The Googly

Just in case you Yanks thought we didnt have the equivalent to the curved ball,


The googly

A leg spinner's unique asset is the googly, if he can bowl it (not all can). This is the most misunderstood delivery in cricket. It's not nearly as difficult to comprehend as it is to play. The googly spins the opposite way from the leg break, i.e. from left to right (like an off-break). The clever thing is it's bowled with the same wrist action as the leg spinner, but the release out of the back of the hand makes it spin the other way.





Leg break

The ball spins out of the side of the hand and turns from right to left. This is the West Indian Nagamootoo.








Googly

The same wrist rotation as the leg break, but the ball is released from the back of the hand, so it spins the other way.



and to think people bet on these Sports.

:lolBIG: :lolBIG: me thinks ole Winbet is 3 sheets to the wind as we say here in the oppressed Usa:drink: :drink: :drink:

Dante said:

:lolBIG: :lolBIG: me thinks ole Winbet is 3 sheets to the wind as we say here in the oppressed Usa:drink: :drink: :drink:

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Cricket started at 11.00AM GMT, as the match flowed, so did my drinking.

Excellent observation Dante.

PS: less of the ole, there are laws against that now.

The phrase comes from 18th-19th century English Naval terminology. The original phrase was "three Sheets in the wind" and referred to the erratic behavior of a ship that has lost control of all of its sails.



In nautical terminology sheets are the ropes that adjust the position of the sails relative to the wind.

The speed and direction of a sailing ship is controlled by the number of sails raised on each mast, the angle of the sails to the wind (trim of the sails), and the position of the rudder. If the sheets used to control the sails are to break or are have been released, the sheet is said to be "in the wind".

One can imagine a sail thrashing wildly in a strong wind with its sheet (the control ropes) blowing about. It would be very difficult to regain control of such a sail.

Prior to the 1810's it was common for ships to have three masts, (fore, main, and mizzen). If the sheets on all three masts are "in the wind", the ship loses all steering control. The ship's lack of control is likened to that of a stumbling drunk.