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Top 10 Best Spin Bowlers of All Time

In the case of spin bowling, the speed at which the ball reaches the batsman is much slower than in the case of fast bowling. But they come with astonishing rotation and miraculous trajectory. And to honor the contribution of spin bowling in cricket, we have compiled a list of the best spin bowlers of all time.

Legendary Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is surely the greatest spinner the cricketing world has ever seen. He achieved 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets during his career. Besides, he achieved a 10-wicket haul a record 22 times in Test cricket. Former Australian spinner Shane Warne and Indian spinner Anil Kumble also deserve their mentions among the best spin bowlers of all time.

The technique of spin bowling is used in cricket very often. The main purpose of Spin bowling is to bowl with rapid rotation, to make it deviate from the normal straight path when it bounces on the pitch. This will make it difficult for the batsman to make a clean hit.

Greatest Spin Bowlers of All Time | 2024 Updates

Depending on the physical technique being used, this style of bowling can be divided into four categories, i.e., off-spin, left-arm orthodox spin, leg break, and left-arm unorthodox spin.

Depending on the technique, the bowler may use either finger motion or predominant wrist motion. Let us take a look.

1. Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan Best Spin Bowler

Legendary retired Sri Lankan Right-arm off-break Bowler Muttiah Muralitharan held the number one spot for Test bowlers for a record period of 1,711 days in the International Cricket Council’s player rankings.

Moreover, he was named “the greatest Test match bowler ever” by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in 2002. Muralitharan took 800 wickets in 230 innings out of 113 test matches he participated in from 1992 to 2010, with the best bowling performance in an innings of 9/51 and in a single test match of 16/220.

His test bowling average is 22.72, with an economy rate of 2.47. Besides, Muralitharan took 5 wickets 67 times and 10 wickets 22 times in test cricket. He also took 534 wickets in 350 ODI matches he played between 1993 and 2011 and achieved his best ODI performance of 7/30.

Muralitharan has a bowling average of 23.08 with an economy rate of 3.93 in ODI and also took 5 wickets 10 times in international limited-over matches. He is surely the greatest spinner in cricket history.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test1338009/5122.722.476722
ODI3505347/3023.083.93100
T20I12133/2922.846.3100

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2. Shane Warne

Shane Warne

Legendary retired Australian Right-arm leg break Bowler Shane Keith Warne was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 1994 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.

Interestingly, his retirement from professional cricket was described by the Australian captain Ricky Ponting as the “end of an era.” He took 708 wickets in 273 innings out of 145 test matches he participated in from 1992 to 2007, with the best bowling performance in an innings of 8/71 and in a single test match of 12/128.

His Test blowing average is 25.41, with an economy rate of 2.65. Moreover, Warne took 5 wickets 37 times and 10 wickets 10 times in test cricket. He also took 293 wickets in 194 ODI matches he played between 1993 and 2005 and achieved his best ODI performance of 5/33.

Warne has a bowling average of 25.73 with an economy rate of 4.25 in ODI and also took 5 wickets once in international limited-over matches.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test1457088/7125.412.653710
ODI1942935/3325.734.2510
T2073704/2126.617.2200

3. Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble

Retired Right-arm leg-break bowler and former captain of the Indian cricket team Anil Radhakrishna Kumble was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1996.

Besides, he became the fourth Indian cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in February 2015. Anil took 619 wickets in 236 innings out of 132 test matches he participated in from 1990 to 2008, with the best bowling performance in an innings of 10/74 and in a single test match of 14/149.

His test bowling average is 29.65, with an economy rate of 2.69. Kumble took 5 wickets 35 times and 10 wickets 8 times in test cricket. He also took 337 wickets in 271 ODI matches he played between 1990 and 2007 and achieved his best ODI performance of 6/12.

Kumble has a bowling average of 30.89 with an economy rate of 4.30 in ODI and also took 5 wickets twice in international limited-over matches.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test13261910/7429.652.69358
ODI2713376/1230.894.3020
T2054575/524.366.6910

4. Saqlain Mushtaq

Saqlain Mushtaq

Retired Pakistani Right-arm off-break Bowler Saqlain Mushtaq is best known for inventing the “doosra.” He was the quickest bowler to reach 100 wickets in the history of One-Day Internationals.

He took 208 wickets in 86 innings out of 49 test matches he participated in from 1995 to 2004, with the best bowling performance in an innings of 8/164 and in a single test match of 10/155. moreover, his Test blowing average is 29.83, with an economy rate of 2.64.

Mushtaq took 5 wickets 13 times and 10 wickets thrice in test cricket. He also took 288 wickets in 169 ODI matches he played between 1995 and 2003 and achieved his best ODI performance of 5/20.

Saqlain has a bowling average of 21.78 with an economy rate of 4.29 in ODI and also took 5 wickets 6 times in international limited-over matches. Known for marking one of the best bowling figures in tests, Saqlain definitely deserves his place among the best spin bowlers of all time.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test492088/16429.832.64133
ODI1692885/2021.784.2960
T209143/2418.927.5700

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5. Daniel Vettori

Daniel Vettori

Pioneer slow left-arm orthodox bowler of New Zealand cricket team Daniel Luca Vettori is the eighth player in Test history to score 3,000 runs besides taking 300 wickets. Vettori served as the captain of the New Zealand team between 2007 and 2011.

He took 362 wickets in 187 innings out of 113 test matches he participated in from 1997 to 2014, with the best bowling performance in an innings of 7/87 and in a single test match of 12/149.

His test bowling average is 34.36, with an economy rate of 2.59. Besides, Vettori took 5 wickets 20 times and 10 wickets 3 times in test cricket. He also took 296 wickets in 289 ODI matches he played between 1997 and 2015 and achieved his best ODI performance of 5/7.

Vettori has a bowling average of 31.90 with an economy rate of 4.11 in ODI and also took 5 wickets twice in international limited-over matches.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test1133627/8734.362.59203
ODI2953055/731.714.1220
T20I34384/2019.685.7000

6. Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi Best Spin Bowler

Pakistani Right-arm leg spin Bowler Shahid Afridi, nicknamed by his fans as “Boom Boom Afridi,” has played more ODI matches than any other cricket player from Pakistan. Afridi is noted for his ability to throw a bouncer to batsmen, which is very rare for a spin bowler.

He took 48 wickets in 47 innings out of 27 test matches he participated in from 1998 to 2010, with the best bowling performance in an innings of 5/52 and in a single test match of 5/43. While being one of the best all-rounders in the world, Afridi deserves his place among the best spinners of all time.

His test bowling average is 35.60, with an economy rate of 3.21. Afridi took 5 wickets once in test cricket. He also took 393 wickets in 393 ODI matches he played between 1996 and 2015 and achieved his best ODI performance of 7/12.

Besides, Shahid Afridi has a bowling average of 34.21 with an economy rate of 4.62 in ODI and also took 5 wickets 9 times in international limited over matches.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test27485/5235.603.2110
ODI3983957/1234.514.6290
T20I99984/1124.446.6300

7. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh

Indian Right-arm off-break bowler and former captain of IPL team Mumbai Indians Harbhajan Singh Plaha have the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off-spinner. Besides, he is also the first Indian bowler to achieve a hat-trick in Test cricket.

He took 413 wickets in 186 innings out of 101 test matches he participated in from 1998 to 2013, with the best bowling performance in an innings of 8/84 and in a single test match of 15/217.

His test bowling average is 32.37, with an economy rate of 2.83. Harbhajan took 5 wickets 25 times and 10 wickets 5 times in test cricket. He also took 259 wickets in 229 ODI matches he played between 1998 and 2011 and achieved his best ODI performance of 5/31.

Harbhajan has a bowling average of 33.40 with an economy rate of 4.30 in ODI and also took 5 wickets thrice in international limited-over matches.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test1034178/8432.462.84255
ODI2362695/3133.354.3130
T20I28254/1225.316.2000

 

8. Abdul Qadir

Abdul Qadir

Retired Pakistani Right-arm leg spin Bowler Abdul Qadir is widely regarded as the “mastered the googlies, the flippers, the leg-breaks, and the topspins,” according to Yahoo! Cricket. Former English captain Graham Gooch once stated that “Qadir was even finer than Shane Warne.”

He took 236 wickets in 111 innings out of 67 test matches he participated in from 1977 to 1990, with the best bowling performance in an innings of 9/56 and in a single test match of 13/101.

His test bowling average is 32.80, with an economy rate of 2.71. Moreover, Abdul Qadir took 5 wickets 15 times and 10 wickets 5 times in test cricket. He also took 132 wickets in 104 ODI matches he played between 1983 and 1993 and achieved his best ODI performance of 5/44.

Qadir has a bowling average of 26.16 with an economy rate of 4.06 in ODI and also took 5 wickets twice in international limited-over matches.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test672369/5632.802.71155
ODI1041325/4426.164.0620
First Class2099609/4923.242.737521

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9. Graeme Swann

Graeme Swann

Retired English Right-arm off-break Bowler Graeme Peter Swann was the first modern-era English off-spinner to take 10 wickets in a match since Jim Laker. He is also noted for pioneering the unique “flying saucer ball.”

He took 255 wickets in 109 innings out of 60 test matches he participated in from 2008 to 2013, with the best bowling performance in an innings of 6/65 and in a single test match of 10/132. His test bowling average is 29.96, with an economy rate of 2.98.

Graeme took 5 wickets 17 times and 10 wickets thrice in test cricket. He also took 104 wickets in 79 ODI matches he played between 2000 and 2013 and achieved his best ODI performance of 5/28.

Graeme Swann has a bowling average of 27.76 with an economy rate of 4.54 in ODI and also took 5 wickets once in international limited-over matches.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test602556/6529.962.98173
ODI791045/2827.764.5410
T20I39513/1316.846.3600

10. Rangana Herath

Rangana Herath Best Spin Bowler

Former Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath represented his country in all formats of cricket. Besides, he also captained the team on several occasions. Besides being one of the greatest spinners of all time, Herath is often dubbed by many as one of the greatest left-arm bowlers ever to grace the cricket field.

He is the only left-arm spinner to get 433 wickets in test cricket. During his career from 1999 to 2018, he led his Sri Lankan team to victory in several international tournaments.

Herath played 93 test matches for his country while taking 433 wickets. He also took 10 wickets 9 times and 5 wickets 34 times in his Test career.

Besides, he also played 71 ODI matches for his country while taking 74 wickets. Moreover, he also played 17 T20 International matches for Sri Lankans. He took 18 wickets in his T20 career.

FormatMatchesWicketsBest BowlingAverageEconomy5-Wicket10-Wicket
Test934339/12728.082.80349
ODI71744/2031.914.3700
T20I17185/320.726.1310

Honorable Mentions

Some of the honorable mentions, without whom the list will be a complete misery, are as follows. Pakistani former cricketer Mushtaq Ahmed Malik took 185 wickets in 52 test matches and 161 wickets in 144 ODI matches. Former West Indies cricketer Lancelot Richard Gibbs achieved 309 wickets in 79 international test matches and 2 wickets in 3 ODIs he played.

Indian slow left-arm orthodox bowler Bishan Singh Bedi bagged 266 test wickets in 67 matches and 7 more in the 10 ODI matches he contested. Former Australian right-arm leg-spin bowler Stuart Charles MacGill took 208 wickets in 44 test matches and 6 wickets in 3 ODI matches.

Conclusion

It takes special skill on the part of the bowler to master the craft of spin bowling. His job is exceedingly important for the team, as his style can completely change the direction of the ball at the bounce and bewilder the batsman, especially an inexperienced one.

Spin bowlers take to the pitch later on in the game when the pitch starts to crack and crumble and use old balls that grip the pitch better to intimidate batsmen. So, which one is your favorite out of the best spin bowlers of all time?

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Best Spin Bowlers – Infographics

best spin bowlers of all time - infographics
Infographics: Greatest Spin Bowlers Of All Time

FAQs

Q. Who took 19 wickets in a Test match?

In 1956, Jim Laker bowled 19 Australian wickets for 90 runs, taking 9 for 37 in the first innings and 10 for 53 in the second, during the Test match at Old Trafford. During a first-class match, no other bowler has taken more than seventeen wickets, let alone in a Test match.

Q. Who is the king of spin bowling?

Legendary former Australian cricketer Shane Warne is widely considered the “Kind of Spin Bowling” in the cricketing world. This leg-spinner has achieved 708 Test wickets and 293 ODI wickets during his career. Besides, he helped the Australian national cricket team to achieve many accolades, including the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Q. Who is the best googly bowler?

Bernard Bosanquet is the first man to invent googly in cricket bowling during the early 1900s. Besides, Pakistan produced one of the greatest leg-break googly bowlers of all time, Mushtaq Ahmed. When he played, Mushtaq was one of the three best wrist spinners and googly bowlers in the world.

Q. Which bowler has taken 6 wickets in an over?

During a club cricket match in Australia, a bowler named Aled Carey took six wickets in six deliveries and produced the perfect over, which is still an unbreakable record and will remain for decades, maybe.

Last Updated On: March 2024

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