Greatest Cricket Moments

Saqlain Mushtaq and the Invention of the Doosra

1996-09-15PakistanMid-1990s ODI cricket — Saqlain Mushtaq's bowling2 min readSeverity: Moderate

Summary

In the mid-1990s, Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq developed the doosra — a delivery that turned away from a right-hand batter while looking like a stock off-break. Pakistan keeper Moin Khan named it 'doosra' (the other one); the delivery transformed off-spin and triggered a decade of chucking debates.

Background

Pakistani cricket has produced more bowling innovations than any other nation — reverse swing (Sarfraz, Imran), the carrom ball, the doosra. Saqlain was a teenager from Lahore picked partly for his fast arm and partly for variation already evident in his bowling.

Build-Up

Saqlain's first ODI series in October 1995 saw glimpses; by 1996 the doosra was a primary weapon. Pakistan's bowling attack of Wasim, Waqar, Saqlain and Mushtaq Ahmed was the most varied in world cricket.

What Happened

Saqlain Mushtaq made his Pakistan debut in September 1995, aged 18. He was an orthodox off-spinner with a fast arm and a strong wrist. Within a year he had developed a variation that turned the wrong way — using a flick of the wrist and middle finger that produced an action almost indistinguishable from his stock off-break. Moin Khan, standing up to the stumps, would call out to him from behind: 'Doosra!' (the other one). The label stuck. Saqlain produced devastating ODI figures with the doosra — 5/29 against South Africa in Lahore, 5/35 against Bangladesh, 4/12 against India. He took 20-plus ODI five-fers in his career, more than any other off-spinner. The flip side: as the doosra spread (Muralitharan adopted it; Harbhajan Singh and Saeed Ajmal would later) the ICC's chucking laws came under permanent stress. Saqlain's own action was tested but never deemed illegal under the post-2004 regime that allowed 15 degrees of arm extension.

Key Moments

1

1995: Saqlain debuts at 18 with orthodox off-spin

2

Mid-1996: doosra fully developed, named by Moin Khan

3

1996-97: 5/29 vs South Africa; 5/35 vs Bangladesh

4

Late 1990s: Muralitharan adopts the doosra

5

2000s: Harbhajan Singh, Saeed Ajmal extend the variation

6

Post-2004: ICC permits 15 degrees arm extension — broadly accommodating doosra

Timeline

September 1995

Saqlain Mushtaq makes his Pakistan ODI debut at 18.

1996

Doosra fully developed; named by Moin Khan.

1996-99

Saqlain dominates ODI cricket with the new variation.

Post-2004

ICC's 15-degree arm extension rule legitimises the doosra.

Notable Quotes

“Moin Khan started shouting 'doosra!' from behind the stumps. The name stuck.”

— Saqlain Mushtaq

“The doosra is the most influential bowling innovation since the googly.”

— Wisden

Aftermath

Saqlain played 49 Tests and 169 ODIs. His career declined after 2003 due to changes in selection and his own off-field struggles. The doosra survived him and became the central question in spin bowling: can it be bowled within ICC laws?

⚖️ The Verdict

The most consequential bowling innovation since Bernard Bosanquet's googly in 1900. Off-spin was never the same.

Legacy & Impact

The doosra is now a permanent part of cricket's bowling vocabulary. ICC chucking debates of the 1990s and 2000s — Murali, Shoaib Akhtar, Harbhajan, Ajmal — all trace back partly to the doosra's biomechanical demands. Saqlain himself coached Pakistan's spinners through the 2010s.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Saqlain invent the doosra?▾
He popularised it and made it an international weapon. Some accounts credit a Pakistani domestic player named Aslam Khan with experimenting with it earlier, but Saqlain's was the action that brought it to world cricket.
Is the doosra legal?▾
Yes, under modern ICC laws permitting up to 15 degrees of elbow extension. Some bowlers have had their actions remodelled for not meeting that threshold.

Tags

#saqlain-mushtaq#pakistan#doosra#off-spin#1996#iconic-moment#moin-khan#innovation

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