Doosra

Bowlers use different types of serve. Doosra is a throw type that off-spin bowlers are good at. The player’s palm looks in the opposite direction when thrown, and not in the batsman’s direction. Thus, the thrower tries to confuse the opponent into making an inaccurate shot.

Doosra: basic meaning

Doosra is a relatively new kind of filing. Pakistani Prince Aslam Khan is considered to be the inventor of this technique. He was born in 1935 and played for the Pakistan national team from 1955 to 1978. He was part of the princely family of Manavadar, which had its own small state. It is now part of the Indian state of Gujarat. As a left-arm spinner, Aslam Khan was a shining player. Sometimes he allowed himself to be late for matches and emotionally reacted to the decisions of the referees. Doosra became popular thanks to compatriot Khan Saqlain Mushtaq. Subsequently, this technique was used not only by Pakistanis, but also by foreign athletes: Harbhajan Singh from India, Muttiah Muralitharan from Sri Lanka, as well as Johan Botha, representing South Africa. Some bowlers by the International Cricket Council have been banned from using doosra, as when straightening their arms, their rotation angle turns out to be more than 15 degrees.

Interestingly, the name of this technical element was most likely coined by Pakistani cricketer Moin Khan. He played for the Pakistan national team from 1990 to 2004. Cricket experts claim that he adjusted the performance of the doosra.

Doosra: technical performance

There are two popular and one less popular methods for doing doosra. Let’s sign two popular ones step by step. The first of them is considered to be simpler in execution:

1. First you need to grab the ball in the area between your index and middle fingers. Then secure the ball completely with the palm of your hand. At this point, the seam should be perpendicular to the hand, it is better to touch the seam with the index finger.
2. The next step is to raise your hand, with the palm turned to the left. Before throwing, the cricketers turn their wrist inward and throw their index finger down the ball with a movement.

The second method of executing doosra is more complicated, it is not suitable for all bowlers, but in this case, a more unpleasant situation can be created for a right-handed opponent:

1. First you need to grab the ball in the same way as in the first option. The throwm hand should be as far away from the body as possible so that the swing is the most biting.
2. Having reached the highest point in the position of the throwing hand, it is necessary to relax it. Now you need to release the ball, but at the same time give it rotation, as if stroking the projectile along the vertical axis. At this time, the player’s palm should be facing in the opposite direction, not in the batsman’s direction.
3. For the ball to spin in flight, bend your index and middle fingers to the left while pushing off the ball.

Whichever method the cricketer chooses to throw, it is important to direct the ball by rotating the palm to increase accuracy. Also, during the throw, it is better to tilt the body to the left.

Doosra: famous players

Coaches who teach cricket to children are increasingly providing basic concepts of doosra. However, current or retired bowlers have been criticized for using this technique in violation of the rules:

• Muttiah Muralitharan from Sri Lanka in a match against Australia in 2004 broke the rules by bending his arm more than 15 degrees (this was the extreme limit). Later, the International Cricket Council conducted an investigation, as a result of which it turned out that not only Muralitharan, but also other well-known players violated the rules in this way. It is noteworthy that, despite criticism, Muttiah continued to perform doosra, including in the match with the Australian national team.
• The actions of Harbhajan Singh from India were discussed after his team’s match with Bangladesh. At the same time, it was reported that he bent his arm only 10 degrees to fit into the frame.
• Doosra has been throwing Shoaib Malik from Pakistan for a while. He was not the national team leader, so he was not always involved in the team. Over time, his doosra-throwing actions became suspicious. The judges recorded violations over and over again. As a result, the player abandoned this idea.
• Johan Botha from South Africa is remembered for being banned from throwing doosra twice already. The last ban dates back to 2009 and is still in effect.
• When Pakistani Shohag Gazi throws were legal, they were very difficult to read “batsmans”. But after a series of matches with India, the International Cricket Council accused Gazi of breaking the rules. He had to change his game as a bowler. The coaches of the national team refused the player’s services after the adjustments.

A summit was held in Australia in 2009. It was decided to cancel the education of children in doosra schools, although among the delegates were those cricketers who used this technique themselves at one time.