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Leg cutter
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{{Short description|Cricket bowling technique}} [[Image:Cricket Grip legcutter.png|frame|Leg-cutter grip for a right handed bowler (batsman's view).]]{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}{{Bowling techniques sidebar |expanded=all}} A '''leg cutter''' is a type of [[delivery (cricket)|delivery]] in the [[sport]] of [[cricket]]. It is [[bowling (cricket)|bowled]] by [[fast bowling|fast bowlers]]. A bowler releases a normal spin delivery with the wrist locked in position and the first two fingers positioned on top of the [[cricket ball]], giving it spin about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the length of the [[cricket pitch|pitch]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite dictionary |title=leg cutter |encyclopedia=Cambridge Dictionary |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/leg-cutter |access-date=22 February 2024}}</ref> For a leg cutter, a right-handed bowler pulls his fingers down the left side of the ball (from his viewpoint), rolling the ball out of his hand over the little finger, in an action similar to bowling a [[leg break]], only at higher speed. This changes the axis of spin to make it more like a leg break, which makes the ball deviate to the left when it bounces on the pitch. From a right-handed [[batsman]]'s point of view, this deviation is to the right, or from the [[leg side]] towards the [[Fielding (cricket)#Off and leg side fields|off side]].<ref name=":0" /> This deviation is known as ''cut'', and the delivery is called a ''leg cutter'' because it moves ''away'' from the leg side. What differentiates a genuine leg cutter from a seam-up delivery that simply moves away off the seam is that it is deliberately bowled. Leg cutters do not turn as sharply as leg breaks bowled by a [[leg spin]] bowler, but at the speed of a fast bowler even a tiny deviation can cause difficulties for the batsman. If he is not quick enough to react to the movement, the batsman can edge the ball off the outside edge of his [[cricket bat|bat]], offering a catch to the [[wicket-keeper]] or [[slip (cricket)|slips]] fielders. A fast bowler will typically use the leg cutter as a variation ball as it is most effective when it surprises the batsman. The leg cutter action can also produce a significantly slower ball with little obvious change in the bowler's arm speed, making the delivery doubly deceptive. On the other hand, the lack of pace of the delivery may be disadvantageous. Former Australian captain [[Ian Chappell]] described [[Jeff Thomson]]'s leg cutter thus: "He had this leg cutter, and you were usually pretty happy to see it, because it meant that the ball wasn't coming at your head at 95 miles an hour."{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} The most prominent users of leg cutter include [[Alec Bedser]], [[Fazal Mahmood]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Selvey |first=Mike |date=2005-06-03 |title=In search of the leg cutter: gone, missing in action |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2005/jun/04/cricket.comment |access-date=2024-02-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and of late [[Terry Alderman]], [[Carl Rackemann]] and [[Venkatesh Prasad]]. Leg cutters are much more frequently seen in [[indoor cricket]] as the physical arena in which the game is played limits the pace at which bowlers can bowl, and hence they must use other techniques to prevent the batsmen from scoring. == References == <references /> ==See also== * [[Off cutter]] {{DEFAULTSORT:Leg Cutter}} [[Category:Bowling (cricket)]] [[Category:Cricket terminology]]
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