The delivery
The delivery is similar to a slider (which is used by a wrist spinner).
The ball is held by an off-spinner in his normal action but instead of twisting
the arm at the point of the delivery, the bowler simply does not roll his
fingers down the back of the ball. The delivery looks like it will turn a lot
but it doesn't turn at all. This is a good way of deceiving the batsman.
The name
The name
teesra was commonly used by Saqlain
Mushtaq. It originated from an older delivery, the
doosra which meant
the "other one" or "second one" in Urdu, Saqlain
Mushtaq decided to call it the teesra meaning the "third one".
The name Jalebi
was introduced by commentators as soon as the delivery was bowled. Jalebi is a sweet
commonly eaten in the sub-continent. However the name "backspinner"
is by far the more common name that describes accurately the spin on the ball
as it travels through the air.
Usage
So far this delivery has been used for well over a hundred years. But the
delivery has recently been re-invented by Saqlain
Mushtaq and he occasionally used it. He has stated that the teesra is still
a work in progress and that he wants to hone the delivery so that the batsman
become even more confused about where the ball is going to spin and whether it
will spin at all. Saeed Ajmal claimed to have learned this art and has
used it occasionally in the 2011 World Cup and after that.
