In the game of
cricket, the 'googly' is one of the most
potent deliveries a leg spin
bowler can produce.
A leg spinner usually bowls a ball which pitches on the batsmans leg side, and moves away from him towards the off stump. Invented by B.J.T. Bosanquet, hence its orginal monicker of the 'bosie', the googly causes problems in that it is an off-break disguised as a leg-break, basically meaning that when the ball pitches, it changes its course in the opposite direction to a 'normal' leg spinners delivery. What makes this ball particularly difficult to spot is that the bowlers hand positions and grip on the ball look almost identical to the leg break delivery, with the actual mechanics of the delivery coming from a wrist motion making it particularly hard for the batsman to see coming.
The googly comes in many varieties, including the topspinner, the flipper which is favoured by Australia's Shane Warne, and the parachute ball. It is also known under the soubriquet of the wrong'un.