The Doosra in Cricket Explained
What the doosra is, how it's bowled by an off-spinner to turn the opposite direction, and the bowling action controversy that surrounds it.
What Is the Doosra?
The doosra is a delivery bowled by an off-spinner that turns in the opposite direction to the standard off-break — instead of turning from off to leg (into a right-hander), the doosra turns from leg to off (away from the right-hander). The word 'doosra' means 'the other one' in Urdu and Hindi. It was developed by Pakistani off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq in the 1990s and is considered one of cricket's most difficult variations to both bowl and detect.
How Is It Bowled?
Bowling the doosra requires the bowler to rotate the wrist so the back of the hand faces the batter at release — the opposite of a normal off-spin action. This creates anticlockwise spin (from the bowler's perspective), which makes the ball turn away from the right-hander instead of into them. The wrist rotation requires significant flexibility and, controversially, often requires the elbow to extend beyond the 15-degree flexion limit allowed by the ICC.
The Action Controversy
The doosra has been the subject of significant bowling action scrutiny because the wrist rotation required appears to necessitate an illegal straightening of the elbow. Saqlain Mushtaq, Muttiah Muralitharan (who bowled a version of it), and Harbhajan Singh have all faced action scrutiny partly related to their variation deliveries. The ICC allows up to 15 degrees of elbow flexion — most doosras appear to require more.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the doosra?
Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan) is widely credited with inventing the doosra in the late 1990s. He used it effectively against top international teams, and its deception made him one of the most dangerous off-spinners of his era.
Can a right-arm off-spinner bowl a doosra?
Yes — the doosra is specifically a right-arm off-spinner's delivery. Left-arm orthodox spinners have an equivalent delivery (turning away from the left-hander) but it is not typically called a doosra.
Is the doosra still bowled in modern cricket?
Rarely at the highest level — action regulations have made the doosra difficult to bowl legally. The carrom ball has largely replaced it as the primary variation that reverses the expected direction of turn from a finger-spinner.