Chinaman Bowler: Learn how cricket got the first ‘Chinaman’ bowler, 91 years old history, know the whole story

The Indian team has made a strong hold on Bangladesh in the Chittagong Test. Bangladesh’s team has to score 241 runs on the last day i.e. on the fifth day, while it has four wickets remaining. India had set a target of 513 runs. On the last day, Indian spinners can wreak havoc on Bangladesh batsmen. However, the bowler who has impressed the most in this Test is Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep took five wickets to bundle out Bangladesh’s first innings for 150 runs. This was the third five-wicket haul of his Test career.

Kuldeep started trending on five wickets

After this, Kuldeep started trending, as he returned to the Test team after almost two years. Along with this, Kuldeep’s bowling style ‘Chinaman’ also started trending. Chinaman bowling is a special type of bowling style used only for spinners. In spinners also it is used only for left arm spinners.

What is chinaman bowling?

Indeed, chinaman bowling is the leg spin bowling of a left arm spinner which after pitching turns inwards for right-handed batsmen and outwards for left-handed batsmen. In this, the left-arm spinner uses his wrists to spin the ball due to which he is different from the orthodox left spin bowler. It is also called the googly of the left arm spinners. Orthodox left arm spinners like Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel.

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At the international level, there were very few bowlers who got recognition as Chinaman. South Africa’s Paul Adams, Australia’s Michael Bevan, Brad Hogg and Simon Katich and West Indian all-rounder Garry Sobers were some of the bowlers who bowled chinaman style. At present, India’s Kuldeep Yadav and South Africa’s Tabraje Shamsi bowl in a similar manner. Now let’s know how the word ‘Chinaman’ came to be used, while the Chinese team is not very active in cricket. Actually, its father is considered to be the English county club Yorkshire Morris Leyland, who became very famous for his special bowling style in 1931.

How did the name ‘Chinaman’ come about?

Although China’s participation in cricket is absolutely zero, no one even knew cricket in this country until recently, but after the efforts of India, Pakistan and ICC in the last decade, some cricket has started being played in China. The name of Chinaman bowling in cricket was coined nine decades ago.

It is believed to have started in the 1920s. Roy Kilner and Morris Leyland are considered to be the real fathers of this bowling. Both played for English county club Yorkshire at one point in their careers. Kilner played for Yorkshire before the First World War. He occasionally bowled and bowled orthodox spin.

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However, after some encouragement from some players, Kilner began to take spin bowling seriously. After this he also became a great bowler for England. Kilner used fingers as well as wrists during the match.

In 1929, a player named Neville Cardus reported that Kilner had once told him. That the googly bowled with the left hand was going to be a new invention in bowling. In Kilner’s biography by Mick Pope, Kilner’s brother and colleague in Yorkshire, Norman, states. That it was Kilner who actually invented the ‘Chinaman’ style. Kilner died in 1928.

Kilner’s partner Leland earned a lot of fame with his bowling for Yorkshire in 1931

After this, Kilner’s partner Leland earned a lot of fame with his bowling for Yorkshire in 1931. He then used to bowl left arm wrist spin and googly. He used to enjoy bowling in this style. Leland’s Wisden obituary after his death in 1967 noted that, according to Bill Bowes, Maurice claimed. That he was responsible for the term ‘Chinaman’. Because he got less opportunities to bowl. He also occasionally bowled off-breaks to left-handed batsmen instead of the usual more natural leg-break. Whenever it was difficult to dismiss two batsmen or something different had to be done, a player or captain of the Yorkshire team would say to him – Maurice Leyland, bowl in that Chinese style of yours.

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DCF Burton, then captain of Yorkshire, wrote in ‘The Cricketer’ – In Yorkshire it was always thought that the ball called ‘The Chinaman’ originated from Maurice. He was a left arm bowler. He sometimes came round the wicket and bowled a left-arm off-break which, if not pitched correctly, was easy to see and went down the leg-side. Whenever we used to have a good laugh, he used to say that this is the kind of ball that can prove to be a very good ball to get the Chinese out if no one else is out. So this ball became the ‘Chinaman’ of Maurice Leyland.

Another interesting story is also famous

Another story behind this name is also quite interesting. It is believed that this name was named after a Chinese cricketer eight decades ago. This style of bowling is believed to have originated during a match played between West Indies and England at Old Trafford in 1933.

Ellis Paus Achong, a player of Chinese origin, was a left arm spinner and was representing the West Indies at that time. Achong hit England’s right-handed batsman Walter on one of his balls.