Who are the best spin and fast bowlers from Asia?

[Energetic]

Spin Bowlers

Ashwin
Herath
Yasir
Rehman
Shakib
Mendis
Jadeja
Mishra
Axar
Malik
etc.

Fast bowlers

Shami
Wahab
Rahat
Imran
B.Kumar
Kulkarni
Ishant
Mashrafe
Malinga
Lakmal
Mustafizur
Rubel
etc.

Forget formats. Right now, who is the best? and then how good are the Asian fast bowler and spinners in comparison to those outside Asia.

These things are important because it gives you a perspective on how teams can perform in certain countries or conditions. For example, will Pakistan do well when they tour England next year? in 2010, they couldn't. A lot has changed in Cricket since the 11 World Cup.

 

[WC-Passion]

Ashwin and Ishant

 

[Sam1]

Wahab Riaz and Ashwin for me. The Asian spinners are obviously generally a fair bit better than those outside of Asia right now, but a fair few of the pace bowlers would be average domestic bowlers outside Asia.

 

[Dios]

Pacer: Mustafizur by far

Spin: Toss up between Ashwin and Yasir (Ashwin overall when all formats considered) with Shakib not far behind.

 

[Belawal2014]

Overall, Ashwin and Wahab.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Pacers: A Toss up between Wahab, Ishant and Mustafizur

Spinners: Ashwin

 

[Sachin136]

I am a big fan of Shami and I think he is a very good bowler. So I would go with Shami just over Wahab. For a spinner it is Ashwin easily, especially if you are considering all formats. The Asian spinners (Yasir, Ashwin and Herath) are better than non-Asian spinners (the only good one outside Asia is Lyon in tests and Tahir in ODIs). But the fast bowlers aren't very good. However in terms of pace Wahab, Yadav and Aaron are up with with the best in the world.

 

[Sam1]

However in terms of pace Wahab, Yadav and Aaron are up with with the best in the world.

Only problem with that I guess is you need a lot more than pure pace to be a good bowler, something only Wahab of those 3 has really shown so far.

In Asia where there is generally a larger amount of better spinners than pacers there seems to be a trend towards picking a bowler for his pace rather than his complete bowling ability perhaps?

 

[Energetic]

Wahab Riaz and Ashwin for me. The Asian spinners are obviously generally a fair bit better than those outside of Asia right now, but a fair few of the pace bowlers would be average domestic bowlers outside Asia.

Fair bit? curious to know which spinners outside Asia come even close to the likes of Ashwin, Herath, Shakib, Yasir even Mendis.

These Asian spinners mentioned above are proper spinners. Same can't be said with those outside the subcontinent.

 

[Indian_Supporter]

Since OP did not mention the format we need to break it down. Likes of Mustafizur has great potential but has played only 1 test match. So cannot call him best seamer from Asia by far as [MENTION=137485]Dios[/MENTION] mentioned above.

Tests

Fast bowler:
1)Ishant
2)Wahab

Spinner:
1)Yasir
2)Ashwin

ODIs

Fast:
1)Mustafizur
2)Shami

Spin:
1)Ashwin
2)Shakib

 

[Aman]

Ashwin and Wahab.

 

[Suleiman]

Bhai how do you forget formats? What kind of comparison is that lmao. A bowler good in one format won't necessarily be good in another, e.g. Imran Khan II.

But if it had to be one from each (overall) then yeah like Aman says, Ashwin and Wahab.

Takay OP ka dil na tutay, I will say Taskin Ahmed is the most exciting new Asian pacer atm.

 

[Sam1]

Fair bit? curious to know which spinners outside Asia come even close to the likes of Ashwin, Herath, Shakib, Yasir even Mendis.

These Asian spinners mentioned above are proper spinners. Same can't be said with those outside the subcontinent.

Hence why I said they're a fair bit better... Bit confused why you felt the need to clarify what I'd already just said though?

 

[Slog]

Ashwin, Wahab is the only sensible choice here

 

[Buffet]

Ashwin, Wahab is the only sensible choice here

Why a bowler having 35-45 rank in both formats should be the sensible choice?

 

[wakkkLDN]

For me in terms of best pace bowler ide have to say: Riaz. This is due to the excitment factor his pace combined with his attacking lenghts and ofcourse the left arm angle.

Best spinner would be: yasir shah in tests. But Ashwin in limited overs.

 

[Dios]

Dammika Prasad is better than both Wahab and Ishant lol.

 

[SunTzu]

Why a bowler having 35-45 rank in both formats should be the sensible choice?

Are there other Asian pacers who rank better in odi and tests?

Shami is a good odi bowler but i can't remember any noteworthy test spells. Ishant had a really good Lords test but that's as much as i remember.

Dhammika is good in the tests, but not so sure about Odis. I think Wahab is the most consistent in both formats as if late.

 

[Pace90]

Ashwin and Wahab easily the best.

There could be a debate about the 2nd and 3rd.

Spinners: 2nd Herath 3rd Yasir
Pacer: 2nd Prasad and 3rd Shami ( when fit )

 

[Buffet]

Are there other Asian pacers who rank better in odi and tests?

Shami is a good odi bowler but i can't remember any noteworthy test spells. Ishant had a really good Lords test but that's as much as i remember.

Dhammika is good in the tests, but not so sure about Odis. I think Wahab is the most consistent in both formats as if late.

I didn't look at entire ranking but folks are making too much out of a bowler who is ranked 35-45 in both formats. Let's take a look at Asian pacers rankings,

ODI rankings of Asian pacers:

1. 12th - Irfan
2. 13th - Shami
3. 14th - Kumar
4. 19th - Mortaza
5. 23rd - Lakmal
6. 24th - Malinga
7. 30th - Mathews
8. 37th - Yadav
9. 41st - Riaz
10. 44th - Rubel
11. 45th - Rahman
12. 49th - Mohit
    
    

Test ranking of Asian Pacers:

1. 17th - Prasad
2. 20th - Ishant
3. 25th - Junaid
4. 32nd - Eranga
5. 33rd - Shami
6. 37th - Rahat
   [*]38th - Riaz
7. 46th - Yadav
8. 47th - Imran
9. 50th - Welegedara

So answer your question - Junaid and Shami are ranked above Wahab in both formats. Apart from that, Wahab and Yadav are close in both formats. Others are good in one but lacking in other format. I may have missed some name so some one else can correct this list.

So yah, not too much competition for Wahab but performance of Wahab hardly makes a strong case for him. When all said and done, he doesn't figure in the top 15-20 in any format. I won't call it the sensible choice and that's why asked the question. He could be a choice for sure but it's debatable. He is a one trick pony and I think it's hard for such bowlers to do too well in any format on consistent basis. Ranking simply shows the same outcome. Banging it short is his usual stock delivery.

 

[Fallen King]

The answer is the obvious here.

Wahab Riaz and untested in recent revamp bowling-action procedure to confirm legality of his bowling action, Ashwin.

 

[Sachin136]

Are there other Asian pacers who rank better in odi and tests?

Shami is a good odi bowler but i can't remember any noteworthy test spells. Ishant had a really good Lords test but that's as much as i remember.

Dhammika is good in the tests, but not so sure about Odis. I think Wahab is the most consistent in both formats as if late.

Reverse swing spells against West Indies?

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Meh.

These kind of threads only make sense when there is enough competition.

What are the options we have?

Dammika, Ishant, Wahab, Ashwin and Yasir.

And when you consider both formats, the options narrow down to Wahab and Ashwin only.

LOL.

While we are at it, why not have the best AR in Test cricket thread now?

 

[CricketCartoons]

Mustafizur and Herath are a step above all other bowlers.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Yeah forgot Mustafizur.

Best ODI bowler from Asia.

 

[Asadullah]

Tests

Herath, Shami (swing, pace, reverse, height)

ODIs

Ashwin, Malinga

 

[Asadullah]

Meh.

These kind of threads only make sense when there is enough competition.

What are the options we have?

Dammika, Ishant, Wahab, Ashwin and Yasir.

And when you consider both formats, the options narrow down to Wahab and Ashwin only.

LOL.

While we are at it, why not have the best AR in Test cricket thread now?

Thats got to be Binny, hands down

 

[Zak_Fan]

My picks -

Test : Ashwin, Yasir, Herath, Ishant, Prasad

ODIs : Shami, Mutszafir, Ashwin

 

[Pace90]

Mustafizur and Herath are a step above all other bowlers.

Herath is a contender, but who's Mustafizur ?

 

[hussain.r97]

Overall, Ashwin and Wahab.

 

[Zak_Fan]

Herath is a contender, but who's Mustafizur ?

A 20 year old kid with this record. Performed on pitches where the likes of Wahab looked ordinary.



It is still a young career, but I find him very exciting.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Herath hands down in tests. Ashwin the best of the ODI spinners and slightly below Herath in tests and at par with Shah.


As for quickies, there's hardly much separating them. Wahab has few great spells of like what 2-3 wickets to his name and thats about it, he's crap 7/10 games mostly. Mushtafiqur is new so i can't judge him yet. Ishant is also like Wahab, some legendary spells but not much for most of the times.

A fit Mo Shami was the best of them.

 

[ExplicitAI]

Wahab and Yasir

 

[Cricfan4eva]

Why a bowler having 35-45 rank in both formats should be the sensible choice?

His spell vs Watson. Come on! That should make him a reliable choice till Amir comes back, who then automatically becomes the best Asian pacer because Wasim said Amir was more talented than he ever was.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

You have to dig in deep and go beyond basic stats to judge stuff here.

There is a difference between historical performance and CURRENT performance.

1. Herath was a beast at his peak but now he has declined which was why he was easily outbowled by 2 other spinners at home.

2. For pacers, Wahab and Dammika have impressed me in recent times (Ishant is incredible as usual so no need to talk about him). Its not just Wahab's spell to Watson (which has been done to death in PP) but also how he performed in England test series in UAE. He was the one who broke England's back on those UAE pitches when England was starting to look good in the 2nd test (that spell was crazy good). Successful WC 2015, England test in UAE and some decent games in ODI series does make him the best of the lot when you consider both formats (he isn't the most consistent but this is amongst Asian pacers where there isn't much competition to start with).

3. Shami is class in ODIs. Till WC, he was picking up a lot of cheap wickets but in WC, he picked up top order wickets too which led him to be rated. But in tests, after the WI series start and to a certain extent SA and NZ series, he hasn't been all that great. I watched England and Aus tours a lot and I felt Shami was garbage most of the times. Got a few wickets in Aus due to batsmen slogging in the end. While he has a LOT of potential, he is a mixed bag when it comes to all formats (as of now). Will improve hopefully.

4. Mustafizur has been legendary in the 2 ODI series he played. Blew away India and SA which is no mean task. In tests too, he troubled SA but due to low sample set, he misses out. I am seriously interested to see this guy's development. Is he the latest fad or is he the real deal.

 

[Slog]

Why a bowler having 35-45 rank in both formats should be the sensible choice?

A) lack of other options. No one is particularly doing tremendously well either as you point out

B) compared to other fast bowlers he has more game changing spells in the last few months. One against England and one in the Bangla test which changed the nature of the match. Few on ODIs. Others not really regardless oft where they are ranked at

 

[rooster]

Funny how Wahab becomes a sensible decision for a lot. In fact Ishant has won a lot more matches than Wahab did for Pakistan.

Fact is there's isn't a bowler who's consistent enough in Asia in both formats. So let's find who's best in each formats.

I'll choose one from each team who I think influenced results.

In Tests:

For Pakistan - Wahab
For India - Ishant
For Sri Lanka - Prasad
For Bangladesh - there isn't anyone who's good enough in tests.

All three have pretty similar records. So I have to go with the rankings and Prasad wins that.

ODIs:

For Pakistan - Wahab has been a step above everyone in LOIs.

For India - With Dhoni in charge, India hardly put onus on pacers. Spinners play major roles even in alien conditions.

For Sri Lanka - Malinga has been the only decent pacer others are too inconsistent either in performance or fitness.

For Bangladesh - Mustafizur has leaped above all in Bangladesh in LOIs.

So it's basically between Malinga, Wahab and Mustafizur. Malinga couldn't stop SL from losing a few series in the last couple of years which is the same with Wahab whereas Mustafizur helped Bangladesh in winning quite a few historic series. So I has to be Mustafizur.

Wahab might be the only pacer who is first choice in both formats right now which might have influenced quite a few decisions here but labeling him best doesn't bode well for others who have fared well in other formats separately.

 

[BigBoy123]

Ashwin and Wahab...
Yasir is close but ashwin is a better all round spinner and he performs both in odis and test's

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[Zak_Fan]

You have to dig in deep and go beyond basic stats to judge stuff here.

There is a difference between historical performance and CURRENT performance.

1. Herath was a beast at his peak but now he has declined which was why he was easily outbowled by 2 other spinners at home.

2. For pacers, Wahab and Dammika have impressed me in recent times (Ishant is incredible as usual so no need to talk about him). Its not just Wahab's spell to Watson (which has been done to death in PP) but also how he performed in England test series in UAE. He was the one who broke England's back on those UAE pitches when England was starting to look good in the 2nd test (that spell was crazy good). Successful WC 2015, England test in UAE and some decent games in ODI series does make him the best of the lot when you consider both formats (he isn't the most consistent but this is amongst Asian pacers where there isn't much competition to start with).

3. Shami is class in ODIs. Till WC, he was picking up a lot of cheap wickets but in WC, he picked up top order wickets too which led him to be rated. But in tests, after the WI series start and to a certain extent SA and NZ series, he hasn't been all that great. I watched England and Aus tours a lot and I felt Shami was garbage most of the times. Got a few wickets in Aus due to batsmen slogging in the end. While he has a LOT of potential, he is a mixed bag when it comes to all formats (as of now). Will improve hopefully.

Do you realize that most of Wahab's wickets in the WC were tailenders? Yet you rated him very high.

Why call Shami's wickets cheap then? Ishant has been way ahead of Wahab as a Test pacer, yet you chose to highlight his name like you were mocking him.

I know its a Pakistani website and praising Pakistani players is important to keep a "fair and balanced" reputation, but don't you think you are sometimes a little too harsh on Indian players?

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Do you realize that most of Wahab's wickets in the WC were tailenders? Yet you rated him very high.

Why call Shami's wickets cheap then? Ishant has been way ahead of Wahab as a Test pacer, yet you chose to highlight his name like you were mocking him.

I know its a Pakistani website and praising Pakistani players is important to keep a "fair and balanced" reputation, but don't you think you are sometimes a little too harsh on Indian players?

What?

1. I rate Ishant big time. No 2 ways about it.

2. Did I call Wahab as a better ODI pacer than Shami? No. I was talking about Wahab overall (Tests + ODI). That too in current scenario and not historically speaking.

3. I was just paraphrasing every major pacer's performance. The point about Shami was that he was a wicket taker even before WC but in WC, due to impactful wickets he got rated. Wahab did have a huge role to play in Pak's WC campaign impact wise even before the SF and in SF, he gave a great performance. He got a lot of recognition for his performances by all (and not just Pak fans). Doesn't mean he is better than Shami the ODI bowler.

With all being said, I genuinely appreciate your approach in stating your views and asking me directly rather than some people who are too coward to take me on in a regular debate and call me a brown noser from behind.

You want me to list out all the things I have been critical of Pakistan? I will do it right here and proof is there in past threads.

Point is whatever my views, there is a strong logical reason with meaningful perception behind it which is why I can defend my views with effortless ease. If someone presents a very solid counter point, I have no qualms in changing my views.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

^I meant QF and not SF

 

[Pantani]

In Tests -

Seam: Dhammika Prasad
Spin: Yasir Shah

In ODIs -

Seam: Mustafizur
Spin: R. Ashwin

 

[Zak_Fan]

What?

1. I rate Ishant big time. No 2 ways about it.

2. Did I call Wahab as a better ODI pacer than Shami? No. I was talking about Wahab overall (Tests + ODI). That too in current scenario and not historically speaking.

3. I was just paraphrasing every major pacer's performance. The point about Shami was that he was a wicket taker even before WC but in WC, due to impactful wickets he got rated. Wahab did have a huge role to play in Pak's WC campaign impact wise even before the SF and in SF, he gave a great performance. He got a lot of recognition for his performances by all (and not just Pak fans). Doesn't mean he is better than Shami the ODI bowler.

With all being said, I genuinely appreciate your approach in stating your views and asking me directly rather than some people who are too coward to take me on in a regular debate and call me a brown noser from behind.

You want me to list out all the things I have been critical of Pakistan? I will do it right here and proof is there in past threads.

Point is whatever my views, there is a strong logical reason with meaningful perception behind it which is why I can defend my views with effortless ease. If someone presents a very solid counter point, I have no qualms in changing my views.

I don't know man. Whenever I hear you praise Ishant, it comes across as if you are mocking him. Why i felt that... dunno.. must be your legendary signature or some past threads.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I don't know man. Whenever I hear you praise Ishant, it comes across as if you are mocking him. Why i felt that... dunno.. must be your legendary signature or some past threads.

Its a place where the real meets surreal. No Smoking movie style.

Its your job to separate the two and find out what's what.

 

[SunTzu]

I didn't look at entire ranking but folks are making too much out of a bowler who is ranked 35-45 in both formats. Let's take a look at Asian pacers rankings,

ODI rankings of Asian pacers:

1. 12th - Irfan
2. 13th - Shami
3. 14th - Kumar
4. 19th - Mortaza
5. 23rd - Lakmal
6. 24th - Malinga
7. 30th - Mathews
8. 37th - Yadav
9. 41st - Riaz
10. 44th - Rubel
11. 45th - Rahman
12. 49th - Mohit
    
    

Test ranking of Asian Pacers:

1. 17th - Prasad
2. 20th - Ishant
3. 25th - Junaid
4. 32nd - Eranga
5. 33rd - Shami
6. 37th - Rahat
   [*]38th - Riaz
7. 46th - Yadav
8. 47th - Imran
9. 50th - Welegedara

So answer your question - Junaid and Shami are ranked above Wahab in both formats. Apart from that, Wahab and Yadav are close in both formats. Others are good in one but lacking in other format. I may have missed some name so some one else can correct this list.

So yah, not too much competition for Wahab but performance of Wahab hardly makes a strong case for him. When all said and done, he doesn't figure in the top 15-20 in any format. I won't call it the sensible choice and that's why asked the question. He could be a choice for sure but it's debatable. He is a one trick pony and I think it's hard for such bowlers to do too well in any format on consistent basis. Ranking simply shows the same outcome. Banging it short is his usual stock delivery.

Thanks for your detailed response Based rankings Junaid and Shami are better. But I don't think Junaid is anywhere near as good as he used to be. Shami appears to be forever injured, I don't even know how. He doesn't even bowl that fast! Wahab leaks runs for sure, but you can see his passion and that's what you want to see as a fan. He comes good every now and again.

You haven't told us your thoughts on who you rate as best? Curious to know.

 

[Slog]

It's fairly ironic to see some posters who put down rankings at every point now invoking it as gospel to put Wahab down.

Fact is all these subcontinent a pacers have mediocre rankings. If you're not in top15 you haven't been doing anything special consistently so to determine the better option I just wouldn't pick no.25 over no.30 because of their ranking.

Wahab has been average overall but he has more game changing spells in my opinion which may have yielded only a couple of wickets but have played a part in turning the match on its head. However stats will not reflect that

 

[rooster]

It's fairly ironic to see some posters who put down rankings at every point now invoking it as gospel to put Wahab down.

Fact is all these subcontinent a pacers have mediocre rankings. If you're not in top15 you haven't been doing anything special consistently so to determine the better option I just wouldn't pick no.25 over no.30 because of their ranking.

Wahab has been average overall but he has more game changing spells in my opinion which may have yielded only a couple of wickets but have played a part in turning the match on its head. However stats will not reflect that

Wahab hasn't done anything in ODIs. Mustafizur has helped Bangladesh win 2 series against top teams. Even though his career is very short his influence was too much to ignore. There isn't a single bowler who is best in both formats right now.

Wahab has the chance to be the best in Asia with the overseas tours coming up. Let's see how it pans out.

 

[Slog]

Wahab hasn't done anything in ODIs. Mustafizur has helped Bangladesh win 2 series against top teams. Even though his career is very short his influence was too much to ignore. There isn't a single bowler who is best in both formats right now.

Wahab has the chance to be the best in Asia with the overseas tours coming up. Let's see how it pans out.

I picked Wahab and Ashwin keeping all formats in mind.
if it was just for particular formats then Yasir was in with a shout in tests and same for a few pacers in all formats

 

[Buffet]

Thanks for your detailed response Based rankings Junaid and Shami are better. But I don't think Junaid is anywhere near as good as he used to be. Shami appears to be forever injured, I don't even know how. He doesn't even bowl that fast! Wahab leaks runs for sure, but you can see his passion and that's what you want to see as a fan. He comes good every now and again.

You haven't told us your thoughts on who you rate as best? Curious to know.

Junaid is surely not in picture despite being higher in ranking. Simply because his rankings are due to his past exploits and he has declined.

I will take Shami as the best ODI bowler from Asia. I would have gone with Irfan, but he can't even bowl 10 overs without huffing and puffing. The new guy from BD has played very little so I will wait on him.

In the Test format, Prasad and Ishant. Both have bowled many good spells despite not being consistently good. I will pick Prasad here.

Now, taking both formats - there are just two contenders to be honest. Shami and Wahab. Shami is a much better bowler than Wahab in one format and they are around the same level in the other format. So you could go with Shami, but Wahab is doing well in the last few matches. Over all , it's a toss up between these two. A very sad picture for pacers in Asia given that Pakistan used to always have some world class pacers. In my opinion - there is no standout pacer in Asia right now. Not talking about being one of the best in world, but simply being the standout among Asian pacers.

That's why I didn't name anyone in my earlier post.

 

[New Yorker]

It's fairly ironic to see some posters who put down rankings at every point now invoking it as gospel to put Wahab down.

Fact is all these subcontinent a pacers have mediocre rankings. If you're not in top15 you haven't been doing anything special consistently so to determine the better option I just wouldn't pick no.25 over no.30 because of their ranking.

Wahab has been average overall but he has more game changing spells in my opinion which may have yielded only a couple of wickets but have played a part in turning the match on its head. However stats will not reflect that

How many spells? His best one, against Watson in the WC, didn't win the game; didn't even buy him a wicket. Then there's the latest feat in the UAE, broke the English back and all that. But Shami and Ishant and Prasad have also bowled superb match winning spells, taking bundles more wickets. The difference is not Wahab's impact on the game but the fact that pure pace excites; we remember his spells more vividly.

 

[Zak_Fan]

It appears that Pakistani posters here selectively remember only Wahab's game changing spells to prove a point. That guy is a mediocre bowler in both formats, it is a truth that cannot be hidden.

 

[AlizeeFan]

In last few months all Asian teams have been playing tests matches.

Ashwin hasn't been in great form off late, but he has picked wickets consistently.

Herath was negated easily by Indian team, but he showed in first test against Pak that he is a match winner.

Yasir has been picking wickets, but just like Ashwin he has been averaging on high side.

Shakib has been best spinner from Bangladesh.

Shami has been good for India in last few series. Right now he seems to be best pacer from Asia. Although none of Asian pacers have much to show.