Projapoti (cricket)

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In cricket, the projapoti is a type of delivery executed typically by medium pace and fast bowlers.[1] The name "projapoti" comes from the Bengali word for butterfly.[2] This is due to its tendency to move unpredictably in mid-flight, similar to the knuckleball in baseball. This occurs due to the absence of any spin applied to the delivery, thus leaving the ball subject to the vagaries of spin-less flight through the air.[3][4]

The delivery was first used by the Bangladesh national cricket team, in particular by bowler Rubel Hossain. He and others reportedly received the guidance of bowling coach Ian Pont in developing the delivery.[5] Similar deliveries lacking spin have, however, been used before the use of the term "projapoti", including by medium pace bowler Zaheer Khan.[4]

  1. ^ Rubel Hossain Invents the Butterfly Delivery. Archived 4 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine Crictoday.
  2. ^ Deeptesh Sen. Rubel Hossain claims to have invented a new delivery, the 'Butterfly'. Sportskeeda.
  3. ^ Stephen Brenkley. Bangladesh still waiting for butterfly to take wing. The Independent.
  4. ^ a b Rabi Mehta and Garfield Robinson. The mystery of the knuckleball ESPNcricinfo.
  5. ^ Rubel to try "butterfly" action in DPL. The Independent (Bangladesh).