Chinaman

The name of this unusual form of delivery almost certainly derives from a West Indian left-arm spin bowler called Ellis Achong, who was the first Test cricketer anywhere of Chinese extraction. 'Puss' Achong played 6 Test matches for the West Indies in the early 1930s, three of them in England. During one of these, at Old Trafford, he bowled his 'trick' ball, a left arm delivery that, instead of spinning away from the batsman, the right handed Walter Robbins, suddenly span in towards him. Utterly startled by this unexpected manoeuvre, Robbins missed the ball and was stumped. "Fancy being done by a Chinaman!" Robbins is said to have exclaimed and, since that moment, that type of delivery has been known as a chinaman.



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