View source for Leg spin

{{short description|Type of spin bowling in cricket}}
{{redirect|Leg break|the injury|Human leg#Fracture}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Bowling techniques sidebar |expanded=all}}
[[Image:Leg break small.gif|thumb|right|A leg spin or leg break delivery bowled from [[wikt:over the wicket|over the wicket]].]]
[[Image:slow left arm small.gif|thumb|right|A leg spin or leg break delivery bowled from [[wikt:around the wicket|around the wicket]].]]
'''Leg spin''' is a type of [[spin bowling]] in [[cricket]]. A bowler who uses this technique is called a '''leg spinner'''. Leg spinners bowl with their right-arm and a [[wrist spin]] action. The leg spinner's normal [[Delivery (cricket)|delivery]] is called a '''leg break''',<ref>{{cite web |title=The Science of Spin Bowling: Basics of a Leg Break |url=https://m.cricbuzz.com/cricket-videos/540/the-science-of-spin-bowling-basics-of-a-leg-break |website=Cricbuzz |access-date=27 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref> which spins from right to left (from the bowler's perspective) when the ball bounces on the [[Pitch (cricket)|pitch]]. For a right-handed [[Batting (cricket)|batter]], the ball breaks towards them from the [[leg side]], hence the name 'leg break'.

Leg spinners bowl mostly leg breaks, varying them by adjusting the [[line and length]], and amount of side spin versus topspin of the deliveries. Leg spinners also typically use variations of [[Flight (cricket)|flight]] by sometimes looping the ball in the air, allowing any cross-breeze and the aerodynamic effects of the spinning ball to cause the ball to dip and drift before bouncing and spinning or "turning", sharply. Leg spinners also bowl other types of delivery, which spin differently, such as the [[googly]].

The terms 'leg spin', 'leg spinner', 'leg break' and 'leggie' are used in slightly different ways by different sources.

The bowlers with the second- and fourth-highest number of [[Dismissal (cricket)|wickets]] in the history of [[Test cricket]], [[Shane Warne]] and [[Anil Kumble]], respectively, were leg spinners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/93276.html|title=Records / Test matches / Bowling records / Most wickets in career|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref> One famous example of leg spin is Warne's [[Ball of the Century]].

==History==
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was thought that leg spin would disappear from the game due to the success of West Indian, and later Australian teams, exclusively using fast bowlers. During this time [[Abdul Qadir (cricketer)|Abdul Qadir]] of [[Pakistani cricket team|Pakistan]] was the highest-profile leg spinner in the world and is sometimes credited with "keeping the art alive".<ref>[http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/38973.html Abdul Qadir, player profile] [[Scyld Berry]] et al., [[Cricinfo]], 1998 and November 2008.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/may/19/farewell-shane-warne-cricket Farewell to Shane Warne as cricket's great teaser bowls his final ball] [[Mike Selvey]], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 19 May 2011.</ref> However, leg spin has again become popular with cricket fans and a successful part of cricket teams, driven largely by the success of [[Shane Warne]], beginning with his spectacular [[Ball of the Century]] to [[Mike Gatting]] in 1993.

==Comparison with other types of bowling==
A [[left arm|left-handed]] [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]] who bowls with the same (wrist spin) action as a leg spinner is known as a [[left-arm unorthodox spin]] bowler. The ball itself spins in the opposite direction.

The same kind of trajectory, which spins from right to left on pitching, when performed by a left-arm [[Bowler (cricket)|bowler]] is known as [[left-arm orthodox spin]] bowling.<ref>{{cite web |title=How to bowl leg spin |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/skills/4173750.stm |website=BBC |access-date=17 May 2019 |date=23 August 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Learn to bowl leg spin |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/cricket/skills/newsid_3208000/3208899.stm |website=BBC |access-date=17 May 2019 |date=30 October 2003}}</ref>

As with all spinners, leg spinners bowl the ball far more slowly (70–90&nbsp;km/h or 45–55&nbsp;mph) than [[fast bowling|fast bowlers]]. The fastest leg spinners will sometimes top 100&nbsp;km/h (60&nbsp;mph). While very difficult to bowl accurately, good leg spin is considered one of the most threatening types of bowling to bat against for a right-handed batter, since the flight and sharp turn make the ball's movement extremely hard to read, and the turn away from the right-handed batter is more dangerous than the turn into the right-handed batter generated by an [[off spin]]ner. Any miscalculation can result in an outside edge off the bat and a catch going to the [[wicket-keeper]] or [[slip (cricket)|slip]] fielders. Alternatively, for a ball aimed outside the leg stump, the breaking may be so sharp that the ball goes behind a right-handed batter and hits the stumps – the batter is then said (informally) to be "bowled around their legs". A left-handed batter has less difficulty facing leg spin bowling, because the ball moves in towards the batter's body, meaning the batter's legs are usually in the path of the ball if it misses the bat or takes an edge. This makes it difficult for the bowler to get the batter out bowled or caught from a leg break.

'''Leg spin:''' Some sources make the term 'leg spin' synonymous with leg break,<ref>{{cite web |title=ESPN glossary of cricket terms |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/21322339/a-glossary-cricket-terms |website=ESPN |access-date=11 July 2020 |date=17 April 2007 |quote=Leg-break/spin - When the ball pitches and turns from leg to off for a right-hander.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Spin |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/skills/4173750.stm |website=BBC |date=23 August 2005 |access-date=11 July 2020 |quote=Leg spin involves turning a ball off the pitch from the leg-side of a right-handed batter, to the off-side.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Leg-spin |url=http://www.westyorkshirecricket.co.uk/spin/4520260514 |website=The West Yorkshire Cricket website |access-date=23 July 2020 |quote=Leg spin involves turning a ball off the pitch from the leg-side of a right-handed batter, to the off-side. |archive-date=23 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723221719/http://www.westyorkshirecricket.co.uk/spin/4520260514 |url-status=dead }}</ref> implying that other deliveries bowled by a leg spinner do not count as 'leg spin'. However, other sources use the term 'leg spin' more widely, to include all deliveries bowled by a leg spinner, including non-leg break deliveries.<ref>{{cite web |date=31 January 2020 |title=Bowling leg-spin with Adil Rashid |url=https://www.wisden.com/cricket-news/bowling-leg-spin-with-adil-rashid |access-date=1 April 2025 |website=wisden.com |quote=I've got four deliveries: the leg-break, the top-spinner, the googly (also known as the wrong'un) and the slider. Which deliveries the bowler bowls depends on the situation on the ball and the pitch.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=R Ashwin, now a legspinner too? |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/21852700/r-ashwin-now-legspinner-too |website=ESPN |access-date=25 July 2020 |date=23 December 2017 |quote=The ESPNcricinfo style sheet makes a fine distinction between legbreak and legspin. Legbreak is a delivery, legspin is an art form of which legbreak is a part. Legbreak is a delivery that turns away from a right-hand batter, legspin is the whole set: legbreaks, wrong'uns, topspinners, sliders, flippers; zooters, if you believe Shane Warne.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Shane Warne Masterclass: Australia great talks leg-spin in The Zone |url=https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12123/10311478/shane-warne-masterclass-australia-great-talks-leg-spin-in-the-zone |website=skysports.com |access-date=23 July 2020 |date=12 June 2016 |quote=Shane Warne lit up a drizzly Lord's when he entered The Zone to deliver a masterclass on the art of leg spin... Warne went into huge detail on the pace leg-spinners should bowl at and when to bowl your variations, including the wrong 'un and flipper.}}</ref> 
[[File:2018.01.05.14.02.58-Mason Crane debut-0001 (38876759834).jpg|thumb|220px|[[Mason Crane]] bowling a leg break during the [[2017–18 Ashes series]]]]
'''Leg break:''' In the definition of a leg break, some sources actually include the bowler being a leg spinner,<ref>{{cite web |title=Leg-break |url=https://www.yourdictionary.com/leg-break |website=yourdictionary.com |access-date=23 July 2020 |quote=(cricket) a normal ball bowled by a leg spin bowler, moving from leg to off (for a right-handed batter).}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Glossary of Cricket terms |url=https://www.888sport.com/blog/glossary-sports-terms/glossary-cricket-terms#L |website=888sport.com |access-date=23 July 2020 |quote=Leg break - A spin bowling delivery bowled by a leg spinner that turns from the leg side to the offside of a right-handed batter.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Leg Break |url=https://www.definitions.net/definition/leg%20break |website=definitions.net |access-date=25 July 2020 |quote=leg break (Noun) a normal ball bowled by a leg spin bowler, moving from leg to off (for a right-handed batter).}}</ref> which implies that only leg spinners can bowl leg breaks; all leg breaks are bowled by leg spinners. Other sources do not include the bowler being a leg spinner in the definition of a leg break, and say a leg break is simply a delivery that spins from the legside to the offside,<ref>{{cite web |title=Leg-break |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/leg-break |website=dictionary.com |access-date=23 July 2020 |quote=a ball deviating to the off side from the leg side when bowled.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Leg break |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/leg-break |website=Collins |access-date=23 July 2020 |quote=a bowled ball that spins from leg to off on pitching.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Leg-break |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leg-break |website=Merriam-Webster |access-date=23 July 2020 |quote=a bowled ball in cricket that breaks from the leg side to the off side.}}</ref> and so can also be bowled by other types of bowler.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dananjaya – the offspinner picking wickets with leg-breaks and googlies |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/459975 |website=ICC |access-date=23 July 2020 |date=25 August 2017 |quote=When asked about what sort of a bowler he was, Dananjaya's response was: "I am an offspinner. My wicket-taking balls are leg-spin and the googly."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=9 May 2020 |title=Sonny Ramadhin: A self-taught bowler of remarkable merit – Almanack |url=https://www.wisden.com/wisden-cricketers-almanack/sonny-ramadhin-a-self-taught-bowler-of-remarkable-merit-almanack |access-date=1 April 2025 |website=Wisden |quote=His orthodox attack was the off-break... His variations, which kept the batsmen on tenterhooks, were the leg-break and plain straight ball.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Off-spinner with leg-breaks is like a multi-lingual: Sachin Tendulkar |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/sports/off-spinner-with-leg-breaks-is-like-a-multi-lingual-sachin-tendulkar/articleshow/63893732.cms |website=economictimes |access-date=25 July 2020 |date=24 April 2018 |quote=An off-spinner who can bowl leg-breaks is like a multi-lingual, said Sachin Tendulkar.}}</ref><ref name="Ashwin">{{cite web |title=Ashwin set to bowl leggies in IPL |url=https://www.cricket.com.au/news/india-spinner-ravichandran-ashwin-bowling-leg-spin-chennai-ipl-odi-team-chahal-kuldeep/2018-02-07 |website=cricket.com.au |access-date=23 July 2020 |date=7 February 2018 |quote="I am just trying to build my armoury," Ashwin said after bowling leggies in a domestic 50-over match in Chennai on Monday. "I used to bowl good leg-breaks with my off-spin action when I was playing league cricket in Chennai."}}</ref> In this case, leg breaks are (only) mostly bowled by leg spinners.<ref>{{cite web |title=Leg Break |url=https://www.sportspundit.com/cricket/terms/137-leg-break |website=sportspundit.com |access-date=25 July 2020 |quote=A leg break is a kind of delivery bowled usually by leg spinners.}}</ref>

'''Leg spinner:''' The term leg spinner can be used to mean either the bowler<ref>{{cite web |date=20 May 2020 |title=How does a leg-spinner get a stress fracture? |url=https://www.wisden.com/cricket-news/how-does-a-leg-spinner-get-a-stress-fracture-mason-crane |access-date=1 April 2025 |website=Wisden |quote=Mason Crane, the Hampshire leg-spinner}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Cricket World Cup's greatest leg-spinners |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/847693 |website=ICC |access-date=7 August 2020 |date=30 September 2018 |quote=we look back at the top leg-spinners to have graced the ICC Cricket World Cup}}</ref> or the leg break delivery.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 June 2014 |title=England And The Leg-Spinner: A Terribly Awkward Romance |url=https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/england-and-the-leg-spinner-a-terribly-awkward-romance-2 |access-date=1 April 2025 |website=Wisden |quote=Then there was Eric Hollies. Doing Bradman with a googly was no fluke; the week before he'd bowled him with a regulation leg-spinner but noticed The Don couldn't pick the wrong 'un.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Learn Warne's five spin deliveries |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/cricket/video_masterclasses/newsid_4738000/4738611.stm |website=BBC |date=2 August 2005 |access-date=7 August 2020 |quote=Leg-spinners have five different balls in their armoury: Leg-spinner Top-spinner Googly Slider Flipper}}</ref>

'''Leggie:''' The term leggie can also be used to mean either the bowler<ref>{{cite web |title=Ben Stokes the hero again as England secure thrilling last-gasp Test victory in Cape Town to level South Africa series |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2020/01/07/south-africa-v-england-second-test-day-five-live-score-latest/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2020/01/07/south-africa-v-england-second-test-day-five-live-score-latest/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=Daily Telegraph |access-date=8 January 2020 |date=7 January 2020 |quote=Well that wasn't the way I expected him to pick up the wicket, but that's why you throw the ball to your leggie.}}{{cbignore}}</ref> or the leg break delivery.<ref>{{cite web |title=The doosra ain't the only game in town |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/18771982/ashley-mallett-offspinner-variations |website=ESPN |access-date=26 July 2020 |date=27 February 2017 |quote=And indeed, I never bowled another leggie in international cricket... Having bowled offies and leggies as a kid.}}</ref>

==Technique==
A leg break is bowled by holding the [[cricket ball]] in the palm of the hand with the seam running across under all the fingers. As the ball is released, the wrist is rotated to the left and the ball flicked by the ring finger, giving the ball an anti-clockwise spin as seen from behind.

To grip the ball for a leg-spinning delivery, the ball is placed into the palm with the seam parallel to the palm. The first two fingers then spread and grip the ball, and the third and fourth fingers close together and rest against the side of the ball. The first bend of the third finger should grasp the seam. The thumb resting against the side is up to the bowler but should impart no pressure. When the ball is bowled, the third finger will apply most of the spin. The wrist is cocked as it comes down by the hip, and the wrist moves sharply from right to left as the ball is released, adding more spin. The ball is tossed up to provide [[Cricket terminology#F|flight]]. The batter will see the hand with the palm facing towards them when the ball is released.
{{clear left}}

==Notable leg spin bowlers==
[[File:Shane Warne bowling 2009.jpg|thumb|269x269px|Shane Warne bowling a leg spin delivery]]
Players listed below have been included as they meet specific criteria which the general cricketing public would recognise as having achieved significant success in the art of leg spin bowling. For example: leading wicket-takers, and inventors of new deliveries.

* [[Shane Warne]] – 708 Test wickets (second all-time), one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Century<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/page2/content/story/153387.html|title=Wisden – Five cricketers of the century|work=Cricinfo|date=23 October 2008}}</ref>
* [[Bernard Bosanquet (cricketer)|Bernard Bosanquet]] – credited with inventing the [[googly]] (also known as the "Bosie" in Australia)
* [[Robin Hobbs]] – the last English leg spin bowler to take 1,000 first-class wickets in his career. In all he took 1,099 with a best of 8 for 63 at an average of 27.09. 
* [[B. S. Chandrasekhar]] – took 16 [[five-wicket haul]]s
* [[Clarrie Grimmett]] – 216 Test wickets
* [[Anil Kumble]] – 619 Test wickets (currently 4th on the list of all-time Test cricket wicket takers), best bowling in an innings of 10/74 
* [[Abdul Qadir (cricketer)|Abdul Qadir]] – took [[10 wickets in a match|10 wickets in a Test match]] on five occasions
* [[Tich Freeman]] - 3776 [[First class cricket|first-class]] wickets, the second of all time and the most of any leg spin bowler. He played his last Test match from 17–20 August 1929, against [[South Africa]] at [[The Oval|The Oval'''.''']]'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Tich Freeman profile and biography |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/tich-freeman-12918 |access-date=23 October 2021 |work=Cricinfo}}</ref>'''
* [[Alana King]] - first woman to take 7 wickets in a single World Cup game (ODI)

==Other deliveries bowled by leg spin bowlers==
Highly skilled leg spin bowlers are also able to bowl deliveries that behave unexpectedly, including the [[googly]], which turns the opposite way to a normal leg break and the [[top spinner]], which does not turn but dips sharply and bounces higher than other deliveries. A few leg spinners such as [[Abdul Qadir (cricketer)|Abdul Qadir]], [[Anil Kumble]], [[Shane Warne]] and [[Mushtaq Ahmed (cricketer)|Mushtaq Ahmed]] have also mastered the [[Flipper (cricket)|flipper]], a delivery that like a top spinner goes straight on landing, but floats through the air before skidding and keeping low, often dismissing batters [[leg before wicket]] or bowled. Another variation in the arsenal of some leg spinners is the [[slider (cricket)|slider]], but travels more straight on.

==See also==
* [[Off break]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.talkcricket.co.uk/guides/cricket_skills_leg_spin.html About Leg Spin – talkCricket] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306214758/http://www.talkcricket.co.uk/guides/cricket_skills_leg_spin.html |date=6 March 2018 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170910220739/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/leg_spin Leg Spin Definition – Oxford Dictionaries]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170910221110/https://wisdomtalkies.com/Sports/video-book/Cricket/Bowling/video/37/Leg-spin-by-Shane-Warne Leg Spin Basics video – wisdomtalkies]}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/skills/4173750.stm How to bowl leg spin – BBC Sport]

[[Category:Cricket terminology]]
[[Category:Bowling (cricket)]]