| It is difficult to determine who the top exponents in | | | | Ashes Test-a delivery that pitched outside leg stump |
| any realm are subjectively, but much easier when | | | | and turned viciously to hit Gatting's unguarded |
| you use statistics. At the start of 2010, only five | | | | off-stump. The plump leggie became the first bowler |
| bowlers have taken five hundred wickets or more in | | | | to 700 Test wickets and ended his 145-match Test |
| Tests. Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan; | | | | career with 708 wickets at an average of 25.41. |
| Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne; Indian leg-spinner | | | | Anil Kumble |
| Anil Kumble; Australian pace bowler Glenn McGrath | | | | India's Anil Kumble was a spinner in name only, since |
| and West Indies legend Courtney Walsh are the | | | | he hardly ever spun the ball. He relied on slight |
| fabulous five. Whether it was guile, turn, bounce or | | | | variations to deceive batsmen, instead of gratuitous |
| pace, these bowlers posed problems for batsmen | | | | turn. The Indian leggie's bowling was always accurate |
| who faced them in their prime. | | | | and attacking, forcing the batsmen to play and |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | | | | increasing the chance of them making a mistake. |
| "Murali" is a controversial figure in cricket, particularly | | | | Kumble took 619 wickets from 132 matches at an |
| outside the subcontinent. His odd bent-arm action and | | | | average of 29.65. |
| high degree of straightening resulted in his being called | | | | Glenn McGrath |
| for throwing in international cricket. Although the | | | | In his prime, "Pigeon"-as he was affectionately known |
| cloud would always hang over his action, he is a wily | | | | by his teammates-was quick and accurate. In the |
| off-spinner who batsmen found difficult to pick. | | | | latter stages of his career, he lost his pace, but |
| Some of the best of Murali's era were forced to | | | | retained his metronomic accuracy. McGrath enjoyed |
| guess which way his deliveries turned and bounced. | | | | bowling to the best batsmen around and making |
| Turn, bounce and variations are his strengths. At the | | | | predictions about his performance. In the 2000 home |
| end of 2009, the Sri Lankan off-spinner plucked an | | | | series against the West Indies, he predicted that his |
| amazing 792 wickets from 132 matches at an | | | | first wickets would be Campbell, Lara and Adams-in |
| average of 22.71. He is likely to be the first bowler to | | | | that order. Amazingly, he actually took a hat |
| 800 Test wickets. | | | | trick-Campbell, Lara and Adams his victims. McGrath |
| Shane Warne | | | | took 563 Test victims from 124 matches at an |
| Nobody "warned" Mike Gatting and other batsmen | | | | average of 21.64-the lowest average of the top five |
| that Australia would have a champion bowler who | | | | wicket takers. Unsurprisingly, his bowling strike rate |
| redefined the art of leg-spin bowling. Shane Warne | | | | (51.9) is also the best among the top five as well. |
| bowled the ball of the century to Mike Gatting in an | | | | |