Off spin

Their normal delivery is called an off break,[1] which spins from left to right (from the bowler's perspective) when the ball bounces on the pitch.

Aside from these variations in spin, varying the speed, length and flight of the ball are also important for the off spinner.

The bowler with the most wickets in the history of both Test matches and ODIs, Muttiah Muralitharan, was an off spinner.

[3] Although rare now, in the past there were bowlers who used the off-break action who deliberately did not impart any considerable spin on the ball but relied on line and length (or even speed variations) to frustrate batsmen.

A left-handed batsman has more difficulty facing off break bowling, because the ball moves away from his body.

This means that any miscalculation can more easily result in an outside edge off the bat and a catch going to the wicket-keeper or slips fielders.

[20][21] An off break is bowled by holding the cricket ball in the palm of the hand with the seam running across under all the fingers.