The googly ball in cricket, also commonly referred to as wrong un, is a deceptive bowling variation in a leg spinner’s arsenal. Unlike the traditional leg break, which turns from leg to off for a right-hander, the googly cricket ball turns the other way from off to leg. While delivering the googly, the bowler undergoes very minimal changes to his/her bowling action. Almost everything stays the same apart from the wrist position and release.

Batters who are deceived by the googly variation either risk getting bowled through the gate or end up playing around their front pad, only to be adjudged Leg Before Wicket (LBW). In this article, we will uncover what is a googly in cricket, how to deliver a googly ball, and look at some of the key tips/considerations to keep in mind while bowling this magic delivery.

Real-Life Example of a Googly Ball in Cricket

Step-Wise Breakdown Of How To Bowl A Googly Ball in Cricket

Below are some of the most important guidelines listed to help you deliver the googly ball in cricket.

Step 1 (Googly Grip & Run Up)

As a beginner looking to bowl the magic ball, it’s highly imperative to get your grip right. The latest googly ball grip stays almost the same as a conventional leg spinner. The middle and the index fingers stay evenly apart over the seam of the cricket ball, while the third finger, a.k.a the release finger or the main finger, stays tucked underneath near the side of the ball.

The thumb can act as a support and can either be on or off the cricket ball, depending on your convenience. But it will play no role in imparting spin. As for the run-up, you want to give as few cues as possible to the batter, so make sure it stays the same as if you’re running in to bowl a leg spinner. Mark your run-up as you normally would from the expected point of delivery stride. The googly ball grip must not be either too tight or too loose.

Step 2 (Googly Wrist Positioning)

Once you successfully ace the latest version of the googly ball grip, we advance to the next phase of how to deliver googly ball in cricket. The wrist position becomes the real differentiator between a leg spin and a googly ball. Any budding leg spinner looking to master the art of the googly ball in cricket must get the wrist positioning right. For the conventional leg break delivery (on the left side of the image), the wrist tends to face the first slip, and the cricket ball is released more out of the front of the hand.

However, to bowl the googly ball in cricket, the wrist is cocked backwards and faces the batter directly. As a consequence, the ball is released from the back of the hand, as opposed to a traditional leg spinner, which is released from the front of the hand.

Step 3 (Delivery Stride & Release)

Once you enter the delivery stride, it is time to set your body in full motion. To ensure that you reap the maximum benefit, you must be as side-on as possible when you land in your delivery stride. In other words, try to land your back foot parallel to the bowling crease. This allows full upper-body rotation, giving you the ability to impart maximum revs while pivoting on your front toe.

As soon as you enter your delivery stride, cock your wrists firmly to make it face the batter. Use your third finger, along with your wrist, to make the cricket ball flick out of the back of your hand. The wrist moves from right to left, which imparts the spin, while the ring finger, along with the third finger, also plays a key role in making the ball spin in an anti-clockwise direction. This can be achieved by ensuring that the wrist turns around completely at the top of the action.

Step 4 (Follow Through)

To ensure that the googly release comes right, it’s important to ensure that you pivot correctly over your front leg. The pivot on the front foot creates a stable base, allowing you to rotate your hips and shoulders effectively. Your ability to pivot over your front leg would allow you to transfer your weight forward while also enabling you to put some meaningful momentum behind the ball.

Points To Consider During Googly Follow Through

• Land your front foot on the heel.
• Maintain a braced front leg, which allows you to drag your body weight forward.
• The side front arm pulls down in one motion.
• Ensure 180-degree shoulder rotation to achieve maximum deception and spin with your googly ball.

Suggested Drills For The Googly Ball (Grip & Release)

The above tutorial on how to bowl a googly cricket ball exactly explains how you can kick-start your googly bowling adventure. It begins with the fundamental basics of perfecting the googly grip and release.

Here are some googly bowling drills, which will certainly help you bowl a googly with lethal disguise and accuracy.

Drill 1: Wrist Flicks (Isolation Drill)

How: Hit the nets on your own and practice this googly ball drill in an idle setup. Grip the googly delivery with a traditional leg-spin grip, but rotate your wrist 180° so the back of your hand faces the batter.

Purpose: Practice the googly grip and release point by ensuring that the ball spins off the ring finger or back of the hand to create reverse revolutions. Focus on the feel and how the ball releases from your hands.

Drill 2: Kneeling Bowling (Upper Body Focus)

How: For this googly ball drill, you must rest your back knee on the ground as shown above, with your front foot pointing forward at the stumps.

Purpose: Aim is to isolate your upper body, forcing you to use your shoulder rotation and wrist to bowl the googly cricket ball, rather than relying on momentum.

Drill 3: Side Net Bowling (Full Body Motion)

How: Stand upright with your non-bowling shoulder facing the side net. Maintain a distance of roughly 2-3 meters from the net. Keeping the googly grip and release basics in mind, bowl the googly cricket ball into the net with your body weight going forward.

Purpose: Aim is to involve both your upper and lower body while bowling a googly in cricket. The upper body (hands and shoulders) must operate in conjunction with the lower body (feet and waist) to maximize the efficiency of the googly ball in cricket.

Drill 4: Target Practice (Googly Ball Accuracy Drill)

How: This googly cricket ball drill is devised to improve a spinner’s accuracy. Set up a specific stump or marker on the pitch and focus on pitching the googly delivery on a consistent line and length.

Purpose: To make the googly ball in cricket as sharp as you conventional leg break.

Things To Consider Before Bowling A Googly Ball In Cricket

• Work extensively on getting your wrist positioning and release right, as that is what will help you extract the turn.
• Aim to pitch the ball just outside off-stump to give yourself the best chance of opening all modes of dismissal (Bold, LBW, caught behind, back pad).
• Keep your bowling action exactly the same and only make subtle adjustments at the point of release.
• Perform drills that help you get a feel of the release and finger rotation (Preferably without a full run-up)

What To Avoid While Bowling A Googly Ball in Cricket

• Try not to show your wrist position to the batter too early at the start of your run-up.
• Avoid making too many changes to your bowling action. Doing so will give batters an early indication of a possible change-up bowl.
• Do not have a tight grip. Having a tight grip or a stiff wrist on release will hinder your ability to control the flight and direction of the ball.
• Avoid the biggest blunder of bowling googlies too often. This phenomenon is also called “googly syndrome”. Overdoing it will put you at high risk of losing your stock delivery.

Closing Thoughts On How To Bowl A Googly Ball in Cricket

By now, you would have certainly gotten the hang of what is a googly ball in cricket. The googly ball in cricket presents the spinners with more avenues to dismiss a batter. In an era heavily dominated by the batters, the googly ball in cricket serves as a potent weapon in a leg spinner’s arsenal. Mastering the release and the wrist positioning is key to success. The bowlers, running in to deliver the googly, must keep their bowling action as simple as possible to avoid giving away any cues or early indications of a potential change-up ball.

Above all, we can’t emphasize enough on practice. As a spin bowler, you must be prepared to toil hard in the nets and be dedicated enough to invest countless hours in honing your googly bowling skills. Beware of relying too heavily on the googly ball, as it can result in a troubled complication, famously dubbed “googly syndrome”.

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