The art of spin bowling is what makes cricket more thrilling. The motion of the ball drifting into the air, pitching, and then changing direction makes it hard for the batter to make a clean hit. The main aim of spin bowling is to proceed with a rapid rotation to make it deviate from its typical straight path when it bounces at the pitch. The batter needs to gauge the most appropriate time and hit the ball as late as possible. The style was invented by Pakistani domestic cricketer Prince Aslam Khan and was popularised as ‘doosra’ by Saqlain Mushtaq, a Pakistani international cricketer. Over the years, many bowlers have mastered this tough art and entertained the world with their craftsmanship. Here is the list of the top ten spinners in International cricket.
1. Muttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan is undoubtedly the most successful spinner with 1334 international wickets. He took 800 wickets in 113 test matches and 534 wickets in 350 ODI matches and was ranked at the top in the ICC test match bowler rankings for a record of 1711 days. This legendary spinner is only lethal in Asia but also very successful overseas. He retired after playing 133 Test with 800th Test wicket.
2. Shane Warne
With enormous talent and a cunning mind, Shane Warne holds the second position with 1001 international wickets and is considered one of the most successful leg spinners in the world. He took 708 wickets in the 145 test matches and was the first bowler to take 700 Test wickets. Though his ODI career was short-lived, he managed to pick 293 wickets in 194 ODI matches. He used to have a strong will to win at any cost, which is the reason that inspired Aussies in the 1999 World Cup.
3. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble was one of the best leg spinners with 956 international wickets. Unlike Warne, his balls lack drift and turn, but he took advantage of his height to earn a bounce from the surface. In his international career, he took 619 Test wickets and 337 ODI wickets and became the second bowler after Jim Laker to take all the ten wickets in a single inning of a test match.
4. Saqlain Mushtaq
Saqlain Mushtaq is best known for popularizing ‘doosra’, the spin ball. From 1995 to 2004, Saqlain took 208 wickets in 86 innings out of 49 matches and 288 wickets in 169 ODI matches. He was the quickest to reach 100 wickets in the history of One Day Internationals. He has a bowling average of 29.83 with an economy rate of 2.64 in test matches and an average of 21.78 with an economy rate of 4.29. For all these qualities, Saqlain deserves a place under top 10 spinners.
5. Ravi Ashwin
He is regarded as the best off-spinner of the modern era. Ashwin has picked 394 wickets in 76 test matches and 150 wickets from 111 ODI. Every time he bowls, he fearlessly approaches to flight the ball. Unfortunately, this approach only works for Asian crickets. But now, he is more concerned about tossing the ball, which helped him achieve success overseas. Besides normal off-breaks, he produces an arm ball and the carrom ball. He also excelled in bowling leg-breaks and googly.
6. Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh, also called ‘the turbanator’ is one of the epic spin bowlers that India has ever produced. He has gained 269 wickets from 236 ODI matches and 417 wickets in 103 test matches. His brilliant performance in the famous 2001 home test series gave him the nickname ‘Bhajji’. He was the first Indian cricketer to grab a hat-trick in test matches. After Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev, he was the third-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests.
7. Shahid Afridi
Afridi is a right-arm leg-spin bowler who can also throw bouncer, which is rare for a spin bowler. From 1996 to 2015 he has picked 393 wickets in 393 ODI matches and 48 innings out of 27 test matches from 1998 to 2010. He has a bowling average of 35.60 with an economy rate of 3.21.
8. Rangana Herath
Rangana Herath is the best left-arm spinner who took the place of Sri Lanka’s bowler Muralitharan after his retirement. He took 433 wickets in 93 Tests and 74 ODI scalps in 71 ODIs. He took ten wickets nine times and 5 wickets 34 times. Herath picked 433 wickets in 93 matches.
9. Daniel Vettori
Daniel Vettori, one of the all-time best spinners in the world, always bowled tight lines to ensure his partner could attack and pick wickets from the other end. He took 362 wickets from 113 test matches and 305 wickets in 295 ODI matches. His bowling stands with an average of 34.36 with an economy rate of 2.59. He also made history with a score of 3,000 runs besides taking 300 wickets.
10. Jim Laker
Jim Laker picked 193 wickets to his name. Laker is best known for his bowling performance in the Old Trafford Test in 1956 against Australia. His off-spin contained plenty of variations which made things unpredictable for the batters. He has picked 1944 wickets in 450 games.
In a nutshell, we can see that every year many new spinners emerge worldwide. Gradually these spinners would be replaced by new ones. And we will be able to see many thrilling matches ahead.
