Leg break

Leg break

A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the stock delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as "leggies" or "wrist spinners", as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of off spinners.

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 allowed to roll out of the hand over the little finger, giving the ball an anti-clockwise spin as seen from behind. When the ball bounces on the pitch, the spin causes it to deviate towards the left from the bowler's perspective; this is to the right from the batsman's point of view, or towards the off side of a right-handed batsman. The ball spins "away" from the leg side, and this is where it gets the name "leg break", meaning it breaks away from the leg. The turn is mostly when the ball pitches.

A leg spin bowler will bowl mostly leg breaks, varying them by adjusting the line and length of the deliveries.

Leg breaks are considered to be one of the more difficult spin deliveries for a right-handed batsman to play. This is because the ball moves away from their body. This means that any miscalculation can result in an outside edge off the bat and a catch going to the wicket-keeper or slips fielders.

A left-handed batsman has less difficulty facing leg spin bowling, because the ball moves in towards the batsman's body, meaning the batsman'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 batsman out bowled or caught from a leg break, but it does mean there is a chance of leg before wicket, assuming the ball has not turned enough to miss the leg stump. Sometimes, the breaking is so high that the ball can actually go around the batsmen and hit the stumps.

A ball bowled by a left-arm unorthodox spin bowler with a leg break action spins in the opposite direction, i.e. from left to right as the bowler sees it. Such a ball is not normally called a leg break but a "left-arm unorthodox spinner" or "Chinaman".

ome notable leg-break bowlers

* Richie Benaud
* Shane Warne
* Stuart MacGill
* Anil Kumble
* Abdul Qadir
* Danish Kaneria
* Mushtaq Ahmed
* Upul Chandana

ee also

* Ball of the Century
* Flipper
* Googly
* Off break
* Topspinner


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • leg break — noun (cricket) A ball that breaks from the legside towards the offside on pitching • • • Main Entry: ↑leg * * * leg break, Cricket. a ball pitched on or breaking from the side of the field that lies in a line with the batsman …   Useful english dictionary

  • leg-break — /leg brayk /, n. Cricket. a ball deviating to the off side from the leg side when bowled. [1885 90] * * * …   Universalium

  • Leg break — Lexique du cricket Le cricket est un sport qui dispose d un lexique complexe : les termes techniques et expressions qu on y emploie de manière spécifique sont nombreux[1]. Sommaire : Haut A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q …   Wikipédia en Français

  • leg-break — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun : a bowled ball in cricket that breaks from the leg side to the off side * * * /leg brayk /, n. Cricket. a ball deviating to the off side from the leg side when bowled. [1885 90] …   Useful english dictionary

  • leg break — noun a normal ball bowled by a leg spin bowler, moving from leg to off (for a right handed batsman) …   Wiktionary

  • leg break — /ˈlɛg breɪk/ (say leg brayk) noun (in cricket) a ball which, when a right hander is facing, changes direction from leg to off when it pitches …  

  • leg break — noun Cricket a ball which spins from the leg side towards the off side after pitching …   English new terms dictionary

  • Leg spin — is a style of spin bowling in cricket. A leg spinner bowls right arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin anti clockwise at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left …   Wikipedia

  • break — ► VERB (past broke; past part. broken) 1) separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain. 2) make or become inoperative; stop working. 3) interrupt (a continuity, sequence, or course). 4) fail to observe (a law, regulation, or… …   English terms dictionary

  • break */*/*/ — I UK [breɪk] / US verb Word forms break : present tense I/you/we/they break he/she/it breaks present participle breaking past tense broke UK [brəʊk] / US [broʊk] past participle broken UK [ˈbrəʊkən] / US [ˈbroʊkən] 1) [transitive] to make… …   English dictionary

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