Lesson 28 of 46

Chinaman

6 min read•9/19 sections

Left-arm unorthodox .

Technical Breakdown

19-section schema

Definition

Left-arm wrist-spin where the ball turns from off to leg for a right-hander — the mirror of orthodox right-arm leg spin (Kuldeep Yadav, Brad Hogg, Tabraiz Shamsi).

Etymology

'' traces to a 1933 Old Trafford : West Indian left-arm wrist-spinner Ellis 'Puss' Achong (of Chinese descent) dismissed Walter Robins, who muttered 'fancy being done by a bloody '.

History

Named after Ellis Achong's 1933 dismissal of Walter Robins; kept alive by Garry Sobers, revived by Brad Hogg, and dominant again through Kuldeep Yadav and Tabraiz Shamsi. ICC style guides now prefer 'left-arm wrist-spin'.

Difficulty Level

Advanced — high-skill ceiling, requires drilled repetition and biomechanical screening before match use.

Grip

Standard leg-spinner's grip in the left hand; wrist cocked open at delivery.

Release Point

Third finger rips down the side of the ball; tilted toward .

Physics Involved

Same 2,000+ target as right-arm , but the angle from the means the natural variation is into the right-hander.

Tactical Use

A rare commodity — captains save the bowler for match-up overs vs middle-order right-handers.

Common Mistakes & Drills

Allowing the action to round-arm; keep the arm path tall and the wrist cocked.

Famous Players

Drills → real performances

Tabraiz Shamsi

2016–present

Left-arm wrist-spinner (South Africa)

Tabraiz Shamsi — Left-arm wrist-spinner for South Africa, active 2016–present.

Kuldeep Yadav

2017–present

Left-arm wrist-spinner / chinaman (India)

Kuldeep Yadav (Left-arm wrist-spinner / for India, 2017–present). Best known for: Hat-tricks across formats. Only Indian to take a hat-trick in all three formats — uses the to bowl right-handers behind their legs.

Hat-tricks across formats

Brad Hogg

1996–2008

Left-arm wrist-spinner (Australia)

Brad Hogg — Left-arm wrist-spinner for Australia, active 1996–2008.