A googly is a leg spinner’s deception delivery that turns from off to leg for a right-handed batsman, the opposite direction of a standard leg break. The bowler uses a different wrist position at release to generate the unexpected spin. The googly was invented by Bernard Bosanquet around 1900 and has been a weapon in every leg spinner’s arsenal since.
The googly is one of cricket’s most fascinating deliveries. It looks like a leg break from the bowler’s hand but spins the other way off the pitch. This guide explains the mechanics of how a googly works, its history, the wrist positions that create the spin, and how both bowlers and batsmen can approach it. All technical references are based on the ECB coaching resources and historical records from ESPNCricinfo. For a broader understanding of cricket rules and delivery types, see our complete rules guide.
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How does a googly differ from a leg break?
A leg break turns from leg to off (away from a right-handed batsman). A googly turns from off to leg (into a right-handed batsman). The difference is in the wrist position at release. The leg break uses the front of the hand facing the batsman; the googly uses the back of the hand facing the batsman.
| Delivery | Direction of Turn (RHB) | Wrist Position | Seam Direction | Speed | Difficulty to Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg break | Leg to off (away) | Front of hand faces batsman | Toward fine leg | 70-85 km/h | Moderate |
| Googly | Off to leg (into) | Back of hand faces batsman | Toward mid-on | 70-85 km/h | Hard |
| Top-spinner | Minimal turn, extra bounce | Wrist rolls over the top | Toward batsman | 75-90 km/h | Moderate |
| Flipper | Skids straight, stays low | Squeezed out of fingers | Backspin | 80-95 km/h | Very hard |
| Slider | Skids straight with slight drift | Side-on flick | Scrambled | 80-90 km/h | Moderate |
The visual similarity between the googly and the leg break is what makes it deceptive. The bowler’s run-up, delivery stride, and general arm action look identical. The difference happens in the final fraction of a second at the point of release, when the wrist rotates to send the ball spinning in the opposite direction. A batsman who reads the leg break from the bowler’s general action will expect the ball to turn away, but the googly turns in.
Who invented the googly?
Bernard Bosanquet, an English cricketer, invented the googly around 1900. He first used it in a Test match against Australia in 1903 at Sydney, where it bewildered Australian batsmen who had never seen the delivery before. The googly is still called a “Bosie” in Australia in his honor.
Bosanquet reportedly developed the googly while playing a table game called “twisti-twosti,” where he experimented with making a ball bounce in unexpected directions. He adapted the wrist movement to cricket and debuted it in first-class matches for Middlesex. According to ESPNCricinfo’s historical records, Bosanquet’s googly was so effective in the 1903-04 Ashes that Australian batsmen had no answer for it.
Since then, every great leg-spinner has developed a googly as a variation. Shane Warne used it sparingly but devastatingly. Abdul Qadir of Pakistan in the 1980s had one of the best googlies in history. Rashid Khan of Afghanistan delivers his googly at higher speeds than most leg-spinners, making it harder to detect from the hand.
How do you bowl a googly?
To bowl a googly, rotate your wrist so the back of your hand faces the batsman at the point of release. The ball comes out of the hand spinning in the opposite direction to your leg break. The seam points toward mid-on rather than fine leg. The key is to keep your arm action identical to the leg break so the batsman cannot detect the change.
Start by bowling your regular leg break. Focus on feeling the wrist snap and the direction the seam points at release. For the leg break, the seam points roughly toward fine leg and the front of the hand faces the batsman.
For the googly, rotate your wrist clockwise (for a right-arm bowler) so the back of the hand faces the batsman at release. The ball now spins in the opposite direction. The seam points toward mid-on. The crucial point: your arm speed, bowling arm height, and run-up should stay exactly the same. Any change in these will alert the batsman.
Practice the googly in isolation before trying it in matches. Bowl 50 googlies in the nets without mixing in leg breaks. Focus on landing the ball on a consistent length with visible turn. Once you can control the googly’s direction and length, start mixing it with your stock leg break at a ratio of roughly one googly every six to eight deliveries.
Who are the best googly bowlers in cricket history?
Shane Warne (Australia), Abdul Qadir (Pakistan), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Anil Kumble (India), and Mushtaq Ahmed (Pakistan) are among the most effective googly bowlers. Warne’s googly was subtle and disguised; Rashid Khan’s is the fastest in world cricket.
Warne’s googly was a rare weapon. He bowled it sparingly, perhaps once every two or three overs, which made it almost impossible to predict. His control was such that his googly landed on the same spot as his leg break but turned sharply the other way. The famous “Ball of the Century” to Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993 was a leg break, not a googly, but his subsequent use of the googly throughout that Ashes series made every delivery a guessing game for English batsmen.
Rashid Khan’s googly is bowled at 80 to 90 km/h, significantly faster than most leg spinners. The extra pace reduces the batsman’s reaction time, making it extremely difficult to adjust even when the delivery is read from the hand. According to ICC match data, Rashid’s googly accounts for approximately 30% of his T20I wickets.
How can batsmen spot and play a googly?
Watch the bowler’s wrist at the point of release. If the back of the hand faces you and the seam points toward mid-on, it is a googly. If you cannot read it, play the ball on its merit after it pitches. Use soft hands and play late to give yourself maximum time to adjust.
The primary cue is the seam position. A leg break has the seam angled toward fine leg; a googly has the seam angled toward mid-on. This difference is visible in the first few meters of the ball’s flight if you know where to look. Practice by standing at the non-striker’s end and watching the bowler’s release point closely.
If you cannot read the googly from the hand, default to playing late. Let the ball pitch and read the turn off the surface before committing to a shot. Soft hands (a relaxed grip) reduce the risk of edges carrying to close catchers. The sweep shot is also effective against the googly because it takes the turn out of the equation.
For more on batting against spin bowling, including footwork drills and practice routines, see our companion guide on how to improve batting technique against spin. For how the DRS helps resolve close decisions on spin deliveries, see our DRS guide.
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No. The googly is a wrist-spin delivery specific to leg-spinners. Off-spinners use finger spin. The equivalent deception delivery for an off-spinner is the doosra, which turns the ball from leg to off instead of the normal off to leg. The doosra uses a different finger and wrist mechanism than the googly.
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Coaching experts recommend mastering the leg break first. Most coaches introduce the googly to bowlers aged 14 to 16 who already have consistent control of their stock delivery. Learning the googly too early can disrupt the development of the basic leg break.
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The name “wrong-un” comes from the fact that the ball turns the “wrong” way relative to the bowler’s stock leg break. In Australia, it is also called a “Bosie” after inventor Bernard Bosanquet. In some Asian cricketing nations, it is simply referred to as the “googly” in English or by local-language equivalents.
