Editing Off spin (section)

==Comparison with other types of spin bowling==
[[File:Nathan Lyon with Jonny Bairstow at the non-striker's end watching and umpire Joel Wilson also observing on day 4 of the 3rd Ashes Test between England and Australia at Headingley.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Nathan Lyon]] bowling off spin]]
Off spin contrasts with [[leg spin]], in which the ball spins from leg to off and which is bowled with a very different action (wrist spin).<ref name="bbcacad">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/cricket/skills/newsid_3227000/3227307.stm |title=Off spin |work=BBC Sport |access-date=16 December 2012}}</ref> Off spin is generally considered less difficult to play than leg spin, as off breaks typically spin less than [[leg break]]s, and do not generally possess the same loopy, potentially deceptive flight. In addition, off spinners tend to have a smaller repertoire of deliveries to choose from. For a right-handed batsman, the ball moves in towards the batsman's body, meaning the batsman's legs are usually in the path of the ball if it misses the bat or takes an edge. This makes it difficult for the bowler to get the batsman out bowled or caught from an off break, but it does mean there is a chance of [[leg before wicket]], assuming the ball has not turned enough to miss the leg [[stump (cricket)|stump]]. However, the off spinner often bowls faster and more accurately than a leg spinner, and can therefore deceive the batsman with changes in the pace of the ball. A left-handed batsman has more difficulty facing off break bowling, because the ball moves away from his body. This means that any miscalculation can more easily result in an outside edge off the bat and a catch going to the [[wicket-keeper]] or [[slip (cricket)|slips]] fielders.

A [[left arm|left-handed]] [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]] who bowls with the same (finger spin) action as an off spinner is known as a [[left-arm orthodox spin]] bowler. While the orthodox spinner has the same action as an off-spinner, the ball itself spins in the opposite direction (akin to a right arm leg spinner).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/cricket/skills/newsid_3207000/3207491.stm |title=How to bowl left-arm spin |work=BBC Sport |access-date=16 December 2012}}</ref> Such a ball is not normally called an off break, but a ''left-arm orthodox spinner''.