Cricket has its origins in sixteenth-century England and has grown massively popular in places like Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. In fact, it is seen as the national sport in many South Asian states.

The last couple of decades has seen something of a rebirth of the sport. In addition to the traditional Test matches, which can go on for days, there are now one day and 20 overs competitions which are shorter and a significantly more fan-friendly experience.

These transformations have coincided with, or maybe are the cause of, the emergence of some ’second-tier’ cricket-playing countries all over the globe. Though they are still quite a way behind the ‘big boys’ of world cricket, it seems the gulf in class is narrowing.

The laws of cricket are quite complicated, but here is a short summary of the sport. Cricket teams consist of 11 players on each side and the game is played on a large oval field. One team bats, attempting to rack up as many runs as they can. The batsman attempts to protect the wicket from the bowler while accumulating runs. When the bowler hits the wicket with the ball, or a fielder catches the ball after it is batted, then the batsman is ‘out’. When all the batsmen are dismissed then the teams swap roles, and the side that scores the most runs triumphs.

As mentioned, standard ‘Test’ games like those played in the famous Ashes series between England and Australia, can go on for many days. The more recent one day and twenty overs matches keep matches to 1 day of action.

The equipment required to play cricket is fairly simple and impromptu matches with family and friends can be easily organized. The most important items are cricket bats and balls. The bats are blade-shaped and can be up to 38 inches long. The balls are made from hard leather and have a cork core.

Because the balls are heavy and the fact that they can be delivered at up to 90mph, it is necessary for batsmen to wear protective gear, including a helmet, gloves and pads. Serious injuries are not uncommon in cricket.

The international body of cricket is the Dubai-based International Cricket Council (ICC). It has a hundred and four member nations, including 10 full members that play international Test matches. It also oversees the laws of the sport and is responsible for appointing umpires and officials.

Leg spin bowling is a style of spin bowling in cricket. It is a delivery bowled by a right hand bowler and will, after landing on the cricket pitch, spin from the leg-side to the off-side.

The grip. The leg spin grip for the normal stock ball delivery is a very simple one. The ball must be held firmly in the hand but not too tight and deep in the palm – otherwise the ball will get stuck during delivery and the bowler will generate less spin. The seam of the ball must run underneath all the fingers (opposite of a fast bowler grip). The index and middle finger must be up and on top of the ball and seam and the ring and little finger must face down. The side of the ball must rest against the ring finge

The action. The action for the spin bowler is as important as the grip and release. The action can be side on or a bit more open chested but the important thing is that the left arm (for a right handed bowler) arm drives the actions forward. The left arm must throw your body forward by pointing it in front of the bowler and pulling it back strongly during the delivery stride.

The pivot. To pivot the bowler must both turn the body and push up on the toes of his or her landing foot. This does two things: It helps the bowler swivel the body against the grip on the foot – creating more turn when the ball pitch – and it also helps in the bowler releasing the ball from higher – resulting in more bounce.

The release. The whole hand must work together as one when released. Do not move some fingers independently of others. The hand and wrist must be one. The ball must be released with the seam facing upwards and aiming towards first slip.

During the release the wrist must also be cocked at the start. In other words, the arm and hand must not run in a straight line. Watch some clips of great leg spin bowlers as they start off with their run-up, the bowling wrist is always cocked. So another top cricket tip is that the bowling wrist for the leg-spinner must always be cocked as it helps to impart more spin.

A really good cricket tip you can give a young spin bowler is to tell him or her that as much of the spin is generated in the action as in the release. Another great cricket tip is that bounce is as important for a spin bowler as turn – this is why pivoting on the landing foot is so crucial.