What Is a Googly? How the Wrist-Spinner’s Disguised Delivery Works
Learn what a googly is in cricket, how a leg-spinner bowls it, how it differs from the stock leg break and where its history begins with Bosanquet.
The short answer
A googly is a delivery bowled by a wrist-spinner, usually a right-arm leg-spinner, that spins in the opposite direction from the stock leg break. To a right-handed batter, the ball turns from the off side towards the leg side, instead of away from the bat. It is bowled with a similar action to the leg break, so the batter has to read it from the hand and the ball’s flight.
How it is bowled
A leg-spinner delivers the leg break by spinning the ball with the fingers and the wrist so that it turns away from a right-handed batter. For the googly, the bowler rotates the wrist so that the back of the hand faces the batter at release, and the ball is spun in the opposite direction. A trained eye can pick up the difference in hand position and seam.
The delivery needs strong wrist action, good control of length and plenty of practice to disguise the action.
Origins
The googly is credited to the English cricketer Bernard Bosanquet, who developed the delivery around the start of the twentieth century. In Australia, it became known as the Bosie, in his honour. It is also called the wrong’un, because the ball goes the “wrong” way compared with the leg break.
Bosanquet played for Middlesex and England, and the delivery made an impact at both county and Test level in the early 1900s.
Why it is difficult to play
A batter has to judge the direction of turn from small clues. The googly can bowl a batter around the legs, trap them lbw, or lead to a catch if the ball turns into the bat. Because the ball is pitched in the same area as the leg break, the batter may play for turn away and be beaten by the ball coming in.
Reading a googly
Batters watch the bowler’s wrist position and hand angle at release, as well as the seam and the way the ball rotates. Experienced players often use their feet to get to the pitch of the ball so it cannot turn much. Playing late with soft hands also helps.
Role in modern cricket
Many leg-spinners have used the googly as a key variation across eras. The delivery remains an important weapon in Test, one-day and T20 cricket. A well-hidden googly can win wickets in any format, particularly when mixed with the leg break and other variations.
Left-arm and left-handed variants
A left-arm wrist-spinner’s equivalent turns in the other direction. The principle is the same: it is the ball that turns the opposite way to the stock delivery. A left-handed batter will see the googly of a right-arm leg-spinner turn the other way, so the description depends on which hand each player uses.
Frequently asked questions
What is a googly in cricket?
A wrist-spinner’s delivery that turns the opposite way to the leg break, bowled with a similar action.
Who invented the googly?
Bernard Bosanquet is credited with developing it in the early 1900s.
What else is a googly called?
It is called a wrong’un, and in Australia a Bosie.