Doosra
Encyclopedia
A doosra is a particular type of delivery
by an off-spin
bowler in the sport
of cricket
, invented by Pakistani
cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq
. The term means "(the) second (one)", or "(the) other (one)" in Urdu
. Saqlain Mushtaq has also invented a variant of the doosra, a ball which he calls the "teesra", meaning "(the) third (one)".
A variety of bowlers have made considerable use of the doosra in international cricket, other Pakistanis to use the doosra Shoaib Malik
and Saeed Ajmal
. Users from other nations include Sri Lankan
s Muttiah Muralitharan
and Ajantha Mendis
, South African Johan Botha and Indian Harbhajan Singh
.
.
The naming of the delivery is attributed to Moin Khan
, the former Pakistani wicketkeeper, who would call on Mushtaq to bowl the "doosra" (the other one) from behind the stumps. Tony Greig
, a commentator in one of these matches, eventually linked the word to the delivery and confirmed it with Saqlain in a post-match interview. Thus the term became a part of cricketing culture. The doosra is now an important part of the off-spin armoury.
Some people, however, feel that the real pioneer of the doosra was Sonny Ramadhin
, who played for the West Indies in the 1950s, as he moved the ball both ways, despite gripping the ball like an off-break bowler.
but cocks the wrist so that the back of the hand faces the batsman. This gives the ball spin in the opposite direction to that for an off break, causing it to spin from the leg side
to the off side to a right-handed batsman.
The doosra is the off-spinner's equivalent of the leg-spinner's
googly
, which spins in the opposite direction to the leg spinner's stock ball.
It is possible for a left-armer (whose action mirrors that of an off-spinner) to bowl the doosra, which in this case would turn from off to leg. Sri Lankan left-armer Rangana Herath
gained recognition by bowling the delivery, in particular against the Australians during an A tour. England left-armer Monty Panesar
has claimed to have bowled the delivery occasionally in domestic matches.
levelled against them. These include; Muttiah Muralitharan
, Harbhajan Singh
, Saeed Ajmal
, Shoaib Malik
and Johan Botha. Another method, bowled by the former Warwickshire bowler Alex Loudon
, features the middle finger behind the ball which 'flicks' the ball as it is delivered - spinning the ball from leg to off. The success of this form of the doosra has yet to be determined, as Loudon only made his One Day International debut for England on 24 June 2006 against Sri Lanka. He did not take any wickets but did bowl the doosra in the match. He did not receive any accusations of throwing. South Australian, Dan Cullen has also been rumoured to be able to bowl the doosra. Ajantha Mendis
has had success at the start of his career using the middle finger flick style of doosra.
Chris Broad
during Australia
's tour of Sri Lanka in 2004, for illegal straightening of the arm at the elbow during the bowling action. Subsequent biomechanical tests conducted at the University of Western Australia
in Perth
showed that Muralitharan was straightening his arm by angles of up to 10 degrees when bowling doosras, well outside the International Cricket Council
acceptable guideline of 5 degrees for spin bowlers. Muralitharan was subsequently instructed by Sri Lanka Cricket
not to bowl the doosra in international cricket. In November 2004, the International Cricket Council
conducted more research into illegal bowling actions and found that many bowlers whose actions were considered legitimate were actually transgressing the rules. A rule change was proposed and accepted at a meeting of ICC chief executives in early 2005, stating that any bowler may straighten their arm up to 15 degrees, and Muralitharan's doosra once again became a legal delivery.
In February 2006, in an attempt to silence the Australian crowds and their 'no ball' chants, Muralitharan took another test at the University of Western Australia
, which saw all of his deliveries deemed legal, including the doosra.
was the subject of an official report by match referee
Chris Broad
, on-field umpires Aleem Dar
and Mark Benson
, and TV umpire Mahbubur Rahman
after the second Test between India
and Bangladesh
at Chittagong
in December 2004. It was reported that his arm is straightened by angles of up to 10 degrees, 5 degrees within the ICC tolerance levels.
was also reported for his doosra before the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in December 2004. Biomechanics tests, similar to those performed on Muralitharan, were conducted, and he did not bowl in subsequent Tests in that series. Unlike many other cricketers accused of throwing when bowling their doosra delivery, Malik is also a capable batsman, and some analysts speculate that he might focus on his batting if prevented from bowling this delivery. Malik was omitted from the Pakistani team for the first Test against Australia in 2004, although this was due to the reputation of the Perth pitch
as being unfriendly to spin bowlers rather than as a result of the controversy.
Malik returned to bowling in May 2005 following remedial work. He was reported again, alongside Shabbir Ahmed
, after the first Test against England at Multan
in November 2005.
In May 2006, Malik opted for elbow surgery to correct his bowling action. He and the Pakistan Cricket Board
had previously unsuccessfully argued that a 2003 road accident caused the damage to his elbow which makes his action appear suspect. Malik returned to play in June 2006 but does not bowl the doosra anymore.
's Centre for Excellence
decided not to teach the doosra to young spinners. The delegates at the meeting included former Test spinners Shane Warne
, Stuart MacGill
, Jim Higgs
, Gavin Robertson
, Terry Jenner
, Peter Philpott
and Ashley Mallett
. According to them, the doosra cannot be bowled legally and unless ICC decides to legalize all forms of chucking, it will not be taught in Australia.
Vincent Barnes in an interview argues
that Bruce Elliott, the University of Western Australia
professor who is also the ICC biomechanist, had made an interesting discovery in his dealings with finger spinners. "He said he had found that a lot of bowlers from the subcontinent could bowl the doosra legally, but not Caucasian bowlers."
Despite that, Jason Krejza
bowled Usman Khawaja
with what seemed to be a doosra during a first-class match. While the video in question shows the ball turning in after hitting the footmarks and releasing a puff of dust on impact, Krejza has, in fact, admitted he is developing a doosra. Krejza's doosra is flicked with the finger and comes from the front of the hand. Traditionally off-spinners bowl the delivery out of the back of the hand. While Terry Jenner has been sceptical of Krejza's new addition he reportedly went on to say "if Jason Krejza has miraculously discovered a way to bowl the doosra without flexing his elbow, then he's a genius."
.
Delivery (cricket)
A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball towards the batsman.During play of the game, a member of the fielding team is designated as the bowler, and bowls deliveries towards the batsman...
by an off-spin
Off spin
Off spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket which is bowled by an off spinner, a right-handed spin bowler who uses his or her fingers and/or wrist to spin the ball from a right-handed batsman's off side to the leg side...
bowler in the sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, invented by Pakistani
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq
Saqlain Mushtaq
Saqlain Mushtaq is a Pakistani cricketer, regarded as one of the finest off spin bowlers of all time.He is best known for pioneering the "doosra", which he employed to great effect during his career...
. The term means "(the) second (one)", or "(the) other (one)" in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
. Saqlain Mushtaq has also invented a variant of the doosra, a ball which he calls the "teesra", meaning "(the) third (one)".
A variety of bowlers have made considerable use of the doosra in international cricket, other Pakistanis to use the doosra Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik is a Pakistani cricket player and former captain. He made his One-Day International debut in 1999 against the West Indies and his Test debut in 2001 against Bangladesh. He has taken over 100 ODI wickets, and has a batting average in the mid 30s in both Test and ODI cricket...
and Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal ; born 14 October 1977) is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a right-arm off-spin bowler who also uses the Doosra to good effect.-Early life and domestic cricket:...
. Users from other nations include Sri Lankan
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
s Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
and Ajantha Mendis
Ajantha Mendis
Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslo Mendis is a cricketer who plays for the Sri Lankan national cricket team.Mendis, although classified as slow-medium, bowls a mixture of deliveries, including googlies, off-breaks, top-spinners, flippers and leg-breaks, as well as the carrom ball, released with a flick...
, South African Johan Botha and Indian Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha , commonly known as Harbhajan Singh, is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan....
.
History
The doosra is a relatively new type of delivery. Saqlain Mushtaq is credited with its invention, which was integral to both his success and the future of off-spin bowling, as it is unlikely that any off-spinner prior to him ever bowled a delivery which turned from legLeg side
The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...
.
The naming of the delivery is attributed to Moin Khan
Moin Khan
Mohammad Moin Khan , popularly known as Moin Khan , is a former Pakistani cricketer, primarily a wicketkeeper-batsman, who remained a member of the Pakistani national cricket team from 1990 to 2004. He has also captained the Pakistani side. He made his international debut against the West Indies at...
, the former Pakistani wicketkeeper, who would call on Mushtaq to bowl the "doosra" (the other one) from behind the stumps. Tony Greig
Tony Greig
Anthony "Tony" William Greig is a former English Test cricketer and currently a commentator.Born in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England by virtue of his Scottish father. He was a tall batting all-rounder who bowled both medium pace and off spin. He became captain of the...
, a commentator in one of these matches, eventually linked the word to the delivery and confirmed it with Saqlain in a post-match interview. Thus the term became a part of cricketing culture. The doosra is now an important part of the off-spin armoury.
Some people, however, feel that the real pioneer of the doosra was Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin was a West Indian cricketer, and a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first West Indian cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951.- Biography and career :...
, who played for the West Indies in the 1950s, as he moved the ball both ways, despite gripping the ball like an off-break bowler.
Technique
The bowler delivers the ball with the same finger action as a normal off breakOff break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
but cocks the wrist so that the back of the hand faces the batsman. This gives the ball spin in the opposite direction to that for an off break, causing it to spin from the leg side
Leg side
The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...
to the off side to a right-handed batsman.
The doosra is the off-spinner's equivalent of the leg-spinner's
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
, which spins in the opposite direction to the leg spinner's stock ball.
It is possible for a left-armer (whose action mirrors that of an off-spinner) to bowl the doosra, which in this case would turn from off to leg. Sri Lankan left-armer Rangana Herath
Rangana Herath
Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath, also known as H. M. R. K. B. Herath or Rangana Herath or Jack is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He was educated at Mayurapada Central College, Narammala and Maliyadeva College. He has also played cricket for Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club and Moors...
gained recognition by bowling the delivery, in particular against the Australians during an A tour. England left-armer Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar
Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, known as Monty Panesar , is an English cricketer who currently plays for Sussex. A left-arm spinner, Panesar played Test and one-day cricket for England until 2009. In English county cricket he played for Northamptonshire until 2009...
has claimed to have bowled the delivery occasionally in domestic matches.
Other bowlers
Increasingly, it seems that many other off-spinners are trying to make use of the "doosra" delivery with varying degrees of success. Interestingly, apart from Saqlain Mushtaq himself, all other off-spinners attempting to utilise the delivery have had accusations (for the most part dismissed) of throwingThrowing (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, throwing, commonly referred to as chucking, is an illegal bowling action which occurs when a bowler straightens their arm when delivering the ball. The Laws of Cricket specify that a bowler's arm must be fully extended and rotated about the shoulder to impart velocity to...
levelled against them. These include; Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
, Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha , commonly known as Harbhajan Singh, is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan....
, Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal ; born 14 October 1977) is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a right-arm off-spin bowler who also uses the Doosra to good effect.-Early life and domestic cricket:...
, Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik is a Pakistani cricket player and former captain. He made his One-Day International debut in 1999 against the West Indies and his Test debut in 2001 against Bangladesh. He has taken over 100 ODI wickets, and has a batting average in the mid 30s in both Test and ODI cricket...
and Johan Botha. Another method, bowled by the former Warwickshire bowler Alex Loudon
Alex Loudon
Alexander Guy Rushworth Loudon is an English former cricketer. A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler, he was considered a promising future international player....
, features the middle finger behind the ball which 'flicks' the ball as it is delivered - spinning the ball from leg to off. The success of this form of the doosra has yet to be determined, as Loudon only made his One Day International debut for England on 24 June 2006 against Sri Lanka. He did not take any wickets but did bowl the doosra in the match. He did not receive any accusations of throwing. South Australian, Dan Cullen has also been rumoured to be able to bowl the doosra. Ajantha Mendis
Ajantha Mendis
Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslo Mendis is a cricketer who plays for the Sri Lankan national cricket team.Mendis, although classified as slow-medium, bowls a mixture of deliveries, including googlies, off-breaks, top-spinners, flippers and leg-breaks, as well as the carrom ball, released with a flick...
has had success at the start of his career using the middle finger flick style of doosra.
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muralitharan's doosra was the subject of an official report by match refereeMatch referee
A match referee is an official appointed to oversee professional cricket matches. Match referees for Test matches and One Day Internationals are appointed by the International Cricket Council...
Chris Broad
Chris Broad
Brian Christopher Broad, usually known as Chris Broad is a former England Test cricketer and current Test official. An opening batsman, Broad had a 25-match long international Test career during which he hit six centuries, together with 34 One Day International matches with a respectable over 40...
during Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's tour of Sri Lanka in 2004, for illegal straightening of the arm at the elbow during the bowling action. Subsequent biomechanical tests conducted at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
showed that Muralitharan was straightening his arm by angles of up to 10 degrees when bowling doosras, well outside the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
acceptable guideline of 5 degrees for spin bowlers. Muralitharan was subsequently instructed by Sri Lanka Cricket
Sri Lanka Cricket
Sri Lanka Cricket, formerly the Board for Cricket Control in Sri Lanka , is the controlling body for cricket in Sri Lanka. It operates the Sri Lankan cricket team and first-class cricket within Sri Lanka....
not to bowl the doosra in international cricket. In November 2004, the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
conducted more research into illegal bowling actions and found that many bowlers whose actions were considered legitimate were actually transgressing the rules. A rule change was proposed and accepted at a meeting of ICC chief executives in early 2005, stating that any bowler may straighten their arm up to 15 degrees, and Muralitharan's doosra once again became a legal delivery.
In February 2006, in an attempt to silence the Australian crowds and their 'no ball' chants, Muralitharan took another test at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, which saw all of his deliveries deemed legal, including the doosra.
Harbhajan Singh
The doosra of Indian bowler Harbhajan SinghHarbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha , commonly known as Harbhajan Singh, is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan....
was the subject of an official report by match referee
Match referee
A match referee is an official appointed to oversee professional cricket matches. Match referees for Test matches and One Day Internationals are appointed by the International Cricket Council...
Chris Broad
Chris Broad
Brian Christopher Broad, usually known as Chris Broad is a former England Test cricketer and current Test official. An opening batsman, Broad had a 25-match long international Test career during which he hit six centuries, together with 34 One Day International matches with a respectable over 40...
, on-field umpires Aleem Dar
Aleem Dar
Aleem Sarwar Dar is a retired Pakistani first-class cricketer and a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. He won three consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards 2009, 2010 and 2011, after being nominated twice in 2005 and 2006. Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel are the only umpires to have received the...
and Mark Benson
Mark Benson
Mark Richard Benson is a former International cricketer and a retired ICC Elite Panel cricket umpire - he played for England in one Test match and one One Day International in 1986....
, and TV umpire Mahbubur Rahman
Mahbubur Rahman
Mahbubur Rahman is a former Bangladeshi cricketer who played in one ODI in 1999.In the 1980s Mymensingh was a great hub for producing cricketing talent in Bangladesh. Mahbubur Rahman, also known as Selim, was one of the finest talents to come from there. A right-handed middle order batsman, he...
after the second Test between India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
and Bangladesh
Bangladeshi cricket team
The Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
at Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
in December 2004. It was reported that his arm is straightened by angles of up to 10 degrees, 5 degrees within the ICC tolerance levels.
Shoaib Malik
Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib MalikShoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik is a Pakistani cricket player and former captain. He made his One-Day International debut in 1999 against the West Indies and his Test debut in 2001 against Bangladesh. He has taken over 100 ODI wickets, and has a batting average in the mid 30s in both Test and ODI cricket...
was also reported for his doosra before the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in December 2004. Biomechanics tests, similar to those performed on Muralitharan, were conducted, and he did not bowl in subsequent Tests in that series. Unlike many other cricketers accused of throwing when bowling their doosra delivery, Malik is also a capable batsman, and some analysts speculate that he might focus on his batting if prevented from bowling this delivery. Malik was omitted from the Pakistani team for the first Test against Australia in 2004, although this was due to the reputation of the Perth pitch
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
as being unfriendly to spin bowlers rather than as a result of the controversy.
Malik returned to bowling in May 2005 following remedial work. He was reported again, alongside Shabbir Ahmed
Shabbir Ahmed
Shabbir Ahmed is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a line-and-length pace bowler who took eight wickets for 109 runs on his Test debut against Bangladesh in the first of their 2003-04 three-Test series...
, after the first Test against England at Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
in November 2005.
In May 2006, Malik opted for elbow surgery to correct his bowling action. He and the Pakistan Cricket Board
Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board is a sporting organization that is responsible for governing all professional cricket including Test cricket and One Day International matches played in Pakistan...
had previously unsuccessfully argued that a 2003 road accident caused the damage to his elbow which makes his action appear suspect. Malik returned to play in June 2006 but does not bowl the doosra anymore.
Johan Botha
South African Johan Botha has been reported for his version of the doosra after the 3rd Test match against Australia in 2006. Botha was playing in his maiden test match at the time, taking 2 wickets. His bowling was later ruled illegal, and he was banned, though this ban was lifted in November, 2006. However, in April 2009, he was called for a re-assessment of his bowling action after the series in Australia. In May 2009, he was allowed to bowl all types of deliveries except the doosra, which was deemed to exceed the 15 degree limit.Ban against the teaching of the doosra in Australia
In July 2009 in Australia, a spin summit held at Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
Cricket Australia, formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket...
's Centre for Excellence
Australian Cricket Academy
The Australian Cricket Academy, originally located at Henley Beach in Adelaide, was formed in 1987 as a joint initiative of the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Cricket Board . It was designed to be a finishing school for leading young cricketers and is a program within the AIS...
decided not to teach the doosra to young spinners. The delegates at the meeting included former Test spinners Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
, Stuart MacGill
Stuart MacGill
Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill is a former right-arm leg spin bowler of the Australian cricket team, with a domestic career at Western Australia, New South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Devon and Somerset...
, Jim Higgs
Jim Higgs
James Donald Higgs is a former Australian leg spinner who played in 22 Tests from 1978 to 1981.Higgs began his district cricket career at Melbourne University, where he studied civil engineering, before transferring to Richmond. He made his début for Victoria against Western Australia...
, Gavin Robertson
Gavin Robertson
Gavin Ron Robertson is a former Australian cricketer who played in 4 Tests and 13 ODIs from 1994 to 1998 after a first-class cricket career that saw him depart New South Wales for Tasmania and then return to New South Wales.Robertson is also a member of the band Six & Out with Australian fast...
, Terry Jenner
Terry Jenner
Terrence James Jenner was an Australian cricketer who played nine Tests and one ODI from 1970 to 1975. He was primarily a leg-spin bowler and was known for his attacking, loopy style of bowling, but he was also a handy lower-order batsman...
, Peter Philpott
Peter Philpott
Peter Ian Philpott was a leg-spin bowler and middle order batsman for New South Wales and Australia in the 1960s. He made his debut in the West Indies in 1964-65 and took 18 wickets...
and Ashley Mallett
Ashley Mallett
Ashley Alexander Mallett is a former Australian cricketer who played in 38 Tests and 9 One Day Internationals between 1968 and 1980...
. According to them, the doosra cannot be bowled legally and unless ICC decides to legalize all forms of chucking, it will not be taught in Australia.
Vincent Barnes in an interview argues
that Bruce Elliott, the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
professor who is also the ICC biomechanist, had made an interesting discovery in his dealings with finger spinners. "He said he had found that a lot of bowlers from the subcontinent could bowl the doosra legally, but not Caucasian bowlers."
Despite that, Jason Krejza
Jason Krejza
Jason John Krejza is an Australian cricketer. He also plays for the Tasmanian Tigers and Leicestershire. Krejza's father was a association football player from Czechoslovakia and his mother was born in Poland...
bowled Usman Khawaja
Usman Khawaja
Usman Khawaja is an Australian cricketer. He was awarded player of the Australian Under 19 Championship in 2005 and also played for Australia in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka as an opening batsman. His club side is Randwick-Petersham....
with what seemed to be a doosra during a first-class match. While the video in question shows the ball turning in after hitting the footmarks and releasing a puff of dust on impact, Krejza has, in fact, admitted he is developing a doosra. Krejza's doosra is flicked with the finger and comes from the front of the hand. Traditionally off-spinners bowl the delivery out of the back of the hand. While Terry Jenner has been sceptical of Krejza's new addition he reportedly went on to say "if Jason Krejza has miraculously discovered a way to bowl the doosra without flexing his elbow, then he's a genius."
Teesra
In 2004, Saqlain Mushtaq, the developer of the doosra, claimed to have developed a new variant called the teesra, which is a backspinner disguised as an off spinner. He was supposed to have used it in ICL matchesIndian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India...
.