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Greatest Spin Bowlers of All Time

T

therealAB

Local Club Star
Joined
Nov 20, 2019
Runs
2,161
My top spinners of all time:

Warne
Murali
O'Reilly
Verity
Laker
Tayfield
Grimmett

Break, gap in quality

Benaud
Underwood
Gupte
Bedi
Chandraskhar
Ironmonger
Kumble
Ashwin
Saqlain

...

Everyone after Ironmonger for me is hard to rate. Includes:
Prasanna
Ramadhin and Valentine
Jadeja
Harbajhan
Macgill
Lyon
etc
 
Tayfield is rated too high for my liking. I personally rate Jim Laker as third greatest spinner of all-time.

I will rate Kumble higher also because of his longevity. His 8-fer in Sydney test 2003 on flat wicket vs the greatest Australian batting in Australia was a great overseas performance.

Verity, I heard from someone a couple of days ago, can't recall now. Graeme Swann should also be there. Who is Valentine lol? And Ironmonger ? :hasan
 
Ab Fan said:
Tayfield is rated too high for my liking. I personally rate Jim Laker as third greatest spinner of all-time.

I will rate Kumble higher also because of his longevity. His 8-fer in Sydney test 2003 on flat wicket vs the greatest Australian batting in Australia was a great overseas performance.

Verity, I heard from someone a couple of days ago, can't recall now. Graeme Swann should also be there. Who is Valentine lol? And Ironmonger ? :hasan
Click to expand...

Yep Kumble can def be rated higher, won a lot of games for Ind. I just don't value longevity that much. What issues do u have with Tayfield, for me the 2nd greatest right arm orthodox who was fantastic for SA.

Valentine was a member of an iconic duo with Ramadhin for WI, very underrated bowling. Ironmonger averaged 18, the lowest of anyone post WW1 playing for Aus
 
therealAB said:
Yep Kumble can def be rated higher, won a lot of games for Ind. I just don't value longevity that much. What issues do u have with Tayfield, for me the 2nd greatest right arm orthodox who was fantastic for SA.

Valentine was a member of an iconic duo with Ramadhin for WI, very underrated bowling. Ironmonger averaged 18, the lowest of anyone post WW1 playing for Aus
Click to expand...

Warne and Murali are top tier. They have everything.

Rest everyone will follow in a tier below.
 
therealAB said:
My top spinners of all time:

Warne
Murali
O'Reilly
Verity
Laker
Tayfield
Grimmett

Break, gap in quality

Benaud
Underwood
Gupte
Bedi
Chandraskhar
Ironmonger
Kumble
Ashwin
Saqlain

...

Everyone after Ironmonger for me is hard to rate. Includes:
Prasanna
Ramadhin and Valentine
Jadeja
Harbajhan
Macgill
Lyon
etc
Click to expand...

Herath,Swann,Underwood,qadir belong in tier 2.
 
therealAB said:
My top spinners of all time:

Warne
Murali
O'Reilly
Verity
Laker
Tayfield
Grimmett

Break, gap in quality

Benaud
Underwood
Gupte
Bedi
Chandraskhar
Ironmonger
Kumble
Ashwin
Saqlain

...

Everyone after Ironmonger for me is hard to rate. Includes:
Prasanna
Ramadhin and Valentine
Jadeja
Harbajhan
Macgill
Lyon
etc
Click to expand...

No lance Gibbs.
 
therealAB said:
Yep Kumble can def be rated higher, won a lot of games for Ind. I just don't value longevity that much. What issues do u have with Tayfield, for me the 2nd greatest right arm orthodox who was fantastic for SA.

Valentine was a member of an iconic duo with Ramadhin for WI, very underrated bowling. Ironmonger averaged 18, the lowest of anyone post WW1 playing for Aus
Click to expand...

Tayfield married and divorced five times lol :faf

On a serious note, have no issues with Tayfield, just a bit recency biased. Heard he was good but nowhere in the league of Jim Laker. He was known for accuracy, didn't turned the bowl much.
 
I don't see how Shahid Afridi isn't considered a top leggie. Definitely not the greatest of all time but he's got a very good Odi record.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
I don't see how Shahid Afridi isn't considered a top leggie. Definitely not the greatest of all time but he's got a very good Odi record.
Click to expand...

Stats don’t do justice to Afridi. Like you said not a great, but very good at his peak and could run through teams on his day. His stats look worse because of the start of his career, where his bowling was not as good and he was an opener back then. Also, at the end his stats got ruined.
 
The Viper said:
Stats don’t do justice to Afridi. Like you said not a great, but very good at his peak and could run through teams on his day. His stats look worse because of the start of his career, where his bowling was not as good and he was an opener back then. Also, at the end his stats got ruined.
Click to expand...

For me it's still very impressive to be in the top 10 most ODI wickets list. 395 wickets for a leggie like himself is very impressive, he should've had 400-450 wickets had he bowled a full quota earlier in his career. I would say his overall economy rate is also not too shabby, only thing is he struggled against India when bowling other than that he made a fair few of the opposition sweat.
 
I believe, this list is based on Test only.

I'll rank my list in two way - 1. type of bowlers & 2. Over-all. And, I am leaving spinners from the era before first world war. There had been some of the best spinners in ancient days like Briggs, Blythe, Peel, Peate, Ranji Horden, Palmer, Trumble, Rhodes..... it's not possible to consider them just based on stats.

By Type:

Leg (Wrist) - spinner (Including Left-armers)
1. Warne
2. Bill O'Reilly
3. Benaud
4. A Qadir
5. Grimmett
6. Kumble
7. Chandra
8. Gupte
9. McGill
10. Yasir


SLAO
1. Bedi
2. Verity
3. Herath
4. Underwood
5. Qasim
6. Jadeja
7. Lock
8. Wardle (Bowled Chinaman as well)
9. Valentine
10. Shakib

Off-spinner
1. Murali
2. Laker
3. Saqlaine
4. Prassanna
5. Lyon
6. Tayfield
7. Swan
8. Harbhajan
9. Ashwin
10. Ajmal (Should have been higher, .....)


Now comes the tougher part. Instead of ranking over-all position (which is impossible for me), I'll do it in an innovative way - I'll pick 6 Bowling combinations with a Leggi, Offie & SLAO spinner, to my best knowledge on combination. It's not like the three of the first team are the best three, rather I have picked bowlers who can complement each other most - sort of my dream attack. And, I haven't considered the batting ability of the bowlers at all. List is ranked based on overall strength (A is strongest, F is weakest)

Team A: Warne, Saqlaine, Verity
Team B: Murali, O'Reilly, ** Bedi
Team C: Laker, Benaud, Herath
Team D: Grimmett, Prassanna, Qasim
Team E: Qadir, Tayfield, Underwood
Team F: Chandra, Ajmal, Jadeja
 
MMHS said:
I believe, this list is based on Test only.

I'll rank my list in two way - 1. type of bowlers & 2. Over-all. And, I am leaving spinners from the era before first world war. There had been some of the best spinners in ancient days like Briggs, Blythe, Peel, Peate, Ranji Horden, Palmer, Trumble, Rhodes..... it's not possible to consider them just based on stats.

By Type:

Leg (Wrist) - spinner (Including Left-armers)
1. Warne
2. Bill O'Reilly
3. Benaud
4. A Qadir
5. Grimmett
6. Kumble
7. Chandra
8. Gupte
9. McGill
10. Yasir


SLAO
1. Bedi
2. Verity
3. Herath
4. Underwood
5. Qasim
6. Jadeja
7. Lock
8. Wardle (Bowled Chinaman as well)
9. Valentine
10. Shakib

Off-spinner
1. Murali
2. Laker
3. Saqlaine
4. Prassanna
5. Lyon
6. Tayfield
7. Swan
8. Harbhajan
9. Ashwin
10. Ajmal (Should have been higher, .....)


Now comes the tougher part. Instead of ranking over-all position (which is impossible for me), I'll do it in an innovative way - I'll pick 6 Bowling combinations with a Leggi, Offie & SLAO spinner, to my best knowledge on combination. It's not like the three of the first team are the best three, rather I have picked bowlers who can complement each other most - sort of my dream attack. And, I haven't considered the batting ability of the bowlers at all. List is ranked based on overall strength (A is strongest, F is weakest)

Team A: Warne, Saqlaine, Verity
Team B: Murali, O'Reilly, ** Bedi
Team C: Laker, Benaud, Herath
Team D: Grimmett, Prassanna, Qasim
Team E: Qadir, Tayfield, Underwood
Team F: Chandra, Ajmal, Jadeja
Click to expand...

No Lance Gibbs.
 
MMHS said:
I believe, this list is based on Test only.

I'll rank my list in two way - 1. type of bowlers & 2. Over-all. And, I am leaving spinners from the era before first world war. There had been some of the best spinners in ancient days like Briggs, Blythe, Peel, Peate, Ranji Horden, Palmer, Trumble, Rhodes..... it's not possible to consider them just based on stats.

By Type:

Leg (Wrist) - spinner (Including Left-armers)
1. Warne
2. Bill O'Reilly
3. Benaud
4. A Qadir
5. Grimmett
6. Kumble
7. Chandra
8. Gupte
9. McGill
10. Yasir


SLAO
1. Bedi
2. Verity
3. Herath
4. Underwood
5. Qasim
6. Jadeja
7. Lock
8. Wardle (Bowled Chinaman as well)
9. Valentine
10. Shakib

Off-spinner
1. Murali
2. Laker
3. Saqlaine
4. Prassanna
5. Lyon
6. Tayfield
7. Swan
8. Harbhajan
9. Ashwin
10. Ajmal (Should have been higher, .....)


Now comes the tougher part. Instead of ranking over-all position (which is impossible for me), I'll do it in an innovative way - I'll pick 6 Bowling combinations with a Leggi, Offie & SLAO spinner, to my best knowledge on combination. It's not like the three of the first team are the best three, rather I have picked bowlers who can complement each other most - sort of my dream attack. And, I haven't considered the batting ability of the bowlers at all. List is ranked based on overall strength (A is strongest, F is weakest)

Team A: Warne, Saqlaine, Verity
Team B: Murali, O'Reilly, ** Bedi
Team C: Laker, Benaud, Herath
Team D: Grimmett, Prassanna, Qasim
Team E: Qadir, Tayfield, Underwood
Team F: Chandra, Ajmal, Jadeja
Click to expand...

Please shed some light on Qadir/Kumble/Chandrasekhar

I didn't see Qadir bowl. He's a very popular leg spinner but if i analyse his stats he seem to have travelled very badly to some major cricketing nations and his home record also good, it isn't spectacular.

Chandrasekhar has a very balanced record. He wasn't as skillful as Qadir as an orthodox spinner but his unique style of bowling made him the least favorite of Indian soon quartet among opposition batsmen.

Kumble in comparison to both Qadir and Chandra, has devastating home record but travelled as poorly as Qadir.


Going by statistical analysis, Chandra>Kumble> Qadir sounds fair but there must reasons for putting him above both.
 
Qadir definetly belongs v high up

He may not have the greatest stats but he is universally revered by everyone from the 80s as one of the very best of all time
 
Zaz said:
Qadir definetly belongs v high up

He may not have the greatest stats but he is universally revered by everyone from the 80s as one of the very best of all time
Click to expand...

I feel alot of ths comes from being the only decent spinner; he averages 40 away
 
Test Spinners 100-150 wickets
[table=width: 600, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Player [/td][td]Span [/td][td]Mat [/td][td]Wkts [/td][td]Avg [/td][td]Econ [/td][td]SR [/td][td]5W [/td][td]10W [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]R Peel (ENG) [/td][td]1884-1896 [/td][td]20 [/td][td]101 [/td][td]16.98 [/td][td]1.97 [/td][td]51.6 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]J Briggs (ENG) [/td][td]1884-1899 [/td][td]33 [/td][td]118 [/td][td]17.75 [/td][td]2.35 [/td][td]45.1 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]C Blythe (ENG) [/td][td]1901-1910 [/td][td]19 [/td][td]100 [/td][td]18.63 [/td][td]2.45 [/td][td]45.4 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JH Wardle (ENG) [/td][td]1948-1957 [/td][td]28 [/td][td]102 [/td][td]20.39 [/td][td]1.89 [/td][td]64.6 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]H Trumble (AUS) [/td][td]1890-1904 [/td][td]32 [/td][td]141 [/td][td]21.78 [/td][td]2.27 [/td][td]57.4 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]WJ O'Reilly (AUS) [/td][td]1932-1946 [/td][td]27 [/td][td]144 [/td][td]22.59 [/td][td]1.94 [/td][td]69.6 [/td][td]11 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]H Verity (ENG) [/td][td]1931-1939 [/td][td]40 [/td][td]144 [/td][td]24.37 [/td][td]1.88 [/td][td]77.5 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]W Rhodes (ENG) [/td][td]1899-1930 [/td][td]58 [/td][td]127 [/td][td]26.96 [/td][td]2.49 [/td][td]64.7 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]IWG Johnson (AUS) [/td][td]1946-1956 [/td][td]45 [/td][td]109 [/td][td]29.19 [/td][td]2.17 [/td][td]80.5 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]SP Gupte (INDIA) [/td][td]1951-1961 [/td][td]36 [/td][td]149 [/td][td]29.55 [/td][td]2.34 [/td][td]75.7 [/td][td]12 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AA Mallett (AUS) [/td][td]1968-1980 [/td][td]38 [/td][td]132 [/td][td]29.84 [/td][td]2.36 [/td][td]75.6 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]PP Ojha (INDIA) [/td][td]2009-2013 [/td][td]24 [/td][td]113 [/td][td]30.26 [/td][td]2.68 [/td][td]67.5 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AL Valentine (WI) [/td][td]1950-1962 [/td][td]36 [/td][td]139 [/td][td]30.32 [/td][td]1.95 [/td][td]93.1 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DR Doshi (INDIA) [/td][td]1979-1983 [/td][td]33 [/td][td]114 [/td][td]30.71 [/td][td]2.25 [/td][td]81.7 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DA Allen (ENG) [/td][td]1960-1966 [/td][td]39 [/td][td]122 [/td][td]30.97 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]92.5 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]R Illingworth (ENG) [/td][td]1958-1973 [/td][td]61 [/td][td]122 [/td][td]31.2 [/td][td]1.91 [/td][td]97.8 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]B Yardley (AUS) [/td][td]1978-1983 [/td][td]33 [/td][td]126 [/td][td]31.63 [/td][td]2.68 [/td][td]70.7 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]PR Adams (SA) [/td][td]1995-2004 [/td][td]45 [/td][td]134 [/td][td]32.87 [/td][td]2.98 [/td][td]66 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Taijul Islam (BDESH) [/td][td]2014-2020 [/td][td]29 [/td][td]114 [/td][td]33.17 [/td][td]3.21 [/td][td]61.8 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]KA Maharaj (SA) [/td][td]2016-2020 [/td][td]30 [/td][td]110 [/td][td]33.19 [/td][td]3.28 [/td][td]60.7 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]PH Edmonds (ENG) [/td][td]1975-1987 [/td][td]51 [/td][td]125 [/td][td]34.18 [/td][td]2.13 [/td][td]96.2 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]NS Yadav (INDIA) [/td][td]1979-1987 [/td][td]35 [/td][td]102 [/td][td]35.09 [/td][td]2.56 [/td][td]81.9 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JG Bracewell (NZ) [/td][td]1980-1990 [/td][td]41 [/td][td]102 [/td][td]35.81 [/td][td]2.6 [/td][td]82.3 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intikhab Alam (PAK) [/td][td]1959-1977 [/td][td]47 [/td][td]125 [/td][td]35.95 [/td][td]2.57 [/td][td]83.7 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]D Bishoo (WI) [/td][td]2011-2018 [/td][td]36 [/td][td]117 [/td][td]37.17 [/td][td]3.23 [/td][td]68.9 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]PCR Tufnell (ENG) [/td][td]1990-2001 [/td][td]42 [/td][td]121 [/td][td]37.68 [/td][td]2.42 [/td][td]93.2 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]PL Harris (SA) [/td][td]2007-2011 [/td][td]37 [/td][td]103 [/td][td]37.87 [/td][td]2.65 [/td][td]85.5 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JE Emburey (ENG) [/td][td]1978-1995 [/td][td]64 [/td][td]147 [/td][td]38.4 [/td][td]2.2 [/td][td]104.7 [/td][td]6 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]AF Giles (ENG) [/td][td]1998-2006 [/td][td]54 [/td][td]143 [/td][td]40.6 [/td][td]2.86 [/td][td]85.1 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mohammad Rafique (BDESH) [/td][td]2000-2008 [/td][td]33 [/td][td]100 [/td][td]40.76 [/td][td]2.79 [/td][td]87.4 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]N Boje (SA) [/td][td]2000-2006 [/td][td]43 [/td][td]100 [/td][td]42.65 [/td][td]2.96 [/td][td]86.2 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]CL Hooper (WI) [/td][td]1987-2002 [/td][td]102 [/td][td]114 [/td][td]49.42 [/td][td]2.45 [/td][td]121 [/td][td]4 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[/table]

Test Spinners 150-200 wickets
[table=width: 600, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Player [/td][td]Span [/td][td]Mat [/td][td]Wkts [/td][td]Avg [/td][td]Econ [/td][td]SR [/td][td]5W [/td][td]10W [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]JC Laker (ENG) [/td][td]1948-1959 [/td][td]46 [/td][td]193 [/td][td]21.24 [/td][td]2.04 [/td][td]62.3 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]GAR Lock (ENG) [/td][td]1952-1968 [/td][td]49 [/td][td]174 [/td][td]25.58 [/td][td]2.03 [/td][td]75.5 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]HJ Tayfield (SA) [/td][td]1949-1960 [/td][td]37 [/td][td]170 [/td][td]25.91 [/td][td]1.94 [/td][td]79.8 [/td][td]14 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Saeed Ajmal (PAK) [/td][td]2009-2014 [/td][td]35 [/td][td]178 [/td][td]28.1 [/td][td]2.58 [/td][td]65.1 [/td][td]10 [/td][td]4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Iqbal Qasim (PAK) [/td][td]1976-1988 [/td][td]50 [/td][td]171 [/td][td]28.11 [/td][td]2.21 [/td][td]76.1 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]S Ramadhin (WI) [/td][td]1950-1961 [/td][td]43 [/td][td]158 [/td][td]28.98 [/td][td]1.97 [/td][td]88.2 [/td][td]10 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]EAS Prasanna (INDIA) [/td][td]1962-1978 [/td][td]49 [/td][td]189 [/td][td]30.38 [/td][td]2.4 [/td][td]75.9 [/td][td]10 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]FJ Titmus (ENG) [/td][td]1955-1975 [/td][td]53 [/td][td]153 [/td][td]32.22 [/td][td]1.95 [/td][td]98.8 [/td][td]7 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]MH Mankad (INDIA) [/td][td]1946-1959 [/td][td]44 [/td][td]162 [/td][td]32.32 [/td][td]2.13 [/td][td]90.6 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mushtaq Ahmed (PAK) [/td][td]1990-2003 [/td][td]52 [/td][td]185 [/td][td]32.97 [/td][td]2.92 [/td][td]67.7 [/td][td]10 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]MS Panesar (ENG) [/td][td]2006-2013 [/td][td]50 [/td][td]167 [/td][td]34.71 [/td][td]2.78 [/td][td]74.7 [/td][td]12 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]MDK Perera (SL) [/td][td]2014-2019 [/td][td]41 [/td][td]156 [/td][td]35.33 [/td][td]3.22 [/td][td]65.6 [/td][td]8 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]S Venkataraghavan (INDIA) [/td][td]1965-1983 [/td][td]57 [/td][td]156 [/td][td]36.11 [/td][td]2.27 [/td][td]95.3 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]MM Ali (ENG) [/td][td]2014-2019 [/td][td]60 [/td][td]181 [/td][td]36.59 [/td][td]3.62 [/td][td]60.6 [/td][td]5 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]RJ Shastri (INDIA) [/td][td]1981-1992 [/td][td]80 [/td][td]151 [/td][td]40.96 [/td][td]2.35 [/td][td]104.3 [/td][td]2 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[/table]

Test Spinners 200+ wickets
[table=width: 600, class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Player [/td][td]Span [/td][td]Mat [/td][td]Wkts [/td][td]Avg [/td][td]Econ [/td][td]SR [/td][td]5W [/td][td]10W [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]M Muralitharan (ICC/SL) [/td][td]1992-2010 [/td][td]133 [/td][td]800 [/td][td]22.72 [/td][td]2.47 [/td][td]55 [/td][td]67 [/td][td]22 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]CV Grimmett (AUS) [/td][td]1925-1936 [/td][td]37 [/td][td]216 [/td][td]24.21 [/td][td]2.16 [/td][td]67.1 [/td][td]21 [/td][td]7 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]RA Jadeja (INDIA) [/td][td]2012-2020 [/td][td]49 [/td][td]213 [/td][td]24.62 [/td][td]2.43 [/td][td]60.6 [/td][td]9 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]SK Warne (AUS) [/td][td]1992-2007 [/td][td]145 [/td][td]708 [/td][td]25.41 [/td][td]2.65 [/td][td]57.4 [/td][td]37 [/td][td]10 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]R Ashwin (INDIA) [/td][td]2011-2020 [/td][td]71 [/td][td]365 [/td][td]25.43 [/td][td]2.84 [/td][td]53.6 [/td][td]27 [/td][td]7 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DL Underwood (ENG) [/td][td]1966-1982 [/td][td]86 [/td][td]297 [/td][td]25.83 [/td][td]2.1 [/td][td]73.6 [/td][td]17 [/td][td]6 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]R Benaud (AUS) [/td][td]1952-1964 [/td][td]63 [/td][td]248 [/td][td]27.03 [/td][td]2.1 [/td][td]77 [/td][td]16 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]HMRKB Herath (SL) [/td][td]1999-2018 [/td][td]93 [/td][td]433 [/td][td]28.07 [/td][td]2.8 [/td][td]60 [/td][td]34 [/td][td]9 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]B Bedi (INDIA) [/td][td]1966-1979 [/td][td]67 [/td][td]266 [/td][td]28.71 [/td][td]2.14 [/td][td]80.3 [/td][td]14 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]SCG MacGill (AUS) [/td][td]1998-2008 [/td][td]44 [/td][td]208 [/td][td]29.02 [/td][td]3.22 [/td][td]54 [/td][td]12 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]LR Gibbs (WI) [/td][td]1958-1976 [/td][td]79 [/td][td]309 [/td][td]29.09 [/td][td]1.98 [/td][td]87.7 [/td][td]18 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]A Kumble (INDIA) [/td][td]1990-2008 [/td][td]132 [/td][td]619 [/td][td]29.65 [/td][td]2.69 [/td][td]65.9 [/td][td]35 [/td][td]8 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]B Chandrasekhar (INDIA) [/td][td]1964-1979 [/td][td]58 [/td][td]242 [/td][td]29.74 [/td][td]2.7 [/td][td]65.9 [/td][td]16 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) [/td][td]1995-2004 [/td][td]49 [/td][td]208 [/td][td]29.83 [/td][td]2.64 [/td][td]67.6 [/td][td]13 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]GP Swann (ENG) [/td][td]2008-2013 [/td][td]60 [/td][td]255 [/td][td]29.96 [/td][td]2.98 [/td][td]60.1 [/td][td]17 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Yasir Shah (PAK) [/td][td]2014-2020 [/td][td]39 [/td][td]213 [/td][td]30.52 [/td][td]3.19 [/td][td]57.3 [/td][td]16 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Shakib Al Hasan (BDESH) [/td][td]2007-2019 [/td][td]56 [/td][td]210 [/td][td]31.12 [/td][td]3.01 [/td][td]62 [/td][td]18 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]NM Lyon (AUS) [/td][td]2011-2020 [/td][td]96 [/td][td]390 [/td][td]31.58 [/td][td]3 [/td][td]62.9 [/td][td]18 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Harbhajan Singh (INDIA) [/td][td]1998-2015 [/td][td]103 [/td][td]417 [/td][td]32.46 [/td][td]2.84 [/td][td]68.5 [/td][td]25 [/td][td]5 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Abdul Qadir (PAK) [/td][td]1977-1990 [/td][td]67 [/td][td]236 [/td][td]32.8 [/td][td]2.71 [/td][td]72.5 [/td][td]15 [/td][td]5 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]DL Vettori (ICC/NZ) [/td][td]1997-2014 [/td][td]113 [/td][td]362 [/td][td]34.36 [/td][td]2.59 [/td][td]79.5 [/td][td]20 [/td][td]3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Danish Kaneria (PAK) [/td][td]2000-2010 [/td][td]61 [/td][td]261 [/td][td]34.79 [/td][td]3.07 [/td][td]67.8 [/td][td]15 [/td][td]2 [/td][/tr]
[/table]
 
Last edited:
andy0204 said:
No Lance Gibbs.
Click to expand...

I kept the list with top 10. Most number of spinners are actually Offies, therefore competition is high - Gibbs could have been there definitely, but tell me whom to drop? Still there are Offies like Venkat, MDK Perrera, Embury, Titmus, Yardly, Tauseef .... we could have considered. Gibbs once owned the highest Test wicket taker's cap (between Trueman & Lillee), but that's more to do with the number of overs bowled - he was extremely tight Offies with an economy under 2 (hence lower average of 29), but his SR was like 89. I don't think he belongs among the top 6 names - among bottom 4, may be but hardly matters; he won't make any of my A-F teams.
 
MMHS said:
I kept the list with top 10. Most number of spinners are actually Offies, therefore competition is high - Gibbs could have been there definitely, but tell me whom to drop? Still there are Offies like Venkat, MDK Perrera, Embury, Titmus, Yardly, Tauseef .... we could have considered. Gibbs once owned the highest Test wicket taker's cap (between Trueman & Lillee), but that's more to do with the number of overs bowled - he was extremely tight Offies with an economy under 2 (hence lower average of 29), but his SR was like 89. I don't think he belongs among the top 6 names - among bottom 4, may be but hardly matters; he won't make any of my A-F teams.
Click to expand...

So basically he was a stock bowler.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
Please shed some light on Qadir/Kumble/Chandrasekhar

I didn't see Qadir bowl. He's a very popular leg spinner but if i analyse his stats he seem to have travelled very badly to some major cricketing nations and his home record also good, it isn't spectacular.

Chandrasekhar has a very balanced record. He wasn't as skillful as Qadir as an orthodox spinner but his unique style of bowling made him the least favorite of Indian soon quartet among opposition batsmen.

Kumble in comparison to both Qadir and Chandra, has devastating home record but travelled as poorly as Qadir.


Going by statistical analysis, Chandra>Kumble> Qadir sounds fair but there must reasons for putting him above both.
Click to expand...

It's not about stats only - in that regard, Yasir should be among top few, still striking almost at 6 wickets/Test, and a fantastic SR of 57 and he has 16 5fors in 39 Tests - that's almost twice the ratio of Warne. These are among best in history and we need to look beyond stats only.

By trait, Kumble & Chandra were not classical leggi actually - among three Indian great leggis, I actually rate Subhash Gupte most, because he was a classical leggi. Qadir was the pioneer of revival of Leg-spin - between Benaud/Chandra and Warne, for almost 20 years world hardly had seen any great leggi, because the game changed in 1970s & 80s to wards raw fast bowling.

I rate Qadir much more than his stats because of the skills & variations he had in his bowling. Also, his career stats are spoiled by mismanagement (self inflicted as well - apart from Imran, no Captain could handle him), poor fitness, and PAK fielders dropping unacceptable number of catches of his bowling. Also, he played in an era, when Umpires were extremely rigid to give LBW to Google - being in confusion if it stuck outside off or missing leg. The two series that really spoiled his career are in Australia 1983-84 & India 1987 - India has always been the toughest place for spinners, particularly leggis (and in 1986-87, he was basically limping all through the series), but the AUS stats doesn't tell the true story. With Imran injured, Aussies knew that PAK had only one weapon - they brought 5-6 left-handers in their line up just to counter AQadir!!!

What makes A Qadir special to me is his peak - he was a guy often missing in the game, but his best was majestic. He played like 16/17 Tests against IND (25%), out of his 67 and that really ruined his stats - average over 50, SR over 90, economy over 3.25 and no 5/10 fors. Otherwise, his career stats against other teams combined is very good. If you do that for even Warne, his average is like 47 and he played only 14 Tests (10% of career) against IND.

For his extreme durability and accuracy, Kumble should always be there, but he was often a wicket dependent bowler, which is the trait of finger spinner, not Leggis.
 
andy0204 said:
So basically he was a stock bowler.
Click to expand...

I would say - Yes.

Those days, cricket was a specialist game, there was not much thought behind combination and runs from bowler, hence Gibbs played lot more Tests than he could have being born 50 years later. In modern era, he would have struggled to keep spot for that long career (Collie Smith's unfortunate demise at 25-26 in 1959 also helped). Brilliant spinner, but just not exciting enough and his stats are a bit inflated against IND/PAK of late 50s, early 60s.
 
MMHS said:
I would say - Yes.

Those days, cricket was a specialist game, there was not much thought behind combination and runs from bowler, hence Gibbs played lot more Tests than he could have being born 50 years later. In modern era, he would have struggled to keep spot for that long career (Collie Smith's unfortunate demise at 25-26 in 1959 also helped). Brilliant spinner, but just not exciting enough and his stats are a bit inflated against IND/PAK of late 50s, early 60s.
Click to expand...

He was a product of his time from the 50s and 60s He bowled according to the game as it was then

A great bowler in one era would be great in every and lance was a great
 
MMHS said:
I believe, this list is based on Test only.

I'll rank my list in two way - 1. type of bowlers & 2. Over-all. And, I am leaving spinners from the era before first world war. There had been some of the best spinners in ancient days like Briggs, Blythe, Peel, Peate, Ranji Horden, Palmer, Trumble, Rhodes..... it's not possible to consider them just based on stats.

By Type:

Leg (Wrist) - spinner (Including Left-armers)
1. Warne
2. Bill O'Reilly
3. Benaud
4. A Qadir
5. Grimmett
6. Kumble
7. Chandra
8. Gupte
9. McGill
10. Yasir


SLAO
1. Bedi
2. Verity
3. Herath
4. Underwood
5. Qasim
6. Jadeja
7. Lock
8. Wardle (Bowled Chinaman as well)
9. Valentine
10. Shakib

Off-spinner
1. Murali
2. Laker
3. Saqlaine
4. Prassanna
5. Lyon
6. Tayfield
7. Swan
8. Harbhajan
9. Ashwin
10. Ajmal (Should have been higher, .....)


Now comes the tougher part. Instead of ranking over-all position (which is impossible for me), I'll do it in an innovative way - I'll pick 6 Bowling combinations with a Leggi, Offie & SLAO spinner, to my best knowledge on combination. It's not like the three of the first team are the best three, rather I have picked bowlers who can complement each other most - sort of my dream attack. And, I haven't considered the batting ability of the bowlers at all. List is ranked based on overall strength (A is strongest, F is weakest)

Team A: Warne, Saqlaine, Verity
Team B: Murali, O'Reilly, ** Bedi
Team C: Laker, Benaud, Herath
Team D: Grimmett, Prassanna, Qasim
Team E: Qadir, Tayfield, Underwood
Team F: Chandra, Ajmal, Jadeja
Click to expand...

Great list, Warnie the King of them. How did you position Yasir at no.10 ? which other spinners were up for consideration, Kaneria, Mushtaq ? some decent competition there
 
Former Pakistani spinner, Shahid Afridi is holding the record of bowling the fastest spin ball at the speed of 134km/h.

Shahid first played his international match against Kenya in 1996. After which there was no looking back for him who notched milestones after milestones.

After some time, he also became the captain of the Pakistan cricket team. Out of innumerable records, he bagged the golden memoir of the fastest delivery to bowl by a spinner in the history of cricket.

Shahid Afridi finds his name in this lucrative list after unleashing a blinder against Tim Southee during one of the T20I matches in New Zealand.

He was completely flummoxed as the ball climbed awkwardly only to edge past the bails of the wicket.

The incident happened on the 14th over as New Zealand crumbled down while hunting a massive target posed by the Pakistani team.

5 fastest deliveries bowled by spinners:
Shahid Afridi to Tim Southee (134 KMPH)

Anil Kumble to Marcus Trescothick (118 KMPH)

Piyush Chawla to Shane Watson (117 KMPH)

Krunal Pandya to Marcus Stoinis (112.5 KMPH)

Shadab Khan to Joe Root (111 KMPH)

https://www.bolnews.com/latest/2021...ord-of-bowling-the-fastest-ball-by-a-spinner/
 
Shane Warne is probably the best of all time.

Murali and Saqlain are also up there.
 
Based on pure numbers , impact , match winning ability - across all formats

1- Murali
2 - warne
3 - kumble
4 saqlain / ashwin
5 swan - Chandrasekhar - bedi - gupte - Quadir - jadeja - harbhajan and New Zealand’s left arm spinner ( tall guy with glasses ) and shakib from bangladesh and Rashid khan from
Afghanistan .
6 o Reilly , kaneria , Herath , laker , Lyon




The way one has to think is which spinner alone would be enough to change a game - Murali showed it time and again and warne was just a notch below Murali . Kumble / Saqlain / ashwin imo are the biggest thinking bowlers , lesser talent than Murali and warne

Swan is perhaps the most underrated non discussed player here.
Pakistanis forget danish kaneria and in my opinion he was as good a spinner I have seen .
 
Saqlain and Qadir are widely overrated due to nostalgia effect.
Both Yasir and Ajmal were far better spinners for Pak at intl level.
 
Shane Warne. Murali's questionable action continues to bother me.
 
Vale Ashley Mallett

Cricket Australia has paid tribute to Ashley Mallett, one of Australia’s most successful off-spin bowlers, who has passed away aged 76 following a battle with cancer.

Born in Sydney but raised in Perth, Mallett was best known as a South Australia player after moving from the west to Adelaide to be tutored by the late great spin bowler Clarrie Grimmett. Mallett, also an acclaimed author and journalist, later wrote Grimmett’s autobiography.

Mallett played 38 Test matches and nine One Day Internationals in a career for Australia which spanned 12 years, taking 132 wickets with his rangy off-spin and 30 catches highlighting his outstanding gully fielding.

He holds the best figures for a finger spinner in Australia with 8-59 against Pakistan in Adelaide in 1972, but it was his efforts in India which were heralded as his greatest.

On the 1969-70 tour, Mallett took 28 wickets as a key to Australia’s last Test series win in India which formed a large part of him reaching 100 wickets in 23 Test matches.

Mallett also coached many young spin bowlers and set up the Spin Australia program, and the Spin Academy in Sri Lanka. He was a long-time advisor to Sri Lankan cricket.

Mallett went on to write numerous books including the biographies of Victor Trumper and Grimmett, along with Lords’ Dreaming which chronicled the English tour of the Australian Indigenous side who were the first Australian sporting team to tour overseas in 1868.

Richard Freudenstein, Cricket Australia Chair, said:

“Ashley Mallett was a wonderful player, admired journalist and highly acclaimed author.”

“He played a significant part in Australian cricket not only as a player but as a prolific storyteller who has preserved the memories of some of the game’s greatest and moments in time for people to enjoy through the ages.

“Ashley was a humble man whose deeds outweighed his reserved personality. He will be missed within the Australian cricketing landscape and we offer our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues across all industries and teammates.”
 
I don't know what criteria you used for the list..
If wickets and longevity considered, Kumble is definitely in top 5 spinners of all time..
If records are considered, then Ashwin is in top 3.
Also you missed lengends like Lance Gibbs, Vettori, Herath, Tony Lock and quality spinners like Qadir, MacGill, Swann and Yasir Shah..


Here is my list of Top five test spinners for each country :-

Australia -
1.Shane Warne
2.Clarrie Grimmett
3.Bill O'Reilly
4.Nathan Lyon
5.Hugh Trumble

England -
1.Derek Underwood
2.Jim Laker
3.Headley Verity
4.Johny Briggs
5.Graeme Swann

West Indies -
1.Lance Gibbs
2.Sonny Ramadhin
3.Alf Valentine
4.Garry Sobers
5.Dev Bishoo

Newzealand -
1.Daniel Vettori
2.John Bracewell
3.Stephen Boock

South Africa -
1.Hugh Tayfield
2.Paul Adams
3.Keshav Maharaj
4.Aubrey Faulkner

India -
1.R Ashwin
2.Anil Kumble
3.Bishen Bedi
4.B Chandrasekhar
5.Harbhajan Singh

Paksitan -
1.Abdul Qadir
2.Saeed Ajmal
3.Yasir Shah
4.Saqlain Mushtaq
5.Mushtaq Ahmed

Srilanka -
1.M Muralitharan
2.Rangna Herath
3.Dilruwan Perera
4.Upul Tharanga
5.Sanath Jayasuriya

Zimbabwe -
1.John Traicos
2.Paul Strang
3.Ray Price

Bangladesh -
1.Shakib Al Hasan
2.Mohammed Rafique
3.Mehedy Hasan
4.Taijul Islam
5.Enamul Haque
 
Former Australian Test cricketer Peter Philpott has died at the age of 86, due to complications from a fall.

The leg-spinner played eight Tests in the mid 1960s, taking 26 wickets at an average of 38.46.

Philpott made his Test debut against West Indies in Kingston in 1965, taking 2-56 and 4-109 with the ball and making scores of 22 and 9 as the home side won by 179 runs.

He took 18 wickets at 34.94 on that tour, before claiming 5-90 in the first Ashes Test against England later that year.

However, he played just two more matches for Australia during that series, taking two wickets before retiring.

Philpott took 245 first-class wickets, representing New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield from 1955 to 1968.

He captained NSW during the 1963/64 and 1964/65 Sheffield Shield seasons.

He also played in England for Ramsbottom in the Lancashire League in the late 1950s.

A strong advocate for spin bowling, Philpott went into coaching and had stints with many teams, including Yorkshire, Surrey, Mosman and Sri Lanka.

He also coached NSW and South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.

Away from cricket, Philpott worked as a teacher for 50 years.

His death follows the passing of former Australian Test players — Alan Davidson and Ashley Mallett — in the past two days.

Davidson — one of Australia's greatest all-rounders who played 44 Tests — died on Saturday morning, aged 92.

Mallett died at the age of 76 after battling cancer. He was regarded as one of Australia's best spinners and played 38 Tests.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10...ter-peter-philpott-has-died-aged-86/100583944
 
Vale Peter Philpott

Australian cricket is mourning the loss of Peter Philpott OAM, former Test player, NSW captain and one of the game’s foremost educators, who died after a long battle with illness aged 86.

Philpott played eight Tests for Australia, taking 28 wickets at an average of 38.46, while in 76 first class matches he took 245 wickets at 30.31 and made 2889 runs at 31.36.

But more than just an accomplished player, Philpott was an articulate and passionate member of Australia’s wonderful wrist-spin bowling lineage; a worthy successor to Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O’Reilly and predecessor of Shane Warne.

As coach, author and mentor, Philpott parlayed his on-field experience into decades of advocacy for, and education on, cricket’s most taxing art and became a profound influence on generations of spin bowlers.

Philpott displayed both a prodigious talent and an unstinting work ethic from his cricketing infancy, playing Sydney First Grade cricket for Manly aged 15 and making his NSW debut at 20, between productive stints in England’s Lancashire League.

Philpott made his made his Test debut for Australia during 1964-65 series in the West Indies and made an immediate impact taking 18 wickets in the series. He also made a memorable home debut taking 5/90 in the first innings of the first Ashes Test in 1965.

For NSW, Philpott was not only a prodigious wicket taker but also a respected leader. He became captain for two seasons from 1963/64 and enjoyed all-rounder status scoring 153 against Queensland in his first game as skipper.

Later, he would spread his influence as coach of various clubs, states and countries across the world including NSW, South Australia, Yorkshire, Surrey, Manly, Mosman and Sri Lanka.

Richard Freudenstein, Cricket Australia Chair, said:

“Peter Philpott was more than just a wonderful cricketer, he was a man who had a rare enthusiasm for his craft, and for the game of cricket itself,” he said.

“As teacher and coach, Peter had the generosity and wisdom to share his knowledge across the globe and helped shape the careers of countless cricketers.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to Peter’s family and friends, and to all those whose lives he touched.

“With the deaths of Peter Philpott, Alan Davidson and Ashley Mallett, this has been an extraordinarily sad few days for Australian cricket.

“We share our thoughts with all those across the world who are both mourning the loss and celebrating the lives of three men who had such an uplifting influence on the game of cricket.”
 
There are just two ATG test spinners:

1) Muralitharan
2) Warne

In ODIs, there are four:

1) Saqlain
2) Muralitharan
3) Warne
4) Ajmal
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The first spinner to take 300 Test wickets &#55357;&#56399;<br><br>Happy birthday to West Indies legend and ICC Hall of Fame inductee, Lance Gibbs. <a href="https://t.co/8eJE4unEM1">pic.twitter.com/8eJE4unEM1</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1575485552475852802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Murali and Warne!

I'd dare say Murali is the GOAT. The definition of spin bowling. He would have been a treat to watch in T20Is!
 
1. Abdul Qadir - the daddy
2. Murali - daddy of offspin
3. Saqlain - daddy of doosra
4. Warne - less skill more psychological bowler
5. Mushy
 
Any list that includes Murali must include Ajmal too on merit because their actions were as clean as each other. Ajmal also passed tests like Murali did before the testing became stricter...

In reponse to the OP, his list is poor quality. Noone cares about cricketers from the 50's and 60's when the sport was played by plumbers so bowlers like Verity, O Reilly, Grimmett and co should not be anywhere near this list.

ATG spinners
Murali
Warne
Saqlain

Greats but not ATG
Qadir
Ajmal
Kumble
Vettori

Very good
Swann
Yasir
Ashwin
Herath
Mushy
Macgill
 
ATG - Warne, Murali

Great but not ATG - Kumble, Ashwin, Saqlain, Bedi, Chandra

Good but not great

Swann
Lyon
Qadir
Herath
Vettori
Harbhajan
Ajmal
 
Test ATGs: Muralitharan and Warne
ODI ATGs: Saqlain, Ajmal, Murali and Warne
T20 ATGs: Ajmal, Rashid and Narine

Ab Fan said:
ATG - Warne, Murali

Great but not ATG - Kumble, Ashwin, Saqlain, Bedi, Chandra

Good but not great

Swann
Lyon
Qadir
Herath
Vettori
Harbhajan
Ajmal
Click to expand...

Ashwin :))
 
Qadir? I’m pretty sure most of us posters can manage an away Test bowling average under 49.
 
Shane Warne is without a doubt the greatest spinner to have ever laced up a pair of boots.
 
Warne was the best I ever saw.

Underwood the best I saw from England, then Swann. People say Laker, though his figures were distorted by one match.
 
warne is the greatest spinner of all time.

murali would have had serious issues if he played in any era other than the one he did IMO.

all others are a lower level.

saqlain had the potential to be the best odi spinner of all time, didnt work out.

ashwin is the best spinner of his generation.
 
Hitman said:
Qadir? I’m pretty sure most of us posters can manage an away Test bowling average under 49.
Click to expand...

He was great for his day and a pioneer of leg spin bowling, surely he was the best leggie of his time and more than capable. Didn’t he inspire Warne?

My favourites’s of all time:

Warne
Mushi
Kumble
 
For test cricket nobody can surpass Warne and Murali
However in ODIs &t20 Ajmal can be considered
 
Kianig89 said:
For test cricket nobody can surpass Warne and Murali
However in ODIs &t20 Ajmal can be considered
Click to expand...

Saqlain too was a phenomenon in ODIs… I’d say Ajmal is definitely superior to Warne in ODIs and probably Murali too… its a shame he started playing internationally so late. He could have ended up a the best of all time!
 
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