Jan 1

Jan 1 The Greatest Off-Spinners of all-time

The 6 Best Off–Spinners in the history of Cricket

Off-spin bowling is no less than an art in the game of cricket. The new varieties and innovations of modern-day off-spinners make life complicated for batsmen, especially in test cricket.

These types of spinners have grown steadily, with the shift and diversity in the game, responding to a new wave of creative shots and improved footwork from batsmen.

There have been many great off-spinners that have graced the game over the years. Many of them have completely changed the way we look at finger spinners. They are considered as a wicket-taking option nowadays, unlike in years gone by when they were often asked to simply ‘hold an end up’.

The Different Types of Off Spinner

Over the years there have been off-spinners who have been quite cunning with the ball with a number of weapons.

Tantalizing flight, inviting loop, straighter ones, drifters, shades of deviation that come with the breadth and depth of the crease, change of pace, and, finally, those curious innovations called the “Doosra” and “Teesra”. Incredibly, the off-spinners are right up there as some of the best wicket-takers in Test history.

We have more often seen the off-spinners come up with a new kind of delivery. They know their strengths and weaknesses perfectly.

With the introduction of limited-overs cricket, it was expected that the spinners, especially off-spinners will have a very tormenting time. However, that was not the case, they adapted aptly to the changes and have become a force to reckon with in the shorter formats too.

In this article, we have compiled a list of the 6 all-time best off-spinners in the history of cricket:

Muttiah Muralitharan: Srilanka

Muttiah Muralitharan is the greatest spinner to have ever played.

A unique off-spinner, he used his wrist to turn the ball sharply making him the first wrist-spinning off-spinner in the history of cricket.

A few years into his international career, Murali added the famous “doosra” to his repertoire. The doosra combined with an ability to turn the ball prodigiously made him a very difficult bowler to face on any surface under any playing conditions.

His bowling action was under scrutiny many times and was criticized for being a chucker many times. However, the bowling test cleared his bowling actions.

A Masterclass from Murali.

Muttiah Muralitharan is the all-time highest wicket-taker in Test cricket as well as ODI cricket. He registered his 800th and also his final wicket off the final delivery of his career. He is also the fastest to reach 400 and 500 Test wickets.

Murali has a 10 wicket haul against every Test-playing nation. Overall, this spin bowling giant finished with 800 Test wickets and 534 ODI wickets at an average of 22.72 and 23.08 respectively.

Jim Laker: England

Born in Bradford, England, Jim Laker was an elegant off-spinner.

He formed a good partnership with left-arm spinner Tony Lock and troubled the Australians greatly.

James “Jim” Charles Laker achieved an unimaginable feat that other bowlers could only fantasize about. Laker became the first player to take all 10 wickets in a Test match innings.

In 1956, he took 10 for 53 in the 2nd innings of the 4th Ashes Test at Old Trafford against Australia (the only other bowler to take all 10 wickets is Anil Kumble of India in 1999) and finished the match with 19 wickets.

Laker’s 46 wickets in the 1956 five-test Ashes series is an unbroken record in Ashes history.

In 46 Test matches, he took 193 wickets with an astounding 21.24 average.

His first-class record was also marvellous. He played County cricket for Surrey and Essex and took 1,944 wickets at an average of 18.41. In 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Saqlain Mushtaq: Pakistan

Saqlain Mushtaq is the most innovative off-spinner the cricketing world has ever seen.

Initially coached by his elder brother, he pioneered the famous delivery “Doosra,” having learned it by playing on the rooftop of his home, like so many other cricket-mad Pakistanis.

Later on, Saqlain also invented another variety of off-spin bowling, the "Teesra". He mastered both deliveries to such an extent that it became very difficult for the batsmen to read him. Thus, becoming his main wicket-taking balls.

His international career had a great start. Saqlain became the fastest bowler to reach 100 ODI wickets. He was as aggressive as a bowler and bowled at the death overs for Pakistan in ODIs.

His Test record is also equally impressive. Mushtaq’s most famous performance came against arch-rivals India at Chennai in 1999 when his spell of 10 for 187 ensured Pakistan a famous victory.

Saqlain played 49 Test matches for Pakistan after making his debut in 1995 against Sri Lanka in Peshawar. He finished his career with 208 wickets at an average of 29.83 which included 13 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten-wicket hauls.

While he featured in 169 ODIs for the greens, registered 288 wickets to his name with a staggering average of 21.78.

Saeed Ajmal: Pakistan

Saeed Ajmal made a very late entry into international cricket.

He made his ODI debut at the age of 31 against the bitter rivals India. However, his late entrance did not stop him from becoming one of the leading modern-day off-spinners.

Known as ‘the magician’ by his fans, his dominance over the batsman began in 2011. He destroyed the best batting line-ups single-handedly.

He had mastered the Doosra and had immense control over his bowling. In supportive conditions, Ajmal was a tormentor of the batsman with an unreadable doosra.

Saeed Ajmal is the quickest to reach 100 Test wickets for Pakistan. Unfortunately, his action was also taken under scrutiny several times, but he was green signalled by ICC after some check tests.

His career stats are very impressive. He played just 35 Test for Pakistan and has 178 dismissals to his name with a stupefying average of 28.10. In ODIs, he has taken 184 wickets in 113 matches. And, in T20Is Ajmal has 85 wickets in 64 matches at a stunning average of 17.83.

Ravichandran Ashwin: India

Ravichandran Ashwin can be regarded as the best off-spinner in the world at present.

He has handled the responsibility of leading India’s spin attack very well.

An opening batsman initially, Ashwin took to off-spin on the suggestions of his coach. He was brought to the attention due to IPL. The downfall of Harbhajan Singh had left a void in the spin bowling department, but Ashwin managed to take up that responsibility.

Ashwin took his 100th Test wicket in his 18th Test, becoming the fastest Indian to reach 100 Test wickets and the fastest in the world in over 80 years.

Ravichandran Ashwin is only 77* Tests old but already has 401 wickets with an unnerving average of 24.95 which include 30 five-wicket hauls and 7 ten-wicket hauls.

He has represented India in 111 ODIs and has taken 150 wickets. He has a variety of deliveries which makes him a very economical T20 bowler as well.

Ashwin has taken 52 wickets in the 46 T20I he has played for India. Apart from being an outstanding bowler, he has also earned the reputation of a bowling all-rounder and has 5 Test centuries and 12 half-centuries to his name.

Graeme Swann: England

An attacking spinner with flight, bounce, and variations of pace, Swann looks likely to be regarded as the most eminent off-spinner England has produced since Jim Laker.

His arm-ball and ‘flying saucer delivery’ were potent weapons and he always preferred to attack regardless of the situation, always keen on picking up wickets.

After his ODI debut in 2000 against South Africa, he has nourished himself to the best of his abilities under some of the great and modern English skippers like Nasser Hussain, Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff, Andrew Strauss, and Alastair Cook.

Following his Test debut in 2008, Graeme Swann's rise to the pinnacle of spin bowling has been mercurial. Despite not being the biggest turner of the ball, his ability to loop and drift it made the now-retired Swann a difficult bowler to tackle.

During the ICC World T20 event in 2010, Swann was the stand-out bowler for England, helping his country take home its first-ever ICC trophy.

Later, in 2011, the off-spinner was handed England's T20 captaincy for their series against the West Indies, after the then-captain Stuart Broad's niggling shoulder injury sidelined him for quite a while. He contributed heavily with a handy tally of wickets against India in England's historic tour of 2012 which they won 2-1.

An elbow surgery early in 2013 kept Swann out of action for a while, but he came back with strong numbers in England's 3-0 Ashes win at home.

Graeme Swann has registered 255 wickets (with an average of 29.96) in 60 Tests, 104 wickets in 79 ODIs, and 51 wickets in 39 T20Is with a breathtaking average of 16.84 under his name.

Decisive Verdict on the Best Off-Spinners of All Time:

I think selecting the top 6 among the hundreds was nearly impossible for me. But I have to do justice to the best ones who have graced this gentlemen's game with their off-spin magic.

It is also worth noting that in the modern era, both wrist and finger spinners have taken many more wickets due to the DRS system and the benefits it brings to bowlers who harass the batsmen pads looking for LBW.

Off-spinners like Erapalli Parasana, Sonny Ramadhin, Hugh Tayfield, Tauseef Ahmed, Johan Botha, Harbhajan Singh, and Nathan Lyon are also not far behind during their peaks. After all, it is off-spin bowling that makes cricket one of the best and most colourful games of the modern era.

Many youngsters like Dominic Bess, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mehidy Hassan, etc. have taken inspiration from these greats, and many more will do the same.

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