Leg Spin vs. Off Spin: Key Differences Explained

When the ball is delivered, the bowler must flick their wrist and fingers to generate the spin.

In terms of grip, the index and middle fingers should be extended over the seam. Here, the ring finger and little finger should curl back into the palm. The grip should be firmly, but crucially, not too tight.

Ideally, the wrist should be relaxed to impart the most amount of spin and a solid release can deceive a batsman into playing a loose shot. Timing is critical; releasing too early or late can have a huge impact on the flight and accuracy of the delivery.

With leg spin, the bowler will try to impart enough spin to turn the ball from the leg side to the off side. Naturally, having a good run-up helps along with good foot placement leading up to the crease.

To a certain extent, it is arguably easier for batters to score runs off leg spinners. Well, if they read the flight off the ball well, then they can nurdle the ball to third man for a single or pull past square leg for a four.

Offspinners will turn the ball from the off side to the leg side, and it can be hard for batsmen to score runs. Well, the pace and accuracy can be a determining factor.

For example, Nathan Lyon, the Australian spin maestro, is seventh on the all-time leading wicket-takers in Test cricket. To date, he has picked up 549 wickets, and he’s an aggressive bowler, always looking to pile the pressure on the batsman. When he’s at his best, he’s almost unstoppable.

Made popular by the likes of Warne and Kumble, the googly is accredited to Bernard Bosanquet who played seven Tests for England during the early 1900s.

The idea of the googly is to trap the batsman into playing a false shot, moving forward, and the spin is so well disguised that they are left bamboozled. There aren’t many natural googly bowlers out there anymore, but it is highly effective.

With this variation, the slider skips off the surface even though the ball release is much slower. Usually, there will be extra backspin added to the ball with the seam pointing towards the batter.

Again, Warne was a master of the slider, capturing many wickets during his career with this method.

The offspin version of the googly, the doosra is just as devious. Bowled from the back of the hand with a lot of top-spin, the wrist moves in a clockwise direction.

At times, this technique has been called into question by ICC. However, Sri Lanka legend Muralitharan, India’s Harbhajan Singh and Pakistan bowler Shoaib Malik, rated one of his country’s best captains of all time, have had their actions cleared.

For Test cricket, off spin is a great way to break things up if a side has used their pace bowlers for long spells. It gives them a breather, but also if the pitch is drier, then it can be a good tactic to bring on an off spinner to try and create chances.

With leg spin, the fielding placement may be more aggressive, so players might come in to surround the batsman including those at square leg ready to take a catch if there is a leading edge.

In ODI cricket, leg spin and off spin are a great way to disrupt a batter’s rhythm. For example, if a batter has cashed in during the powerplay overs, using off spin can be effective. Coaches always talk about line and length, and with off spin, the aim is to try and beat the outside edge. Those off spin bowlers with an intelligent cricket brain may be brought in during the middle overs.

Whereas, with leg spin, the intention for ODIs is to try and plant a seed of doubt in the batter’s mind. Once again, fielding placements will be key so that the key scoring zones aren’t easily accessible for batsmen.