The Off spin reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Off spin

Off spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of Cricket.

It is so termed as the spin imparted on the ball by this type of bowler causes it to spin from the off side, towards leg, in contrast with leg spin, in which the ball spins from leg to off.

Off spin is generally considered less difficult to play than leg spin, as off breaks typically spin less than leg spinners, and do not generally possess the same loopy, potentially deceptive flight. However, the off spinner has advantages in being able to deliver the ball with considerably more speed and accuracy than a leg spinner, and thus the capability to deceive the batsman with changes in the pace of the ball. In addition, the advent of modern off spinners such as Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan have demonstrated that they can spin the ball as prodigiously as most leg break bowlers.

Notable contemporary off-spinners include Harbhajan Singh of India, Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, and Saqlain Mushtaq of Pakistan. Mushtaq in particular has been credited with the invention of the "doosra", sometimes called the "floater" or mystery ball, which behaves comparably to the leg spinner's googly by turning in the opposite direction to a normal delivery.

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