Simon Hughes
Left-arm Spin
Orthodox left-arm spin is considered more dangerous than off-spin as it spins away from the right-handed batsman (from right to left). Therefore, it can't be as easily 'kicked away' with the bat hidden behind the pad. Left-arm spinners are always striving for their 'magic' ball – pitching in line with the leg stump and turning to hit off stump – and their stock delivery constantly threatens the edge of the bat.
Giving it a rip
Phil Tufnell is here bowling orthodox left-arm spin, attempting to get a ball to pitch middle and hit off.
The two greatest post-war left-arm spinners in world cricket – Bishen Bedi (India) and Derek Underwood – were very different. Bedi got his wickets with flight and guile, while Underwood bowled flatter, with relentless accuracy. But their basic delivery was the same. Phil Edmonds and Phil Tufnell (below) have been the outstanding English left-arm spinners of the last two decades, though Ashley Giles looks as if he's starting to come into his own.
Body actions
As with any type of spin, some left-armers turn the ball more than
others. This might be to do with the strength/size of their fingers and wrists, or it might be that one bowls 'rollers' (sort of floating out of his hand and not spinning much) and another gives it a real 'rip'. In the case of Vettori (a strong spinner of the ball) and Tufnell (more of a
flight bowler) their differences have more to do with their body actions. Vettori really coils his body as he is preparing to deliver, before unwinding everything to release the ball. Tufnell's upper body doesn't coil as much, meaning he doesn't put as much 'work' on the ball, but he is extremely crafty.
 Daniel Vettori
Coiling and unravelling with the guiding hand unwinding from the left ear.
 Phil Tufnell
Less wind-up means less spin, but he has great flight.
Enticement
Here Phil Tufnell is bowling to Chris Cairns. Despite an energetic follow through, Tufnell varies his pace cleverly, often luring batsmen
out of their crease with a classic ball-on-a-string delivery.
Left-arm Spinner's Field
Spinners probably use their field settings more strategically than
quick bowlers. Good fielding is vital as the most common mode of
dismissal against a spinner is caught. Their art is all about precision, and some slow bowlers are incredibly finnicky about their field,
moving men half a yard and refusing to bowl until they are in
exactly the right place. Middlesex and England left-arm spinner Phil Edmonds would always protest if he didn't get the field he wanted.
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Copyright © Simon Hughes 2001
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