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. Check out the 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. To honor the contribution of spin bowling in cricket, we have compiled a list of the top 10 best spin bowlers of all time.
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.
Here is the list of the Top 10 Best Spin Bowlers of All Time:
10. Muttiah Muralitharan
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.
9. 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.”
8. Anil Kumble
Next on the list of best spin bowlers of all time, 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.
7. 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.
6. 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.
5. Shahid Afridi
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.
4. Harbhajan Singh
Indian Right-arm off-break bowler and former captain of IPL team Mumbai Indians Harbhajan Singh Plaha has 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.
3. 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.”
2. 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.”
1. Rangana Herath
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.