Top 10 Greatest Spinners of All Time

Spin bowling is an art that not all cricketers can draw with perfection. The world's best spin bowlers were not just great readers of the game and the opposition but also knew their skill inside out. Amidst the fan-following for renowned batters who could score aplenty and pacers who would send the stumps flying, spinners did their job silently and went on to dominate the world in their respective domains. In this article, we shall know the top 10 best spinners in the cricket world who deceived the opposition with their deception.

To determine the world’s best spinners, SportsBoom opted for an analytical bend that could incorporate all the necessary metrics to drive a conclusion. The scoring system involves maximum weightage to three different areas – wickets, bowling average, and bowling economy.

Firstly, 30% weightage has been given to the wickets section. A bowler's primary job is to scalp wickets – the best way to exert pressure on the opposition. This metric is important as it helps the user understand their potential to take wickets in various phases of the game. 

Secondly, 35% weightage has been considered for the bowling average. This spectrum determines the bowler’s ability to bag wickets by conceding minimum runs. Mathematically, it is defined as the wickets taken per runs conceded by a bowler. A bowler can even go for aplenty before striking with the white cherry. But that doesn’t define a great bowler. The slog overs in a limited overs contest witness plenty of wickets due to the batter’s tendency to take risky approaches and gifting away wickets. Hence, the bowling average is an apt measure to determine the best spinners in the world.

Thirdly, the economic rate of a bowler is as important as the wickets. It determines a bowler’s capability to restrict runs. Mathematically, it is defined as the runs conceded on the overs bowled. The lower the economy rate, the better a bowler has performed.

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The ranking of the world’s best spinners celebrates the skill and the legacy knit with unwavering consistency. It reflects the best bowlers who dominated in their era by mastering the art of drift, turn, and loop. Vividly, Muttiah Muralitharan tops the list due to his consistent wicket-taking capacity in a healthy economy and his bowling average across conditions. Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Nathan Lyon follow suit due to their worldly accomplishments as a spinner. The list is a replica of greatness with the white rock, structured with a blend of analytical insight and player achievement to honour their contributions to the sport.

1. Muttiah Muralitharan

Rated among the top two best spinners in the world, Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for the most Test wickets. After dismissing India’s Pragyan Ojha in the first Test at the Galle International Stadium in 2010, Muralitharan became the first and only cricketer to take 800 scalps. This was also his final Test match where Sri Lanka beat India comprehensively by ten wickets after enforcing a follow-on.

A legend of the game, Muralitharan has picked up 800 Test and 534 ODI wickets from 230 and 341 innings respectively. He was a bowling giant in the subcontinent, having snared more than 75% (612) of his Test wickets in Asia. The amusing part is that Muralitharan has a Test bowling average of under 20 in pace-friendly conditions such as England and New Zealand. This proves that his career was built on sheer skill to extract wickets even without much assistance from the conditions.

The Kandy-bred is akin to several cricketing records. He has earned eleven Player of the Series awards, the most by any individual in Tests. He has bowled 63132 balls in his international career, the most by any player. When it comes to records, one would need a separate chapter to write on Muralitharan’s numbers.

Muralitharan also represented three Indian Premier League teams – Chennai Super Kings, Deccan Chargers, and Sunrisers Hyderabad in his 66-match career. Post-retirement, he has been a common face in the coaching setup of various franchise teams.

2. Shane Warne

If one ever comes across the term “Ball of the Century,” there’s a greater possibility of the topic revolving around Shane Warne’s stupendous delivery against Mike Gatting in 1993. The ball drifted outside leg and beat the batter's outside edge to shatter the off stump. Undoubtedly, one of the top spinners, and the best wrist spinners that the cricketing realm witnessed, Warne used to be a household name in Australian houses whenever the national side played a cricket match during the late nineties and early 2000s.

Warne is the second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, having snared 708 scalps from 273 innings.  He averages 25.41 with the ball with 37 fifers under his name. He has also bagged ten ten-wicket-hauls in the particular format. Warne’s bowling brilliance isn’t just limited to red-ball cricket as he has been a match-winner for Australia in numerous big matches, winning the 1999 and 2003 World Cups with them. He has scalped 293 wickets at an economy of 4.25 in ODIs while striking at almost every six over. 

Additionally, the wrist spinner has enforced 42 and 195 wickets from 12 and 36 matches in the Border Gavaskar Trophy and the Ashes respectively. To have a Test bowling average of 26.39 on pace and bounce-friendly conditions of Australia denotes volumes about Warne’s legacy with the cricket ball. There hasn’t been a venue where the Aussie felt like leaving a mark with his genius act. 

Following his International career, Warne represented the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League. Captaining the Royals in their inaugural edition, he led the side to their only title thus far. In his IPL career, Warne picked up 57 wickets from 55 games with a best bowling figure of 4/21 against Deccan Chargers.

3. Anil Kumble

One of the best spinners to have played the game from Indian soil, Anil Kumble happened to transition his cricketing despite being an engineering graduate. Having debuted in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 1990, the tall leg-spinner went on to rule the world with his flighted deliveries, skid, and turn on the slightest of the cracks in the pitch.

Kumble was a regular name in the Indian XI except for any injury during his 17-year career. Although he was on the brink of being dropped in a few series the then-captain Sourav Ganguly forced the selectors to change their mind, eventually turning out to be a golden decision. After docile outings during the mid-2000s, Kumble made necessary amends to his bowling style, proving to be a game-changer in memorable wins in Headingley, Adelaide, Multan, and Kingston. 

A few other notable moments revolving around Kumble were his ten-wicket haul against Pakistan at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium and the time when he bandaged a broken jaw to deliver a stirring spell in Antigua in 2002. He also smashed a hundred against England at the cue end of his cricketing career before hanging boots in 2008 during the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Eventually, he concluded his International career with 619 Test wickets, the third-highest after Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.

Kumble was also a part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchise in the initial years of IPL and led the side to the finals in 2009. However, they were outdone by the Adam Gilchrist-led Deccan Chargers. 

4. Ravichandran Ashwin

Hailing from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, Ravichandran Ashwin is well known for his baggage of tricks with the cricket ball. Starting as a regular off-spinner, he transitioned into an uncanny operator due to his unending hunger for the gentleman’s game. 

The 38-year-old was an opening batter before transcending into a spinner. The change paid dividends as he had a breakthrough start in the Indian Premier League with his home-based franchise Chennai Super Kings. Under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s leadership, he gleamed with the cricket ball, earning him a national debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2010. Known for his promising carrom balls amidst the off-spinners usual variations, Ashwin didn’t take much time to spell a wizard around international opponents. 

Following an impressive run in the white ball format, he broke into India’s Test setup - serving as an apt successor to Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. Apart from scalping 537 wickets from 200 innings, the veteran was a handy lower-order batter as well. He recorded multiple tons in the latter stages of his career despite adding immaculate value with the ball.

In his 15-year international career, Ashwin was also a part of major ICC events and a part of their winning squad in the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. In the IPL, he represented five teams and captained the Kings XI Punjab in 2018 and 2019. Following his retirement after the third Test of the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy, he has been a full-time content creator, sharing insightful information on his cricket channel while pursuing franchise cricket.

5. Shakib Al Hasan

There are a few Bangladesh cricketers who have made a name for themselves as Shakib Al Hasan did. Be it with the bat or be it with the ball, the three-dimensional cricketer won his team matches with authority. In 71 Tests, he scored 4609 runs at an average of 37.77 while scoring five tons and 31 fifties. In 247 ODIs, he smashed 7570 runs at an average of 37.29 while belting nine centuries and 56 half-centuries. His skillset rose to prominence with the advent of T20Is as well. With 149 scalps from 129 matches, the left-arm orthodox spinner is the third-highest wicket-taker in T20Is.

Far from his cricketing accolades, Shakib has been a household name revolving around numerous controversies. From seething moments with match officials to breaking stumps out of frustration, and slapping an individual in a public conference, he has often made the headlines for the wrong reasons. However, this cannot be mismatched with his cricketing skills as the all-rounder has not just been a match-winner for his national team but also for various franchises that he played for. 

6. Harbhajan Singh

Born in Jalandhar, Punjab, Harbhajan Singh never thought he would be playing for India at an early age if not for the hawk eyes of captain Sourav Ganguly spotting the talent and roped him in for the Australia series in 1998. Although he played just a solitary game in India’s home series, he went on to impress in the later series.

In an era of flat pitches and bowling dominated by incredible pacers and wrist spinners, Harbhajan epitomized the art of finger spin. His ability to extract extra bounce off a length created trouble for renowned cricketers. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is an apt example to cite whom Harbhajan removed five times during the 2002 Test series with scores under twelve on each occasion. 

He ended up with 417 wickets from 103 Test matches for India and 269 scalps in 236 ODIs. With the introduction of T20 cricket, his adaptability took a toll and he was often overshadowed by Ravichandran Ashwin at the far end of his international career. He was also a notable name in the Indian Premier League, representing the Mumbai Indians for ten seasons between 2008-2017, and captaining in 20 matches. Interestingly, the right-arm offie also played eight T20 Blast encounters for Surrey, picking up four wickets. Currently, he is often seen donning the mic and sharing his expertise in the commentary box.

7. Daniel Vettori

When talking about the best spinners in the world, Daniel Vettori is one name that often gets shadowed by giants. Not that because he belonged to a non-Asian country but due to other spinners headlining the newspapers more often than not. Vettori used to be that one individual who would execute his tasks silently without any hiccups. 

In his days, Vettori was a brilliant left-arm spinner whose strength used to be the subtle variations in length, toss, and line, coupled with drift. He was also the youngest Kiwi to debut, having played his first game as an 18-year-old in 1997. 

Vettori falls in the rare breed of cricketers with over 3000 runs and 300 wickets in International Tests.  He represented New Zealand in 113 matches, amassing 4531 runs at a batting average of 30 while picking up 362 wickets at a bowling average of 34.36. His best with the ball came against Australia, Bangladesh, West Indies, and Sri Lanka picking up 66, 51, 34, and 51 wickets respectively. He also has six Test hundreds with three against Pakistan.

Vettori’s brilliance was not just limited to the red-ball format as he was equally good in ODIs. He bagged 305 wickets from 295 ODIs, representing the Kiwis in major ICC events, and leading the troops to the finals of the 2009 Champions Trophy, the semi-finals of the 2007 T20 World Cup, and knockouts of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. 

Post-retirement in 2015, the orthodox spinner served the Australia and Bangladesh national teams as a part of the coaching unit while accepting several assignments with T20 franchises.

8. Ravindrasinh Jadeja

A slow-over rate cushion for captains and a nightmare for many non-Asian cricketers, Ravindra Jadeja is a full package of cricketing excellence. An unorthodox spinner, known to hurry the opponent, a formidable batter lower down the order, and a golden arm that boasts to alter the course of a match with his fielding completely sums up Jadeja. Apart from his three-dimensional brilliance, Jadeja is also a captain’s favourite when it comes to slow over rates as the left-arm orthodox spinner can run through his over rapidly. 

Born to a Rajpoot family in the western part of India, Jadeja represented the Saurashtra side in domestic competitions. His domestic performances bettered at the right time ahead of the inaugural Indian Premier League when he was snapped by the Rajasthan Royals.  The all-rounder excelled in his duty under Shane Warne’s captaincy, earning him a national debut for India in February. Like this domestic and franchise excellence, he didn’t keep any stone unturned in national colours. 

Although his batting was a task in progress at the start, Jadeja’s left-arm orthodox spin was crucial in decimating formidable opposition. Jadeja and Ashwin forged a brilliant partnership with the ball in India’s home Tests and dominated for a decade. Apart from piling up 6691 runs and picking up 608 wickets across formats, Jadeja took 150 catches in the field. 

The Saurashtra cricketer was also crucial in India’s Champions Trophy reign in 2013 whilst making handy contributions in the 2024 T20 World Cup outing in the West Indies and USA. Currently, he is a two-format cricketer having retired from T20Is. However, he’s still an indispensable asset for the Chennai Super Kings, having donned the yellow jersey since 2012. 

9. Nathan Lyon

If there was a spinner that dominated World Cricket across the formats, undoubtedly, the name that arose would be Shane Warne. But if there was a finger spinner from the same nation who gained nearly similar respect in Test cricket, it has to be Nathan Lyon.

The veteran played 136 matches until Australia’s 2024/25 summer, bagging 553 wickets at a marvellous bowling average of 30.19. Known to hit the right areas and get adequate turns with a mix of flight and quicker ones, Lyon has baited opponents on the unfriendliest of bowling conditions. The fact that he has bucketed 268 Test wickets in Australia that suits pace and bounce speaks volumes about Lyon’s mastery of his craft.

The most astounding fact about Lyon is his ability to enforce the inevitable. On conditions such as Australia and New Zealand, where the wickets favour the pacers, the 37-year-old picks up a wicket for every 31 and 16 runs (approximately) respectively. He is just ten wickets behind Glenn McGrath in the most Test wickets charts, making him seventh in the elusive list. Lyon also featured in Australia’s premiere T20 franchise event – Big Bash League, where he featured for the Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Sixers.