Doosra Delivery in Cricket Explained
What the doosra is, how off-spinners bowl it, and why it is one of the most controversial deliveries in cricket.
What Is the Doosra?
The doosra is an off-spinner's variation that turns the opposite way to the standard off-break. The word 'doosra' means 'the second one' or 'the other one' in Urdu and Hindi. While an off-break turns from off to leg for a right-handed batter, the doosra turns from leg to off — the same direction as a leg-spinner's stock delivery — from a bowler who typically bowls the other way.
Who Invented the Doosra?
Saqlain Mushtaq of Pakistan is credited with developing the doosra in the late 1990s. His wrist position — pronating the forearm to bowl the ball the other way — was spotted by Indian off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who then developed his own version. Johan Botha, Harbhajan Singh, and Sunil Narine have all bowled doosras with varying degrees of success.
Why the Doosra Is Effective
The deception is in the bowler's hand position. An off-spinner typically holds the ball with the fingers across the seam and imparts clockwise spin (from the bowler's perspective). The doosra uses a back-of-the-hand action that produces anti-clockwise spin. Batters reading the off-spinner's standard action expect the ball to turn one way and find it going the other, often resulting in an inside edge onto the stumps or a miss.
Bowling Action Controversy
The fundamental difficulty with the doosra is that the wrist mechanics required to bowl it naturally involve elbow flexion during the delivery stride. Multiple bowlers cleared to bowl their standard off-break have been reported and suspended for their doosra action. Muralitharan's entire action was subject to prolonged biomechanical testing, which eventually confirmed his hyperextended elbow kept him within legal limits even when it appeared to bend.
Frequently asked questions
Is the doosra a legal delivery?
It can be. The delivery is legal if the bowler's elbow extension during delivery does not exceed 15 degrees. Many doosras have been found to exceed this limit, resulting in illegal action reports. A few bowlers — notably Saqlain Mushtaq in his prime — have been cleared to bowl it.
How do batters pick the doosra?
The key is to watch the bowler's wrist. A standard off-break shows the back of the hand facing the batter at release; the doosra shows the front of the hand (palm-out) or a twisting motion. However, at high-quality levels the action is almost indistinguishable, which is why the delivery is so difficult to play.