid or it's cloudy.

What is reverse swing?

Other mysterious cricket terminology

What is seam bowling?

A cricket ball has a raised seam around the middle. Seam bowling is when you try and make the ball land on the seam so that it bounces unexpectedly, causing the batsman to miss or edge the ball.

Seam bowlers tend to bowl quickly and are often big, tall, gangly stick men.

If you're ludicrously out of proportion, why not renounce basketball and take up seam bowling instead. Women will love you. Chicks dig line and length automatons.

Other mysterious cricket terminology

What is cricket?

Not all of our readers are dyed in the wool cricket fanatics. Some are new to the sport. Bizarrely, some seem to actively dislike it. We're not quite sure what attracts these people to the site.

We've decided to try and aim a segment of the site towards newer cricket fans. We're going to try and explain cricket terminology, so that they know what we're on about. It's going to take a good few months and be a bit basic, but sometimes it's good to start at the start.

What is seam bowling?
What is swing bowling?
What is reverse swing?
What is spin bowling?
What is leg spin?
What is off-spin?

This is probably going to be the single worst decision we ever make, although letting someone trick us into watching an episode of Eastenders that time must come close. Comments have been a bit thin on the ground this week - maybe we can stimulate some by giving you all explicit permission to say how stupid we are for attempting this.