Left-arm orthodox spin
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Left-arm orthodox spin or left-arm off spin, also known as slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling, is a type of spin bowling in cricket.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bowlers using this technique bowl with their left-arm and a finger spin action. Their normal delivery spins from right to left (from the bowler's perspective) when it bounces on the pitch.
Left-arm orthodox spin bowlers generally attempt to drift the ball in the air into a right-handed batsman, and then turn it away from the batsman (towards off-stump) upon landing on the pitch. The drift and turn in the air are attacking techniques. The normal delivery of a left-arm orthodox spin bowler is the left-arm orthodox spinner.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>
The major variations of a left-arm orthodox spin bowler are the topspinner (which turns less and bounces higher in the cricket pitch), the arm ball (which does not turn at all and drifts into a right-handed batsman in the direction of the bowler's arm movement; also called a 'floater') and the left-arm spinner's version of a doosra (which turns the other way).
Notable slow left-arm orthodox spin bowlers
Players listed below are included as they meet specific criteria which are generally recognized as having achieved significant success in the art of left-arm orthodox spin bowling. For example, leading wicket-takers, and inventors of new deliveries.
- Rangana Herath – 433 Test wickets (highest by a left-arm spinner in all men's Tests), 74 ODI wickets and 18 T20I wickets
- Sanath Jayasuriya – 98 Test wickets, 323 ODI wickets (highest by a left-arm spinner in all men's ODIs)
- Daniel Vettori – 362 Test wickets and 305 ODI wickets
- Derek Underwood – 297 Test wickets
- Ravindra Jadeja – 309 Test wickets and 220 ODI wickets
- Saad Bin Zafar - 72 T20I wickets, 31 ODI wickets, and the first bowler to bowl 4 maiden overs in a T20I match
- Bishan Singh Bedi – 266 Test wickets
- Shakib Al Hasan – 246 Test wickets, 317 ODI wickets, 140 T20I wickets (the 2nd highest in men's T20Is),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Ravi Shastri – 151 Test wickets
- Keshav Maharaj – 177 Test wickets
- Ashley Giles – 143 Test wickets
- Taijul Islam – 204 Test wickets
- Jess Jonassen – 141 ODI wickets and 96 T20I wickets
- Sophie Ecclestone – 109 T20I wicket
- Hedley Verity – 10-10, best bowling figures in a first class inning <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Ajaz Patel – Only left-arm spinner to take 10 wickets in an innings of a Test Match
- Monty Panesar – 167 Test wickets
- Gudakesh Motie – 35 Test wickets (11 matches)