In the game of cricket, bowling is often divided into two main types: fast bowling and spin bowling. Fast bowlers are generally considered to be the more aggressive type of bowler, as they rely on pace and bounce to dismiss batsmen. Spin bowlers, on the other hand, use their spin and flight to deceive batsmen and cause them to make mistakes.
While both types of bowling are important in the game of cricket, spin bowling has often been seen as a more intriguing and skilful form of bowling. This is because spin bowlers need to have a great deal of control over the ball, and must be able to change its course in mid-air in order to deceive the batsman.
There have been many great spin bowlers in the history of cricket, but here are 10 of the best spinners of all time.
Shane Warne
There is no denying that Shane Warne is one of the greatest spinners of all time. The Australian leg-spinner took 708 Test wickets at an average of 25.41, and his bowling average of 20.99 in ODIs is the second best of all time. In his career, Warne bowled 16 maidens in Tests and 26 in ODIs. He also holds the record for the most wickets in a Test series, with 34 in the 1993/94 Ashes series.
Warne’s biggest asset was his ability to bowl legspin, a rare and difficult art. His legspin was so good that he was able to deceive some of the world’s best batsmen, including Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. He also had a great control over his Yorkers, and he could bowl them at will.
Apart from being a great bowler, Warne was also a superb fielder. He took 156 catches in Tests and 38 in ODIs, both records for a specialist fielder. He was also a very useful lower-order batsman, with six Test centuries and three ODI centuries to his name.
There is no doubt that Shane Warne is one of the greatest spinners of all time, and he will always be remembered as one of the game’s greats.
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan was born in 1972 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in 2002. He retired from Test cricket in 2010 with a world record 800 Test wickets. He is the leading wicket-taker in both Test cricket and One Day Internationals (ODIs), and holds the world record for the most Test wickets and the most ODIs wickets.
Muralitharan made his Test debut against England at Lords in 1991. He took 5/32 in the first innings, but England went on to win the match by 8 wickets. His best bowling performance came in 1999 against Zimbabwe, when he took 8/61 in the first innings and 10/63 in the second innings, finishing with match figures of 18/124. This is still the second best bowling performance ever in a test match, behind Jim Laker’s 19/90 against Australia in 1956.
In 2006, Muralitharan became only the second bowler after Shane Warne to take 600 Test wickets. In 2007 he became the first – and so far only – bowler to top 700 Test wickets with a haul of 710. On 3 December 2007, during Sri Lanka’s first test match against England at Galle International Stadium, Muralitharan broke Courtney Walsh’s record of 519 test matches
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain, who played Tests and ODIs for 18 years. He is a right-arm leg spinner and considered one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. He has taken 619 Test wickets and 251 ODI wickets, and is only the second bowler to take all ten wickets in a Test innings.
Kumble was born in 1970 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He made his Test debut against England at Old Trafford in 1992, and took five wickets in the match. He went on to play 115 Test matches for India, taking 619 wickets at an average of 29.65. He is India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test matches, behind only Sachin Tendulkar.
In ODIs, Kumble played 132 matches and took 251 wickets at an average of 28.24. He is India’s third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs, behind Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan.
Kumble retired from international cricket in November 2008 after suffering from an injury. He currently serves as the Head Coach of Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh is one of the most successful spinners in the world of cricket. He has been a part of many successful teams, including the Indian national team. He is also known for his charitable work, and has even set up his own foundation to help underprivileged children.
Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal is a Pakistani cricketer who plays for the Pakistani national cricket team in Test and One Day International cricket. He is a right-arm off-spin bowler, and considered to be one of the best spinners in the world.
Ajmal made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2009, and took his first five-wicket haul in his second Test match. He has since played an important role in Pakistan’s Test team, with 33 wickets in six matches at an average of 24.36. In One Day International cricket, Ajmal made his debut against Zimbabwe in 2008, and has taken over 150 wickets at an average of less than 23 runs per wicket. He was named the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2011, and has been ranked as the top ODI bowler in the world by the ICC on several occasions.
Ajmal has also played Twenty20 International cricket for Pakistan, making his debut in 2009. He has taken 72 wickets in 48 matches at an average of 19.02, with a strike rate of 18.3 balls per wicket. Ajmal was a member of Pakistan’s squad for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, and helped them reach the semi-finals of the tournament with 12 wickets from seven matches.
Graeme Swann
Graeme Swann is a former English cricketer who was born on March 24, 1977, in Northampton. He played international cricket for England from 2000 to 2013. Swann was a right-arm off-spin bowler and a competent lower-order batsman with an orthodox technique.
Swann retirement from all forms of cricket in December 2013 due to a longstanding elbow injury. In April 2014, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. In September 2014, Swann became a commentator for Sky Sports.
During his career, Swann took 255 Test wickets and 161 One Day International (ODI) wickets. He is England’s second most successful off-spin bowler behind Derek Underwood. In Test cricket, he holds the record for most catches taken by a bowler (39). His best bowling figures are 7/66 against India at Trent Bridge in 2011.
Swann was born in Northampton, the son of Ray and Barbara Swann. He attended West Haddon Primary School and Guilsborough School, where he captained the cricket team. He also played football and hockey for Northamptonshire Schools teams. As a teenager, he played club cricket for Spitalbrooks Cricket Club in Market Harborough and Northamptonshire Second XI.
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is an Indian international cricketer. He is a left-handed middle-order batsman and slow left-arm orthodox bowler. Jadeja represents Saurashtra in first-class cricket and the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. He was the ICC Player of the Year in 2017.
Jadeja made his international debut in 2009 and played his first Test match in 2012. He has since played over 50 Test matches and scored over 3000 runs, making him one of India’s leading all-rounders. He is particularly known for his bowling, with his ability to spin the ball both ways and bowl at a good pace. In 2017, he took 27 wickets in just four Tests against England, becoming the joint second-highest wicket-taker in a Test series for India.
A versatile player, Jadeja is also a useful lower-order batsman. He has scored three centuries in Test cricket, including a maiden century against England at Lord’s in 2014. In ODIs, he has scored over 1700 runs and taken more than 150 wickets, making him one of only four players to have achieved this double. He was part of India’s winning teams at the 2013 and 2016 ICC Champions Trophy tournaments.
In 2019, Ravindra Jadeja was ranked as the number one bowler in the world by the ICC Test rankings.
Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine is a Trinidadian cricketer who plays for the West Indies. He made his debut in Test cricket in December 2012 and has also played in ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals.
Narine was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. He is of Indian descent and he can bowl both off spin and leg spin. He is considered to be one of the best spinners in the world and has been compared to Shane Warne.
Narine made his first-class debut for Trinidad and Tobago in 2009 and he was selected for the West Indies Under-19 team that same year. He made his Test debut against England in December 2012 and took his first Test wicket when he dismissed Alastair Cook.
In 2013, Narine was named as the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year. He has also been named as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year.
Rangana Herath
Rangana Herath is a Sri Lankan cricketer who retired in 2019. Herath is considered one of the greatest spinners of all time. In 2011, he was ranked as the top Test spinner in the world by ICC. He has taken 433 Test wickets, which is the second most by a left-arm bowler and the fourth most by a spinner.
Herath made his debut for Sri Lanka in 1999 and was a regular member of the team until his retirement. He played an important role in Sri Lanka’s victory in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, taking 14 wickets at an average of 12.71. Herath has also represented Sri Lanka in ODIs and T20Is, taking 44 and 10 wickets respectively.
Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon is an Australian cricketer who plays Test cricket for Australia. He made his debut in the 2011–12 season.
Lyon is a classical off-spinner, bowling with a high arm action and extracting good bounce from pitches that assist spin bowling. He relies predominantly on drift and turn to dismiss batsmen, rather than sharp spin or variation. His bowling has been described as “metronomic”, due to his ability to maintain a consistent line and length. He is also capable of bowling long spells, which has seen him develop into a key member of the Australian Test team.
Lyon has been praised for his work ethic and commitment to improving his craft. He is constantly seeking advice from veteran players and coaches, and working on new variations and deliveries in training sessions. This dedication has helped him become one of the leading spin bowlers in the world today.
Conclusion
There you have it – the top 10 spinners in the world of all time. Each one of these bowlers has made a significant contribution to the game and has helped to shape the sport as we know it today. If you’re a fan of cricket, then make sure to check out some of their matches – you won’t be disappointed.
Table of Contents
