Fear the 'doosra' - 6 instances when batsmen didn't have a clue what happened!

Doosra, the mysterious, controversial and a refreshing innovation which brought the off-spinners back into the game. Former Pakistani off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq is said to be the first bowler to use it full effect and the term ‘doosra’ was first coined by Mushtaq’s wicket-keeper Moin Khan, signalling him to bowl the variation that spins the opposite way from a regular off-spin delivery.

Ever since the delivery brought a little mystery to the bowler’s armoury, many spinners around the world have attempted to bowl the same and notably found success. The players who mastered the art include India’s very own Harbhajan Singh, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal.

Let us have a look at some of the best ‘doosra’ deliveries bowled in the cricket field.

1. Saqlain Mushtaq vs Marcus Trescothick, Faisalabad, 2000

The England opener had no clue to this delivery from Mushtaq and was looking to blast the ball into the off-side, wrongly predicting the ball to turn away from him. It triggered a top-order collapse, giving the visitors a scare on the final day of the Test match, but Mike Atherton was steady at the other end to help his team to a draw.

2. Muttiah Muralitharan Vs Marcus Trescothick, Trent Bridge, 2006

The Sri-lankan’s first of the 8 wicket’s in that innings which handed the visitors a rare away victory. As in the previous case, the opener’s fall opened the gates as Sri Lanka completed the win within 4 days of the match. England was in a strong position at 84 for no loss chasing 325 when Murali created this moment of magic.

3. Harbhajan Singh Vs Michael Hussey, Bangalore, 2008

Australia was always going to struggle against spinners in India and Harbhajan Singh once again made the right sound when Michael Hussey decided to leave failing to read the doosra from the Indian offie. It gave India a slight hope of a win, but Australia recovered and set India a daunting target that lead to a draw.

4. Muttiah Muralitharan Vs Brendon McCullum, Wellington, 2006

The Blackcaps were in a slide as Muralitharan was spinning his spin web at the tail removing them in quick time that forced the New Zealand wicket-keeper batsmen to go for some quick runs. Unfortunately, he was up against Murali who made him leave the pitch clueless to his doosra, losing his stumps. Murali ended the match with a 10-wicket-haul.

5. Jason Krejza Vs Usman Khawaja, Sydney, 2009

The Australian off-spinner surprised the batsmen in a Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales playing for Tasmania. Though, the footmarks on the pitch too played their part. After the match, he expressed hope that the delivery will make his case for a national comeback after he was dropped conceding 204 for 1 against South Africa. His debut was against India where he claimed 12 wickets including that of Rahul Dravid for a rare duck. But he couldn’t add to his two test caps till date.

6. Saeed Ajmal Vs Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Guyana, 2011

Even a steady head like Chanderpaul couldn’t afford to preserve his wicket against the doosra and Ajmal was rampant in the match claiming 11 West Indian wickets. Chanderpaul was defending the ball which made its way between the bat and his pad to hit the timber.