Top 10 Best Spin Bowlers of All Time

Muttiah Muralitharan, a legendary off-spinner for Sri Lanka, is unquestionably the best spinner in cricket history. During his career, he took 534 ODI and 800 Test wickets. Additionally, he set a record for the most 10-wicket hauls in Test cricket with 22. Additionally deserving of mention among the greatest spin bowlers of all time are former Australian spinner Shane Warne and Indian spinner Anil Kumble.

In cricket, the spin bowling method is frequently employed. Spin bowling’s primary goal is to bowl quickly in order to cause the ball to deviate from its usual straight path when it bounces on the pitch. The batsman will find it challenging to deliver a clean hit as a result. The speed at which the ball reaches the batsman is much slower with spin bowling than it is with fast bowling. The top 10 spin bowlers of all time have been compiled in order to recognize the importance of spin bowling in cricket.

Greatest Spin Bowlers of All Time | 2022 Updates

This type of bowling can be categorized into four groups based on the physical technique used: off-spin, left-arm orthodox spin, leg break, and left-arm unorthodox spin. The bowler may use either a dominant wrist motion or a finger motion, depending on their technique. Let’s look at it.

1. Muttiah Muralitharan

legendary right-arm off-break from Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitharan, a bowler, held the top spot among Test bowlers in the International Cricket Council’s player rankings for a record-breaking 1,711 days.

In addition, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack named him “the greatest Test match bowler ever” in 2002. In 113 test matches from 1992 to 2010, Muralitharan took 800 wickets in 230 innings, with his best bowling figures coming in an innings (9/51) and a single test match (16/220).

He has a test bowling average of 22.72 and a 2.47 economy rate. Additionally, in test cricket, Muralitharan took 10 wickets 22 times and 5 wickets 67 times. In 350 ODI games between 1993 and 2011, he also had 534 wickets, with a best ODI performance of 7/30.

In one-day international matches, Muralitharan has a bowling average of 23.08, an economy rate of 3.93, and 10 times he has taken five wickets. He is without a doubt deserving of being ranked first among all-time great spin bowlers.

2. Shane Warne

In the 1994 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, legendary retired Australian right-arm leg break bowler Shane Keith Warne was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

It’s interesting that the Australian captain Ricky Ponting referred to his departure from professional cricket as the “end of an era.” From 1992 to 2007, he played in 145 test matches, taking 708 wickets in 273 innings, with his best bowling performances coming in an innings (8/71) and a single test match (12/128).

His blowing average on the test is 25.41, and his economy rate is 2.65. Additionally, in test cricket, Warne took 10 wickets 10 times and 5 wickets 37 times. In 194 of the ODI games he participated in between 1993 and 2005, he also took 293 wickets and recorded his best ODI performance of 5/33.

In one-day international games, Warne has a bowling average of 25.73, an economy rate of 4.25, and one five-wicket performance. Without a doubt, Warne is one of the greatest spin bowlers of all time.

3. Anil Kumble

Anil Radhakrishna Kumble, a retired right-arm leg-break bowler and former captain of India’s cricket team, comes in second on the list of all-time greatest spin bowlers. In 1996, he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

Additionally, in February 2015, he became the fourth cricketer from India to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Anil played in 132 test matches between 1990 and 2008, taking 619 wickets in 236 innings. His best bowling performances came in an innings (10/74) and a single test match (14/149).

He has a test bowling average of 29.65 and a 2.69 economy rate. In test cricket, Kumble took 5 wickets 35 times and 10 wickets 8 times. He also had his best ODI performance of 6/12 and took 337 wickets in 271 ODI games between 1990 and 2007.

Kumble twice took five wickets in international limited overs games and has a bowling average of 30.89 with an economy rate of 4.30.

4. Saqlain Mushtaq

Pakistani retired right-arm off-break The “doosra” was created by bowler Saqlain Mushtaq, who is best known for it. In the history of One Day Internationals, he achieved 100 wickets the fastest of any bowler.

Out of 49 test matches he played in from 1995 to 2004, he took 208 wickets in 86 innings, with his best bowling figures coming in an innings (8/164) and a single test match (10/155). Additionally, he has a Test blowing average of 29.83 and a 2.64 economy rate.

In test cricket, Mushtaq took 5 wickets 13 times and 10 wickets 3 times. In addition, he had 169 ODI victories between 1995 and 2003, 288 wickets, and a best ODI score of 5/20.

In one-day international games, Saqlain has a bowling average of 21.78 and an economy rate of 4.29. He has also taken 5 wickets on 6 occasions. Saqlain deserves a spot among the greatest spin bowlers of all time because he consistently records one of the best bowling figures in tests.

5. Daniel Vettori

Daniel Luca Vettori, a legendary slow left-arm orthodox bowler for the New Zealand cricket team, is the eighth player in Test history to reach 3,000 runs scored and 300 wickets taken. Between 2007 and 2011, Vettori led the New Zealand team as its captain.

From 1997 to 2014, he played in 113 test matches, taking 362 wickets in 187 innings. His best bowling performances came in an innings (7/87) and a single test match (12/149).

His average in test bowling is 34.36, and his economy rate is 2.59. Additionally, in test cricket, Vettori took 5 wickets 20 times and 10 wickets 3 times. In addition, he recorded his best ODI performance of 5/7 while taking 296 wickets in 289 of the ODI games he participated in between 1997 and 2015.

In one-day international matches, Vettori has a bowling average of 31.90 and an economy rate of 4.11 in addition to twice taking 5 wickets. Vettori has established himself as one of the top 10 spin bowlers with one of the best ODI bowling performances.

6. Shahid Afridi

Right-arm leg spin in Pakistan The bowler Shahid Afridi, also known as “Boom Boom Afridi” by his supporters, has participated in the most ODI games of any Pakistani cricket player. It is well known that Afridi can throw a bouncer to batsmen, which is extremely uncommon for a spin bowler.

From 1998 to 2010, he played in 27 test matches, taking 48 wickets in 47 innings, with his best bowling figures being 5/52 in an innings and 5/43 in a single test match. Afridi deserves to be listed among the greatest spin bowlers of all time despite being one of the best all-around players in the world.

He has a 35.60 test bowling average and a 3.21 economy rate. In one test match, Afridi had five wickets. He also had a best ODI performance of 7/12 and took 393 wickets in 393 ODI games between 1996 and 2015.

In addition, Shahid Afridi took 5 wickets 9 times in international limited over games and has a bowling average of 34.21 with an economy rate of 4.62.

7. Harbhajan Singh

The second-most Test wickets by an off-spinner belong to Indian right-arm off-break bowler and former captain of IPL team Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan Singh Plaha. Additionally, he is the first bowler from India to record a hat-trick in Test cricket.

From 1998 to 2013, he played in 101 test matches, taking 413 wickets in 186 innings, with his best bowling performances coming in an innings (8/84) and a single test match (15/217).

He has a 32.37 test bowling average and a 2.83 economy rate. In test cricket, Harbhajan took 5 wickets 25 times and 10 wickets 5 times. In 229 ODI games between 1998 and 2011, he also picked up 259 wickets, posting a best ODI performance of 5/31.

In one-day international games, Harbhajan has a bowling average of 33.40, an economy rate of 4.30, and he has also taken five wickets three times. He is without a doubt deserving of his spot on the list of the greatest spin bowlers ever.

8. Abdul Qadir

Pakistani retiree right-arm leg spin According to Yahoo! Cricket, bowler Abdul Qadir is well known for having “mastered the googlies, the flippers, the leg-breaks, and the topspins.” Graham Gooch, a former captain of England, once remarked that “Qadir was even finer than Shane Warne.”

He played in 67 test matches between 1977 and 1990, taking 236 wickets in 111 innings. His best bowling performances came in an innings (9/56) and a single test match (13/101).

He has a 32.80 test bowling average and a 2.71 economy rate. Additionally, in test cricket, Abdul Qadir claimed 5 wickets 15 times and 10 wickets 5 times. In 104 ODI games he played between 1983 and 1993, he also had 132 wickets, with a best ODI performance of 5/44.

In one-day international matches, Qadir has a bowling average of 26.16 and an economy rate of 4.06 in addition to twice taking 5 wickets. He merits his place among the greatest spin bowlers ever for that reason.

9. Graeme Swann

English right-arm off-break retired Graeme Bowler Since Jim Laker, Peter Swann was the first English off-spinner to achieve that feat in the modern era. He is also credited with creating the original “flying saucer ball.”

In the 60 test matches he played in between 2008 and 2013, he took 255 wickets in 109 innings, with his best bowling figures coming in an innings (6/65) and a single test match (10/132). He has a 29.96 test bowling average and a 2.98 economy rate.

In test cricket, Graeme took 5 wickets 17 times and 10 wickets 3 times. In 79 ODI games between 2000 and 2013, he also had 104 wickets, with a best ODI performance of 5/28.

In one-day international games, Graeme Swann had a bowling average of 27.76, an economy rate of 4.54, and once he took 5 wickets. Swann, one of the top wicket-takers in ODI cricket, is deserving of his place among the all-time greatest spinners.

10. Rangana Herath

Rangana Herath, a former Sri Lankan spinner, played for his nation in all cricket formats. In addition, he led the group several times as captain. Herath is frequently referred to as one of the greatest left-arm bowlers to ever play cricket in addition to being one of the greatest spinners of all time.

He has taken 433 wickets in test cricket, the most of any left-arm spinner. He coached the Sri Lankan team from 1999 to 2018, winning several international competitions.

Herath participated in 93 test matches for his nation and claimed 433 wickets. In his Test career, he also claimed 5 and 10 wickets nine times each.

In addition, he took 74 wickets while playing for his nation in 71 ODI matches. He also participated in 17 T20 International games for Sri Lanka. 18 wickets were taken by him in T20 matches.

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