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.

[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.

Another wicket taking method was to impart more spin on the ball than usual, and surprise the batsman.

An exponent of this style of bowling was "Flat" Jack Simmons who played for Lancashire and Tasmania in the 1970s and 1980s.

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.