A doosra ( , Hindi दूसरा) is a particular type of delivery by an off-spin bowler in the sport of cricket, popularised by Pakistani cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq. The term means "(the) second (one)", or "(the) other (one)" in Urdu (and Hindi). Saqlain Mushtaq also invented a variant of the Doosra, a ball which he calls the Teesra, coming from the same language and meaning "(the) third (one)".

Other bowlers have made considerable use of the doosra in international cricket, including Sri Lankans Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, South African Johan Botha, Indian Harbhajan Singh and the Pakistanis Shoaib Malik and Saeed Ajmal.

History

The doosra is a relatively new type of ball. Saqlain Mushtaq is credited with its invention, which was integral to both his success and the future of off-spin bowling, as it is unlikely that any off-spinner prior to him ever bowled a delivery which turned from leg.

The naming of the delivery is attributed to Moin Khan, the former Pakistani wicketkeeper, who would call on Mushtaq to bowl the "doosra" (the other one) from behind the stumps. Tony Greig, a commentator in one of these matches, eventually linked the word to the delivery and confirmed it with Saqlain in a post-match interview. Thus the term became a part of cricketing culture. The doosra is now an important part of the off-spin armoury.

Some people, however, feel that the real pioneer of the doosra was Sonny Ramadhin, who played for the West Indies in the 1950s, as he moved the ball both ways, despite gripping the ball like an off-break bowler, and, like many doosra-bowling off-break bowlers, had a questionable bowling action.

Technique

The bowler delivers the ball with the same finger action as a normal off break but cocks the wrist so that the back of the hand faces the batsman. This gives the ball spin in the opposite direction to that for an off break, causing it to spin from the leg side to the off side to a right-handed batsman.

The doosra is the off-spinner's equivalent of the leg-spinner's googly, which spins in the opposite direction to the leg spinner's stock ball.

It is possible for a left-armer (whose action mirrors that of an off-spinner) to bowl the doosra, which in this case would turn from off to leg. Sri Lankan left-armer Rangana Herath gained recognition by bowling the delivery, in particular against the Australians during an A tour. England left-armer Monty Panesar has claimed to have bowled the delivery occasionally in domestic matches.

Other bowlers

Increasingly, it seems that many other off-spinners are trying to make use of the "doosra" delivery with varying degrees of success. Interestingly, apart from Saqlain Mushtaq himself, all other off-spinners attempting to utilise the delivery have had accusations (for the most part dismissed) of throwing levelled against them. These include; Muttiah Muralitharan, Harbhajan Singh, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik and Johan Botha. Another method, bowled by the former Warwickshire bowler Alex Loudon, features the middle finger behind the ball which 'flicks' the ball as it is delivered - spinning the ball from leg to off. The success of this form of the doosra has yet to be determined, as Loudon only made his One Day International debut for England on 24 June 2006 against Sri Lanka. He did not take any wickets but did bowl the doosra in the match. He has so far not received any accusations of throwing. South Australian, Dan Cullen has also been rumoured to be able to bowl the doosra. Ajantha Mendis has had success at the start of his career using the middle finger flick style of doosra.

Muttiah Muralitharan

Muralitharan's doosra was the subject of an official report by match referee Chris Broad during Australia's tour of Sri Lanka in 2004, for illegal straightening of the arm at the elbow during the bowling action. Subsequent biomechanical tests conducted at the University of Western Australia in Perth showed that Muralitharan was straightening his arm by angles of up to 10 degrees when bowling doosras, well outside the International Cricket Council acceptable guideline of 5 degrees for spin bowlers. Muralitharan was subsequently instructed by Sri Lanka Cricket not to bowl the doosra in international cricket. In November 2004, the International Cricket Council conducted more research into illegal bowling actions and found that many bowlers whose actions were considered legitimate were actually transgressing the rules. A rule change was proposed and accepted at a meeting of ICC chief executives in early 2005, stating that any bowler may straighten their arm up to 15 degrees, and Muralitharan's doosra once again became a legal delivery.

In February 2006, in an attempt to silence the Australian crowds and their 'no ball' chants, Muralitharan took another test at the University of Western Australia, which saw all of his deliveries deemed legal, including the doosra.

Harbhajan Singh

The doosra of Indian bowler Harbhajan Singh was the subject of an official report by match referee Chris Broad, on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Mark Benson, and TV umpire Mahbubur Rahman after the second Test between India and Bangladesh at Chittagong in December 2004. It was reported that his arm is straightened by angles of up to 10 degrees, 5 degrees within the ICC tolerance levels.

Shoaib Malik

Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik was also reported for his doosra before the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in December 2004. Biomechanics tests, similar to those performed on Muralitharan, were conducted, and he did not bowl in subsequent Tests in that series. Unlike many other cricketers accused of throwing when bowling their doosra delivery, Malik is also a capable batsman, and some analysts speculate that he might focus on his batting if prevented from bowling this delivery. Malik was omitted from the Pakistani team for the first Test against Australia in 2004, although this was due to the reputation of the Perth pitch as being unfriendly to spin bowlers rather than as a result of the controversy.

Malik returned to bowling in May 2005 following remedial work. He was reported again, alongside Shabbir Ahmed, after the first Test against England at Multan in November 2005.

In May 2006, Malik opted for elbow surgery to correct his bowling action. He and the Pakistan Cricket Board had previously unsuccessfully argued that a 2003 road accident caused the damage to his elbow which makes his action appear suspect. Malik returned to play in June 2006 but does not bowl doosra anymore.

Johan Botha

South African Johan Botha has been reported for his version of the doosra after the 3rd Test match against Australia in 2006. Botha was playing in his maiden test match at the time, taking 2 wickets. His bowling was later ruled illegal, and he was banned, however this ban was lifted in November, 2006. However, in April 2009, he was called for a re-assessment of his bowling action after the series in Australia. If his action is found to be illegal, he will be suspended from bowling in international cricket until he has corrected his action. In May 2009, he was allowed to bowl all types of deliveries except the doosra.

Ban against the teaching of the doosra in Australia

In July 2009 in Australia, a spin summit held at Cricket Australia's Centre for Excellence decided not to teach the doosra to young spinners. The delegates at the meeting included former Test spinners Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill, Jim Higgs, Gavin Robertson, Terry Jenner, Peter Philpott and Ashley Mallett. According to them, the doosra cannot be bowled legally and unless ICC decides to legalize all forms of chucking, it will not be taught in Australia.

Teesra

In 2004, Saqlain Mustaq, the developer of the doosra has claimed to have developed a new variant called as the teesra which is a top spinner in disguise of a off spin. He was supposed to have used it in ICL matches.

References

1. Saqlain signs for Ireland: Cricinfo.com Retrieved 26 April 2007.
2. http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/cricket/doosra-may-be-the-difference/2009/04/26/1240684339868.html
3. Saqlain Mushtaq - Player Profile: Cricinfo.com Retrtieved 26 April 2007.
4. Moin Khan coined the term
5. Sonny Ramadhin introduced doosra
6. Rangana Herath. Cricinfo.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-06.
7. Times Online: The Big Interview: Monty Panesar
8. Ajantha Mendis finger flick doosra
9. cricinfo: Harbhajan cleared to bowl
10. cricinfo: Shoaib Malik
11. cricinfo: Botha's action passed by the ICC
12. http://content.cricinfo.com/rsavaus2009/content/current/story/399543.html Botha reported for suspected action
13. http://www.livenews.com.au/sport/no-aussie-murali-coaches-ban-impossible-doosra/2009/7/27/214198
14. http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2004/mar/24saq.htm