Googly in Cricket — The Wrist-Spinner's Surprise Delivery
The googly is a leg-spinner's delivery that turns the opposite way. Learn the grip, wrist action, and the legendary bowlers who mastered it.
What Is the Googly?
The googly (also called a 'wrong 'un') is a wrist-spin delivery bowled by a leg-break bowler that turns in the opposite direction to the standard leg break. While a leg break turns away from the right-handed batter (from off to leg), the googly turns into the right-hander — like an off-break — from a leg-spinner's hand and action.
Origins of the Googly
The googly was invented by B.J.T. Bosanquet of England in the early 1900s and first used in Test cricket in 1903. Bosanquet developed it during backyard games and then exploited it against unsuspecting Test batters. The delivery baffled cricketers for decades and was described as 'diabolical' by contemporaries.
The Grip and Wrist Action
For a standard leg break, the wrist is cocked upright at release, spinning the ball from right to left (for a right-arm bowler). For a googly, the wrist is rotated a further 180° so it faces backward at release — the ball then spins from left to right, generating off-break turn. The seam rotates differently — pointing more toward leg slip for a googly rather than toward gully as for a leg break.
Famous Googly Bowlers
- Shane Warne (Australia) — used a sharp-turning googly but relied on it sparingly, preferring other variations.
- Anil Kumble (India) — top-spinner and googly bowler; took 619 Test wickets.
- Richie Benaud (Australia) — elegant wrist spinner who disguised his googly superbly.
- Yasir Shah (Pakistan) — modern googly exponent; frequently deceived batters.
- Leg-break bowlers generally: googly is the primary variation that all seek to develop.
Batting Against the Googly
Batters are advised to play the googly off the pitch rather than committing to a sweep or drive before the ball pitches. Watching the wrist position, looking for the seam direction, and playing late are the main methods. Pad play (deliberately using the pad as a second line of defence) also helps — but leaves the batter exposed to LBW if they miss.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a googly and a doosra?
A googly is bowled by a wrist-spin (leg-break) bowler and turns into the right-hander. A doosra is bowled by a finger-spin (off-break) bowler and also turns away from the right-hander. Both deliver the 'wrong' way compared to the bowler's standard delivery — but they come from completely different bowling actions.
Why is the googly hard to pick?
Because the delivery requires only a wrist rotation at the last moment, the rest of the approach, jump, and arm-swing look identical to a standard leg break. Unless a batter carefully watches the seam direction or the wrist position at release, they cannot tell the difference until the ball pitches.