Googly in Cricket: The Leg-Spinner's Deceptive Wrong'Un
The googly is a leg-spinner's variation that turns into the right-handed batsman rather than away, disguised within the normal wrist-spin action to deceive the batsman.
What Is the Googly in Cricket?
The googly (also called the wrong'un in Australia) is a delivery bowled by a leg-spin bowler that turns in the opposite direction to the standard leg-break. While a leg-break turns from leg stump to off stump (away from a right-handed batsman), the googly turns from off stump to leg stump — into the batsman's body.
How the Googly Is Bowled
The googly is bowled from the back of the hand — the bowler rotates the wrist so the back of the hand faces the batsman at the point of release rather than the palm (as in a standard leg-break). This reverses the spin direction. A well-disguised googly is nearly impossible to read because the run-up and arm action look the same as a leg-break.
Famous Googly Bowlers
Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, and Abdul Qadir were all effective googly bowlers. South Africa's Imran Tahir is one of the most expressive modern googly bowlers. Pakistan's leg-spinner Shaheen Shah Afridi uses the googly as a key variation. Wrist-spinners who can bowl both leg-break and googly with the same action are the most dangerous.
Frequently asked questions
What is a googly in cricket?
The googly is a leg-spinner's variation that turns into the right-handed batsman (off to leg) rather than the standard away turn (leg to off).
Who invented the googly?
B.J.T. Bosanquet of England invented the googly around 1897.
What is a 'wrong'un' in cricket?
The wrong'un is the Australian name for the googly — it goes the wrong way from what the batsman expects from a leg-spinner.