The terms googly and flipper are part of cricket, the bowler spins the ball or turns the ball to take the wicket. Each time the ball is turned differently by the bowler, these are some of the bowling techniques that are used by bowlers.
Key Takeaways
- A googly is a deceptive bowling technique in cricket that appears to be a leg break but spins in the opposite direction.
- The flipper is a type of delivery that spins forward, keeping the ball low and fast, making it difficult for the batsman to play.
- Leg-spin bowlers use both techniques to confuse and outwit the batsman, but they employ different spins and trajectories.
Googly vs Flipper
Googly is a type of delivery bowled by a leg-spinner in the game of cricket, which spins in the opposite direction to a normal leg-break. A flipper is a term used to describe a particular bowling delivery used in cricket, by a leg spin bowler. In essence, it is a back spin ball.
Googly is basically an off-spin which is a type of finger spin used by an off-spinner. Usually, off-spinners are leg-break bowlers, particularly to the right-handed batsman.
The delivery is normally an off-break and the bowlers spin the ball from left and turn right when pitched.
Flipper is a technique used by a leg-spin bowler. The flipper ball is a variation that is used to turn the ball and bounce on the lower side or backside of the batsman.
It is bowled in the same way as the top spinner bowls.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Googly | Flipper |
|---|---|---|
| Spin rate (rpm) | 1500 – 2000 | 1200 – 1700 |
| Spin axis | Riffle + TopSpin | Backspin |
| Used by | Left-arm leg-spin bowler | Leg-spin bowler |
| Found by | Bernard Bosanquet | Clarrie Grimmet |
| Technique | Ball spins with the help of wrist | Ball spins with the help of fingers |
What is Googly?
The googly spin or the off-spin is a technique of bowling, the ball will be gripped as in the same way used for leg-break and the ball has to be turned with fingers having a movement in the wrist.
The position of the bowler should be in the way that the backside hand of the bowler should be facing the batsman, After the ball is pitched it turns or spins towards the right-side.
This bowling technique was first invented by the cricketer called Bernard Bosanquet, some of the present best well-known Googly players are Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and Jaspreet Bumrah, the Indian Cricketers,
also Shahid Afridi, a Pakistani Cricketer.
Bowlers get an advantage of disguising and making it look different, as googly and the actions of them targeting the leggie are similar.
Also, few bowlers try to make a quick action making it hard for the batsmen, but if the batsman has a sharp eye on the wrist and arm actions of the bowler, that would be an interesting game-changer moment.
What is Flipper?
The flipper ball or the leg-spin is a technique of bowling, the flipper ball is a backside turn ball that is turned backside or lower side of a batsman.
The flipper ball is thrown in a normal way with a small force in the thumb while throwing the ball.
The bowler holds the ball with his middle finger, index finger, and thumb finger and throws the ball towards the lower side of the batsman to hit the wickets. The flipper ball is flipped faster than a leg-break.
The bowler who bowls leg-spin is called a leg-spinner or leg-spin bowler.
This bowling technique was first found by the Australian cricketer called Clarrie Grimmet.
While Anil Kumble was one of the former cricketers who introduced Flipper among Indian Cricketers, also is famous for his Flipper bowling. Abdul Qadir of Pakistan and
Shane Warne from Australia are some famous players that made Flipper their signature style.
Bowlers have their own ways of serving a flipper, and this technique has a great chance of making the ball miss for the batsman, as they come much quicker than expected, hence providing less time for the batsman to decide his/her move.
Main Differences Between Googly and Flipper
- The main difference between googly bowling and flipper bowling is that the googly is an off-spin ball that spins from one side to another side when pitched. Whereas flipper is a leg-spin ball that spins or flips the backside of the batsman.
- In Googly, with the help of all the fingers the ball will spin, on the other hand in Flipper, the ball is pinched a bit using the index finger, middle finger, and thumb finger will spin with help of the wrist.
- In Googly, the bowler bowls with leg spin from left to right, and in Flipper, the bowler serves the ball with a backspin on the release of the ball.
- A Googly will turn its direction once pitched, while the flipper goes deceptively low after its pitched.
- A Googly is a dangerous weapon targeting the wickets mainly, and Flipper would result in LBW or Wickets.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=pExDEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT3&dq=googly+and+flipper&ots=CCzSQmTG13&sig=DWGesEVhupQXJc_Vz4xXOl8I-t8
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=AHa7DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT94&dq=GOOGLY+AND+FLIPPER&ots=OXjs-4bOF7&sig=8pXwXqNCZ4E3Rbo_Dl8UEsb3jTE
Last Updated : 19 July, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
