Top 10 Best Cricket Spin Bowlers of All Time

The Top Ten
1 Shane Warne (Australia) Shane Keith Warne was an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer who captained the Australian national team

More than a spin bowler, he could single-handedly save the game on his own. I have never seen a spin bowler who is so dominant since. Murali took more wickets in total, but Warne was more of a match winner than Murali. The more Warne bowled, the better he became, whereas with Murali, a good batsman could handle him provided he survived the early stages of his bowling. With Warne, the opposite was true. Such mental power with this guy. I'm glad I watched him throughout his career. For me, he is the best and most interesting bowler to watch (that's just me. Some people may differ on this).

2 Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)

Statistics don't lie - 800 Test match wickets at an average of 22.72. This record is not only breathtaking in terms of cricketing achievements but also in terms of sport as a whole. Though some may say that he took the majority of his wickets on pitches that were remarkably dry and turned more than any other pitches in the world, there is no doubt that his phenomenal accuracy and stunning variation of off-spin bowling redefined and completely redeveloped the way that spin bowling is seen today.

Muralitharan also resurrected the art of spin bowling (along with Shane Warne) and turned it into a mystery that had been initially dying out, having become a predictable and dull aspect of cricket. For me, even though he was often satisfied to let the captain of his team set a field for him, and would often make no contribution to the placing of the men around the bat, his constant ability to unravel and outwit the greatest and most stubborn of batsmen was spectacular on just about every level.

Finally, I cannot understand why people complain about the bent arm in his action. Ultimately, he bowls like that because he cannot bowl any other way. And let's face it, without Murali, Test cricket would just not be the same. Furthermore, without the bent arm, the doosra (a ball known to have completely deceived great players) would never have been discovered.

3 Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan)

Now, cricket has changed significantly from the past due to ICC changing rules, which mostly affects the bowlers, so the bowlers wanted to contain. The specialty of Ajmal is that he contained the runs and, at the same time, took wickets too, which is a unique thing. He is an attacking cricketer, and the best thing about his personality is that he is a man full of sportsmanship and always ready for challenges. According to me and many others, he is the current best spinner of the world and surely one of the best when it comes to all-time best.

4 Anil Kumble (India)

Though not a big turner of the ball, his accuracy and variations troubled the batsmen. He is a master of all those variations which a leggie would like to master. According to me, one of the best spinners ever.

If Warne deserves the 1st position, then obviously Kumble deserves the 2nd one. Because he was a more consistent bowler than Ajmal and Murali. Yes, Murali is the highest wicket-taker, but if you compare both of them, trust me, Kumble will win the battle all over the world. Although Murali is best in the 3rd position.

5 Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

He is a good bowler, especially when a crucial time comes. He spins well. I think he should play more test matches, as it will improve him. He should practice more white-ball cricket and stop playing in the IPL because they are dumb. So, he should play more Test and ODI matches, which will help in crucial situations in all three formats.

In the year 2016-2017, he took the most wickets against

1. Australia
2. England
3. New Zealand
4. West Indies

He even beat Murali Dev's record. His carom ball is awesome. But sadly, he did not play in IPL 2017.

6 Daniel Vettori (New Zealand)

The best spin bowler NZ has ever produced. He was the number 1 off-spinner in the world when he was playing.

A true great. Good with the bat as well.

Amazing spin bowling, and his fielding is unbelievable. Daniel Vettori.

7 Wasim Akhram (Pakistan)

Wasim Akram was a swing master and king. No player in the world liked him... He is the master.

8 Yasir Shah (Pakistan)

Yasir Shah is really a great leg spinner, the heart of Pakistan. He is 30 years old. If he were 22 or 20 years old in 2016, he could have played more matches for Pakistan. But we are proud of him, and Shane Warne also. Thanks.

He is an excellent spinner. I really enjoy test cricket when he starts bowling.

The quickest Pakistani spinner to take 100 wickets and plays with a smile on his face.

9 Abdul Qadir (Pakistan)

Greatest in my opinion, he could bowl a googly as if it was an off-spin. He taught big names and was the inventor of a dangerous weapon called the googly.

He invented spin bowling! He taught Shane Warne how to bowl spin! Shane Warne said that Abdul Qadir taught him how to bowl. Search up Shane Warne and Abdul Qadir, and you will find the answer.

Shane Warne even admitted that Abdul Qadir was his inspiration. As for Anil Kumble, he couldn't even spin the ball.

10 Ravindra Jadeja (India)

He is the best all-rounder in the world. He is one of the best assets that India has. He is the present-day greatest fielder.

The Contenders
11 Graeme Swann (England)

Great spinner, took loads of wickets, and I think he is the best English spinner ever. He should be in the top ten!

Look at his 6 wickets recently - no one has done this for decades! Best spinner in the world at the moment by far.

12 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

Afridi is a top spinner bowler, but he is also a top and best all-rounder. Afridi is really the biggest player in cricket history.

13 Amit Mishra (India)

He is a superb spin bowler who can trap right-handers with his leg spin. His best performance was in Zimbabwe against Zimbabwe, where he took 18 wickets. His best was 6/48.

14 Pragyan Ojha (India)
15 Stuart MacGill (Australia)

He is one of the greatest. He was just unlucky enough to be around at the same time as the greatest spin bowler in history.

Hugely underrated. Interestingly, on the few occasions both he and Warne played together, MacGill had the better figures.

Unfortunate to be contemporary to Shane Warne, this man was never behind. He couldn't get the opportunities he deserved.

16 Jim Laker (England)

It really is time people learn a bit of history. These are the best bowlers of all time, not just the last 15 years.

Some of the bowlers, such as Ashwin, Narine, and Mishra being 'number five,' i.e., well ahead of Laker and other pre-1990 greats, are a complete joke! Why, oh why, have we reached a generation when anything older than 20 years ago is written off as being of no merit? There's no real point in having a poll when people only vote for players they support!

17 Adam Zampa (Australia)

Zampa is an awesome player. He is better than Saeed Ajmal, Nathan Lyon, and others. He's one of the best bowlers.

18 Harbhajan Singh (India) Harbhajan Singh is a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and a former Indian cricketer and cricket commentator.

Recalling the 2001 Calcutta test, while Laxman laid the ground for victory, Harbhajan wrapped it up.

A deadly bowler on any pitch. He will get wickets as soon as he concedes runs.

He can bowl a perfect blend of flighted and drifted deliveries.

19 Sunil Narine (West Indies)

I think he is the best bowler. When he starts taking his run-up, I feel afraid as if he is going to take my wicket, even though I am just watching the TV. His bowling can humiliate every batsman who thinks he can bat against spinners. When I imagine myself batting against his bowling, I know I am already beaten.

He is simply a magician, a mystery spinner. It is impossible to realize where his ball will turn. Especially, in the powerplay overs, he bowls pretty fast. So the batsman has to judge the pace as well as the spin of the ball.

20 Nathan Lyon (Australia)

Best Australian off-spinner of all time. He is the best. He taught me how to bowl, and now I am a legend in spin bowling, and Nathan Lyon is a legend in cricket history.

Only 26 and getting better and better.

He has taught me how to spin bowl in a video. By the way, it's off-spin.

21 Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan)

Inventor of the doosra, probably got the best action as a spinner. With a bowling average of 21 in ODIs, in 169 matches he took 288 wickets, which was a lot compared to other spinners on the list.

Can't believe he is placed 19th. Saqlain Mushtaq is the best spinner.

He is one of the number ones. He is the greatest off-spin bowler
in the cricket world.

Saqlain is the best spinner that I have seen in the world. He should be the 2nd best spinner in the world.

22 Shakib al Hasan (Bangladesh)

He is one of the best left-arm spin bowlers and also good with the bat. He is also the number 1 all-rounder.

He is a legend. He gets more turn in his off-spin, so it's more effective. He is my favorite cricketer.

One of the best slow left-arm spin bowlers, and he is also the number one all-rounder.

23 B. S. Chandrasekhar (India)

He is the greatest spinner as he got wickets not just on dry pitches but also in seamer-friendly conditions in England. I still remember the 6 wickets he picked up in England. He was feared by the likes of Viv Richards.

One of my first memories of cricket was watching him bowl India to victory against England.

A disabled player who could also bowl the odd bouncer to West Indians!

24 Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan)

My favorite Pakistani cricket player is Hafeez. I have not seen him bowling much.

25 Mushtaq Ahmed (Pakistan)

You are another good bowler after Saeed Ajmal and Saqlain Mushtaq.

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