SLA with a Doosra

[Xuhaib]

According to some reports there is a U-19 Pakistani SLA spinner who has developed a doosra. I was wondering is he the first one or has there been such a spinner previously and also how would a doosra by a SLA be different to an arm ball?

ofcourse this is all media talk atm and he might turn out to be another Atul Sharma type hoax.

 

[aussie]

Nah he would be the first if its proven. Can always depend on pakistan to give you something unique, gotta love that team...

 

[Prince EWS]

Rangana Herath had one earlier in his career - I remember him taking a few against Australia on Test debut with it. He doesn't seem to use it anymore though for whatever reason.

 

[aussie]

Rangana Herath had one earlier in his career - I remember him taking a few against Australia on Test debut with it. He doesn't seem to use it anymore though for whatever reason.

Hmm remembering that 99 series i honestly dont think he had it TBH, but i could be wrong.

 

[Prince EWS]

Hmm remembering that 99 series i honestly dont think he had it TBH, but i could be wrong.

I honestly thought I'd imagined it, for ages, but then Migara joined the forum and started posting about it which confirmed my suspicions.

 

[aussie]

I honestly thought I'd imagined it, for ages, but then Migara joined the forum and started posting about it which confirmed my suspicions.

Ha well yea he knows his SRI cricket. I think its possible Herath had it in 2004 when he played that 3rd test, but i have my doubts about 99.

 

[Prince EWS]

This was the only time I have seen Waugh bein outwitted. By whom? none other than great Ranatunga. When Chandana was bowling well in 1st test he brought a total new face for the 2nd, Herath. And boy, Aussie jaws dropped when they saw Herath spinning it in to the right handers other than spinning it away.

When I read this post, I knew I wasn't imagining it.

Dunno much about Herath. Is he the third best spinner in Lanka after Murali and Mendis?

yes he is. he's the first sri lnkan bowler to use the iverson grip to bowl a delivery that spin in to a right hander (he is SLA).

That suggests that's Herath's doosra was more like Alex Loudon's version than the popular Saqlain/Harbhajan version. Still a doosra though, IMO.

 

[Howsie]

Wonder why he's stopped bowling it then?

 

[Migara]

Wonder why he's stopped bowling it then?

Possibly the same reason what happened to Mendis. That ball puts hell of a lot of strain on middle finger. And we know ligaments of the fingers are not made of carbon fibre. When the "flick" gets weaker, either spin gets less (Mendis' case) or the accuracy goes for six (Herath's case). Herath still bowls it, but now he needs bit of a change in his action to achieve it (which is noticeble to the batsman). That had made it ineffective as in the past where he delivered it with the same action.

 

[Migara]

Rangana Herath had one earlier in his career - I remember him taking a few against Australia on Test debut with it. He doesn't seem to use it anymore though for whatever reason.

He cleaned up Damien Fleming going through the gate.

92.3 Herath to Fleming, OUT: Herath Streak on fire, lovely ball, he
flicks it like a cigarette butt and it achieves very impressive
turn from outside the off stump, Fleming is left dumbfounded as it
crashes into the middle stump

Source

 

[Migara]

According to some reports there is a U-19 Pakistani SLA spinner who has developed a doosra. I was wondering is he the first one or has there been such a spinner previously and also how would a doosra by a SLA be different to an arm ball?

ofcourse this is all media talk atm and he might turn out to be another Atul Sharma type hoax.

Although different grip and action, Paul Adams did the same. Majority spinning away from RHB and occasional one spinning in.

BTW if the off spinners can develop it, why cannot SLA bowlers do it? it's mirror image of the technique.

 

[Richard]

Wonder what type of Doosra this Pakistani lad has - the Saqlain\Harbhajan version or the Iverson\Gleeson\Loudon one.

Either way Migara makes a good point about the fact that said Loudon version puts incredible strain on the spinning finger.

 

[Richard]

BTW if the off spinners can develop it, why cannot SLA bowlers do it? it's mirror image of the technique.

Yeah exactly. It was always merely a matter of time. Bowlers - right-arm or left-arm - who can bowl a Doosra are rare, right-armers are more common than left-armers. There were always likely to be a fair few RA before the first LA.

 

[Xuhaib]

When I read this post, I knew I wasn't imagining it.

The only fault in this it was Jayasuriya who was the captain.

 

[popepouri]

Robbie P has developed one recently that's hard to read. I remember he picked up a bunch of wickets with it last year.

 

[Sylvester]

I don't believe there have been many subcontinent slc so its not surprising that a SLA hasn't got it yet. I'm sure if a SL or Indian SLA came about he too would have the doosra.

 

[Richard]

The only fault in this it was Jayasuriya who was the captain.

Was going to mention that at the time but somehow seem to have not done so. It was his first Test series as captain that - Ranatunga was still in the side and doubtless would still have been a fair influence mind.

 

[Richard]

I don't believe there have been many subcontinent slc so its not surprising that a SLA hasn't got it yet. I'm sure if a SL or Indian SLA came about he too would have the doosra.

SLC generally refers to left-arm wristspin; SLA generally refers to left-arm fingerspin. The Doosra is a fingerspinner's ball; the wristspinner's equivalent is the Googly. There have been many left-arm fingerspinners who can't bowl the Doosra, same way there've been many right-arm fingerspinners who can't.

But the Doosra isn't a ball only bowlers from the subcontinent can bowl, oh no, not by a long chalque. Though yes, it's true the large majority of successful practitioners have indeed been from there - Eripalli Prasanna (probably), Saqlain Mushtaq, the aforementioned Herath, Harbhajan Singh, Mendis.

 

[Sylvester]

Sorry meant SLA for the whole thing. Obviously its not only subcontinent bowlers that can bowl it but very few outside of there have got it right. Australia plan on not even teaching now.

 

[Richard]

Most of the relatively few bowlers who've tried it have not even been particularly good bowlers of the basic Off-Break - that includes those from within and outside the subcontinent. For example: Loudon and Khalid from England; Cullen from Australia; Botha from South Africa (though he's gotten a little better in recent times).

Eventually someone from outside the subcontinent will get it right, but it may not be for a while. Think of all the countless millions of bowlers who bowl fingerspin in the subcontinent, and how precious few have perfected both Off-Break and Doosra. Then think of how many fewer from the rest of the cricket World bowl fingerspin.

Basic law of numbers - it's very likely that several from the subcontinent will emerge sooner than from elsewhere.