Left-arm Unorthodox Spin - Origin of The Term Chinaman

Origin of The Term Chinaman

In cricketing parlance, the word "chinaman" is used to describe the stock delivery of a left-arm "unorthodox" spin bowler (though some reserve it for the googly delivery ). The name has its origins in a Test match played between the West Indies and England at Old Trafford, Manchester, in the year 1933. Elliss "Puss" Achong, a player of Chinese origin, was a left-arm orthodox spinner, playing for the West Indies at the time. According to folklore, Achong is said to have had Walter Robbins stumped off a surprise delivery that spun into the right-hander from outside the off stump. As he walked back to the pavilion, Robbins said to his teammates "Fancy being done by a bloody Chinaman!", leading to the popularity of the term in England, and subsequently, in the rest of the world.

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