| In cricket's battle of willow and leather, some bowlers | | | | batsmen to pick. |
| rely on pace or swing to achieve their objectives. | | | | Shane Warne |
| Spin bowlers rely on flight, bounce and turn- allied | | | | Shane Warne never suffered on-field legitimacy |
| with ample guile- to outfox batsmen. Fast men | | | | issues. Australia's best spinner was also the best |
| normally dominated the wickets list before great | | | | exponent of leg break/googly bowling that the world |
| spinners like Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan | | | | has ever seen. Warne could even bowl a dangerous |
| mastered the difficult craft. | | | | flipper that often outfoxed batsmen who played for |
| The difficulty in mastering spin bowling makes it | | | | turn. The variety he bowled with complemented an |
| easier to identify the best spin bowlers in cricket | | | | acute cricket brain that allowed Warne to outwit |
| history- most of whom are from the Asian | | | | batsmen or even buy their wickets cheaply. |
| sub-continent. However, it is important to use | | | | Warne was the third fastest bowler to 500 wickets |
| relevant and objective criteria to identify the best | | | | and the first to reach the 700-wicket mark. Cricket |
| spin bowlers in cricket's long history. These criteria | | | | experts feel that he could have been the first to |
| include: | | | | break the 800-mark if he had continued. As a true |
| Variation: The best spin bowlers have variations to | | | | champion, Warne retired from international cricket at |
| keep batsmen guessing | | | | the top of his game- even at age 37. Many cricket |
| A good career average: Below 30.00 for spin bowlers | | | | pundits consider Warne to be the best bowler ever- |
| Number of matches/ number of wickets: The best | | | | beyond the realm of spin bowling. |
| spin bowlers should have either at least 50 Tests or | | | | Anil Kumble |
| 300 Test wickets (not necessarily both) | | | | India's premier spin bowler was hardly a prodigious |
| Bowling strike rate: Spin requires a bit of patience but | | | | spinner of the ball. However, his variations in flight and |
| the best can take a wicket every 70 balls or less | | | | turn helped him to scalp over 600 Test wickets in his |
| These criteria rule out some very good spinners from | | | | career. That Kumble is third in the all-time Test |
| different eras like Danish Kaneria, Bishen Singh Bedi, | | | | wicket-takers list, illustrates why cricket followers |
| Lance Gibbs, Abdul Qadir, Clarrie Grimmett and Richie | | | | regard him as one of the best bowlers of all time- |
| Benaud. Even with these notable omissions, four | | | | not merely one of the best spinners. He bowled a |
| spinners easily satisfied all criteria. These spin bowlers- | | | | fierce arm-ball that troubled batsmen- especially on |
| who devastated many batting line-ups- include: | | | | wearing surfaces. Kumble is also one of the few |
| Muttiah Muralitharan (Off break/Sri Lanka) | | | | bowlers to take all 10 wickets in an innings- against |
| Shane Warne (Leg break/Australia) | | | | Pakistan at Delhi in 1999. |
| Anil Kumble (Leg break/India) second fastest to 500 | | | | Bhagwath Chandrasekhar |
| wickets | | | | Before Anil Kumble, Indian's exponent of leg break |
| Bhagwath Chandrasekhar (Leg break/India) | | | | bowling was Bhagwath Chandrasekhar. Kumble |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | | | | actually idolised Chandrasekhar, who was actually the |
| At the time of writing (July 2009), Muttiah | | | | most successful of India's famous four spinners of |
| Muralitharan is by far the best spinner statistically. | | | | the 60s and 70s. Although, he did not take 300 Test |
| However, doubts and controversy over his unique | | | | wickets (242 wickets at 29.74) he qualifies by having |
| bowling action meant that cricket pundits did not | | | | played 58 Tests and being able to bow exceptionally |
| unanimously declare him the best spinner of all time. | | | | in unfamiliar conditions. Cricket observers noted that |
| With 770 wickets from 127 Tests, Muralitharan has | | | | Chandrasekhar was often erratic but was capable of |
| the best strike rate ever for a spin-bowler. Even | | | | consistently bowling virtually unplayable deliveries. |
| West Indies batting superstar, Brian Lara, rated | | | | It is interesting that leg break bowlers dominate the |
| Muralitharan as the best spin bowler that he ever | | | | list of best spinners- perhaps because 'leggies' are |
| faced. | | | | mystery bowlers. Two spinners, who are not leg |
| Few batsmen ever got on top of Murali. Even those | | | | spinners and were active in 2009, have the chance to |
| that did hardly did so consistently (other than Lara). | | | | break through as one of the best spinners. Daniel |
| Muralitharan was a threat in all conditions- even the | | | | Vettori from New Zealand is the best slow left arm |
| seam-friendly conditions of England. His turn was so | | | | spinner to have played the game. Harbhajan Singh |
| prodigious that he could almost turn the ball square- | | | | from India is also a genuine match-winner with his |
| particularly in helpful conditions. Murali's variations | | | | off-spin. Spin may be a difficult art, but its exponents |
| included the doosra and straight delivery- a complete | | | | have spun themselves to the top of the list of |
| off-spinning arsenal that made him difficult for top | | | | all-time Test wicket takers. |