In praise of the left arm orthodox
It’s a good time to be a left-arm spinner. Currently, some of the very best cricketers in the world belong to this underappreciated and undercelebrated club. I sing in praise of my left-arm orthodox brothers, and remember the time it was nearly something I was nearly pretty decent at. Left-arm orthodox – even the term is unglamorous, has none of the allure of fast, of leg-spin, swing, or of that break-off sect, the Chinaman bowler. Left-arm orthodox bowling is easy to do but hard to be successful in. It’s easy because a) your left-handedness gives you a natural difference b) you can turn the ball away from a right-hander without the complication of bowling behind the hand c) you don’t have to run in fast. It’s hard because a) your angle, either over or round the wicket, makes it (or rather made it) difficult to get LBWs b) there are very few ways to deceive a batsman if you bowl left-arm orthodox c) when you bowl a bad ball, it’s just about the easiest thing to punish in all