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CW decides the greatest test spinner ever. 43 names: Countdown/Rankings thread
- Thread starter mr_mister
- Start date
ankitj
Hall of Fame Member
Use desktop version of the site on phone too. If you use mobile skin, any attempt to edit will delete post.
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mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I let people just nominate whatever 20 players they deemed the best spinners and imposed a min of 2 lists required to make this final countdown. 43 featured on at least 2 lists
mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
i'm just gonna re-write number 23 so we can keep moving
#23rd. Johnny Wardle (97 points)
Featured on 11 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 7th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 6th of 14 (Slow Left Arm Orthodox) and 1st of 1 (Slow Left Arm Chinaman)
Test WPM ranking: 31st of 43 (3.64)
A disclaimer. I've put Johnny Wardle into two categories of spin bowling as after further reading I've found he did bowl quite a bit of wrist spin(Chinaman) in tests. Basically he seemed to mainly bowl orthodox at home and chinaman on away tours. This essentially makes him the best test chinaman bowler of all time. Fleetwood-Smith had a little bit of success in the 30s with it and it was part of Sobers 3 pronged attack of pace, finger spin and wrist spin. Then Bevan of all people and Paul Adams did well with it in the 90s and lastly Brad Hogg in the 21st century forged a very successful ODI career bowling Chinaman. But Wardle's the only one of the above names to feature on this list.
Johnny Wardle came about during a time of deep stocks for English spin bowling. He only got to play 28 tests across 9 years despite a very long FC career. This was mainly because Laker was preferred as the primary spinner and Lock often preferred as secondary spinner, apparently due to the fact he was more 'aggressive'. 3 quality spinners vying for 2 or sometimes only 1 spinner spot. You throw in Trueman, Tyson, Bedser and Statham and this english outfit of the early 50s was one of the best bowling sides of all time.
Wardle still absolutely shone though in his limited test career. His test bowling average of 20.39 is second best by a spinner in the last 100 years(after Ironmonger) and easily the best for one post WW2. He had a tremendous E/R of under 2 and his away and home averages were nearly identical, hovering around 20(His away average was exactly 20 on the dot actually). Breaking his average down even further makes for great reading.
It was with his Chinaman style of bowling that he had 2 terrific overseas tours to the spin-graveyard of Australia(equipped with Morris and Harvey) and South Africa, averaging 22 and 13.8 in them respectively. He took 26 wickets in that 13 avg series against the Saffers and showed he had a mastery over the rare art of left arm wrist spin. His skill bowling orthodox was also unquestioned, taking 20 wickets at only 8.8 against Pakistan during a home series in 1954.
It was only against the best batting side of his era did he fail and this might be a reason why he isn't known as one of the best spinners ever by most people. Against a West Indies side featuring Weekes, Walcott, Worrell and later Sobers and Kanhai he averaged 50 from 5 tests, only claiming 7 scalps. In the Windies itself he averaged 49. In the four other countries he played in his next highest was a mere 23 in NZ.
So with only one minor blotch on his record, why did he not play more? Other than Laker and Lock keeping him out there was also the fact he was apparently a difficult personality, with some describing him as 'selfish'. He also wrote a scathing piece in the Daily Mail in the late 50s and his name was removed by the MCC for an upcoming test tour. He never played test cricket again, a shame. But still in the few tests he did play he left a great legacy.
#23rd. Johnny Wardle (97 points)
Featured on 11 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 7th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 6th of 14 (Slow Left Arm Orthodox) and 1st of 1 (Slow Left Arm Chinaman)
Test WPM ranking: 31st of 43 (3.64)
A disclaimer. I've put Johnny Wardle into two categories of spin bowling as after further reading I've found he did bowl quite a bit of wrist spin(Chinaman) in tests. Basically he seemed to mainly bowl orthodox at home and chinaman on away tours. This essentially makes him the best test chinaman bowler of all time. Fleetwood-Smith had a little bit of success in the 30s with it and it was part of Sobers 3 pronged attack of pace, finger spin and wrist spin. Then Bevan of all people and Paul Adams did well with it in the 90s and lastly Brad Hogg in the 21st century forged a very successful ODI career bowling Chinaman. But Wardle's the only one of the above names to feature on this list.
Johnny Wardle came about during a time of deep stocks for English spin bowling. He only got to play 28 tests across 9 years despite a very long FC career. This was mainly because Laker was preferred as the primary spinner and Lock often preferred as secondary spinner, apparently due to the fact he was more 'aggressive'. 3 quality spinners vying for 2 or sometimes only 1 spinner spot. You throw in Trueman, Tyson, Bedser and Statham and this english outfit of the early 50s was one of the best bowling sides of all time.
Wardle still absolutely shone though in his limited test career. His test bowling average of 20.39 is second best by a spinner in the last 100 years(after Ironmonger) and easily the best for one post WW2. He had a tremendous E/R of under 2 and his away and home averages were nearly identical, hovering around 20(His away average was exactly 20 on the dot actually). Breaking his average down even further makes for great reading.
It was with his Chinaman style of bowling that he had 2 terrific overseas tours to the spin-graveyard of Australia(equipped with Morris and Harvey) and South Africa, averaging 22 and 13.8 in them respectively. He took 26 wickets in that 13 avg series against the Saffers and showed he had a mastery over the rare art of left arm wrist spin. His skill bowling orthodox was also unquestioned, taking 20 wickets at only 8.8 against Pakistan during a home series in 1954.
It was only against the best batting side of his era did he fail and this might be a reason why he isn't known as one of the best spinners ever by most people. Against a West Indies side featuring Weekes, Walcott, Worrell and later Sobers and Kanhai he averaged 50 from 5 tests, only claiming 7 scalps. In the Windies itself he averaged 49. In the four other countries he played in his next highest was a mere 23 in NZ.
So with only one minor blotch on his record, why did he not play more? Other than Laker and Lock keeping him out there was also the fact he was apparently a difficult personality, with some describing him as 'selfish'. He also wrote a scathing piece in the Daily Mail in the late 50s and his name was removed by the MCC for an upcoming test tour. He never played test cricket again, a shame. But still in the few tests he did play he left a great legacy.
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mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
#22nd. Abdul Qadir (98 points)
Featured on 16 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 3rd (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 9th of 16 (Leg Break Googly)
Test WPM ranking: 37th of 43 (3.52)
Qadir kept the art of leg-spin alive through the 80s and for a good while was the only leggie of any note on the international scene before Mushtaq and Warne came along. His 236 test wickets make him the most successful Pakistan spinner ever(though Yasir Shah looks likely to beat this number soon) and he's a big favourite on CW. Equipped with a very extravagant, exaggerated action, Abdul was known for his variety and sometimes bowled 6 different balls an over. He had a lethal flipper and two different types of googlies.
His overall average of 32.8 however, like so many of the best Asian spinners, is quite a bit higher than the very best from England and Aus. His record was very weak down here in Australia but that can be forgiven. His record against India and especially in India is disappointing though. In the fiercest of derbies on the international scene his bowling was largely toothless, Gavaskar, Vengsarkar and co seemingly played him with ease. He took only 6 wickets in 6 tests in India for a return of 69.6 and at a strike rate of one scalp ever 128 balls. Yikes. He was definitely a home track bully and perhaps the greatest example of it on this list, averaging 26 at home at 47 away. Luckily for him two thirds of his tests were played at home and so he managed to rack up a very decent amount of wickets, always looking a million bucks while doing it. I know statistics aren't everything and because of the fact he kept the art of leg spin alive in a pace-dominated era credit must be given.
It all fell into place for him though one match in 1987 when he took his test best of 9/56, the 7th best innings figures of all time. And at the time he recorded it, the best figures ever in Asia(now the 3rd best).
Featured on 16 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 3rd (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 9th of 16 (Leg Break Googly)
Test WPM ranking: 37th of 43 (3.52)
Qadir kept the art of leg-spin alive through the 80s and for a good while was the only leggie of any note on the international scene before Mushtaq and Warne came along. His 236 test wickets make him the most successful Pakistan spinner ever(though Yasir Shah looks likely to beat this number soon) and he's a big favourite on CW. Equipped with a very extravagant, exaggerated action, Abdul was known for his variety and sometimes bowled 6 different balls an over. He had a lethal flipper and two different types of googlies.
His overall average of 32.8 however, like so many of the best Asian spinners, is quite a bit higher than the very best from England and Aus. His record was very weak down here in Australia but that can be forgiven. His record against India and especially in India is disappointing though. In the fiercest of derbies on the international scene his bowling was largely toothless, Gavaskar, Vengsarkar and co seemingly played him with ease. He took only 6 wickets in 6 tests in India for a return of 69.6 and at a strike rate of one scalp ever 128 balls. Yikes. He was definitely a home track bully and perhaps the greatest example of it on this list, averaging 26 at home at 47 away. Luckily for him two thirds of his tests were played at home and so he managed to rack up a very decent amount of wickets, always looking a million bucks while doing it. I know statistics aren't everything and because of the fact he kept the art of leg spin alive in a pace-dominated era credit must be given.
It all fell into place for him though one match in 1987 when he took his test best of 9/56, the 7th best innings figures of all time. And at the time he recorded it, the best figures ever in Asia(now the 3rd best).
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Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I think I've given enough of my opinions on Qadir for people to know what they are.
mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
#21st. Stuart MacGill, 115 points
Featured on 20 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 5th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 8th of 16 (Leg Break Googly)
Test WPM ranking: 10th of 43 (4.73)
SCG MacGill. When I first started watching cricket during the '98/99 Ashes MacGill was the first bowler I really saw dismantle a team, taking match figures of 12/107 in Sydney including a very ***y 7/50 in the second innings. His action to me was more fun to replicate than Warnes, with the big left hand being held out as he ran in and then a classical action that followed. He always came with a neat haircut and ball polishing towel hanging from his trousers.
He took 208 wickets in his 44 test career and as we all know it could have been a lot more. Despite a very impressive strike-rate of 54(I think the best of any post-war spinner before Ashwin recently came along) and nearly 5 wickets per test, MacGill often struggled to make the test side. That is of course due to Shane Warne existing, and in many overseas tours MacGill was snubbed of the chance to play more test cricket. He never got to play a single test in spin-friendly India or in England, the latter of which he had a great record against playing at home. That must have killed him. Australia simply preferred to play 3 quicks and a spinner except on a few rare occasions, mainly Sydney tests and the Windies tour of '99 when MacGill simply couldn't be dropped for a returning Warne after his ashes domination earlier in the year. There he famously kept Warne out of the side for the final match.
His bowling average comes in around 29 despite the awesome S/R and WPM and this is in big part due to MacGill's style. Like Mailey of old MacGill was more than happy to give away a boundary ball an over and he was always tossing it up and asking the batsman to play shots. An old school leggie. Equipped with enormous turn of the ball and a better wrong'un than Warne, MacGill generally took a bag of wickets whenever he played, sometimes outperforming Warne in the tests they both featured in. He took 12 five fers in just 44 tests and although it's been said here recently that he only got to play on spin suited pitches, he winded up playing a fair bit of cricket on the other less helpful wickets of Australia. 20 of his 27 home tests came at grounds other than the SCG, this number beefed up due to a few Warne injuries and a one year drug ban. So MacGill certainly got his fair crack at home and generally excelled.
He ranks in this exercise as the 8th best leggie of all time yet he had to fight for selection with who many consider to be the best leggie of all time. If he was born in England, hell if he was simply born ten years earlier or later he'd have played 100+ tests. Unlucky but still a legend.
Featured on 20 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 5th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 8th of 16 (Leg Break Googly)
Test WPM ranking: 10th of 43 (4.73)
SCG MacGill. When I first started watching cricket during the '98/99 Ashes MacGill was the first bowler I really saw dismantle a team, taking match figures of 12/107 in Sydney including a very ***y 7/50 in the second innings. His action to me was more fun to replicate than Warnes, with the big left hand being held out as he ran in and then a classical action that followed. He always came with a neat haircut and ball polishing towel hanging from his trousers.
He took 208 wickets in his 44 test career and as we all know it could have been a lot more. Despite a very impressive strike-rate of 54(I think the best of any post-war spinner before Ashwin recently came along) and nearly 5 wickets per test, MacGill often struggled to make the test side. That is of course due to Shane Warne existing, and in many overseas tours MacGill was snubbed of the chance to play more test cricket. He never got to play a single test in spin-friendly India or in England, the latter of which he had a great record against playing at home. That must have killed him. Australia simply preferred to play 3 quicks and a spinner except on a few rare occasions, mainly Sydney tests and the Windies tour of '99 when MacGill simply couldn't be dropped for a returning Warne after his ashes domination earlier in the year. There he famously kept Warne out of the side for the final match.
His bowling average comes in around 29 despite the awesome S/R and WPM and this is in big part due to MacGill's style. Like Mailey of old MacGill was more than happy to give away a boundary ball an over and he was always tossing it up and asking the batsman to play shots. An old school leggie. Equipped with enormous turn of the ball and a better wrong'un than Warne, MacGill generally took a bag of wickets whenever he played, sometimes outperforming Warne in the tests they both featured in. He took 12 five fers in just 44 tests and although it's been said here recently that he only got to play on spin suited pitches, he winded up playing a fair bit of cricket on the other less helpful wickets of Australia. 20 of his 27 home tests came at grounds other than the SCG, this number beefed up due to a few Warne injuries and a one year drug ban. So MacGill certainly got his fair crack at home and generally excelled.
He ranks in this exercise as the 8th best leggie of all time yet he had to fight for selection with who many consider to be the best leggie of all time. If he was born in England, hell if he was simply born ten years earlier or later he'd have played 100+ tests. Unlucky but still a legend.
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harsh.ag
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Wardle should have been higher. Completely forgot to vote for him, I think.
Anyway, it's weird how legacies don't exist more in cricket. India followed the spin kings of Chandra, Bedi, Prasanna (and Shivalkar and Goel) with Sivaramakrishnan and Shivlal Yadav.
Anyway, it's weird how legacies don't exist more in cricket. India followed the spin kings of Chandra, Bedi, Prasanna (and Shivalkar and Goel) with Sivaramakrishnan and Shivlal Yadav.
mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
#20th. Erapalli Prasanna, 116 points
Featured on 20 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 3rd (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 8th of 13 (Right Arm OffBreak)
Test WPM ranking: 28th of 43 (3.86)
And here we enter the top 20. Starting us off at the business end is the first of three members of the Indian spin quartet to feature on this list, Erapalli Prasanna. One leggie, one left arm orthodox and one offie in Prasanna made the list. The variety in style is what made them so effective. Prasanna played the least amount of tests of the entire quartet(him and Venkat both sharing the role of offspinner, with the inferior Venkat apparently often getting the nod due to team politics). Out of the three who made the list Prasanna had the worst record with regards to avg, S/R and economy, but only marginally. He was the first of them to have a 'peak' though, claiming 80 wickets at around 23 in 68-69. Chandra and Bedi both hit their peak form later in the mid-late 70s. All three wrapped up their careers before 1980, leaving a huge whole in Indian's bowling attack.
They played only one test as a full quartet but many as a trio with either Venkat or Prasanna missing out. Together they were responsible for several series victories for India, a few of them in away series. For a side that had barely known the taste of victory in their first half century of cricket this was huge for the country. They gave them their first series wins outright against the Windies and Aussies, and their first away wins against England and NZ.
Prasanna's biggest tool in his arsenal was his control of flight, which meant he didn't even need a helpful pitch to be effective(him, Bedi and Chandra all had very solid records in Australia). He often managed to make the batsman come out forward to a ball that would drop and land shorter than they anticipated.
Featured on 20 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 3rd (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 8th of 13 (Right Arm OffBreak)
Test WPM ranking: 28th of 43 (3.86)
And here we enter the top 20. Starting us off at the business end is the first of three members of the Indian spin quartet to feature on this list, Erapalli Prasanna. One leggie, one left arm orthodox and one offie in Prasanna made the list. The variety in style is what made them so effective. Prasanna played the least amount of tests of the entire quartet(him and Venkat both sharing the role of offspinner, with the inferior Venkat apparently often getting the nod due to team politics). Out of the three who made the list Prasanna had the worst record with regards to avg, S/R and economy, but only marginally. He was the first of them to have a 'peak' though, claiming 80 wickets at around 23 in 68-69. Chandra and Bedi both hit their peak form later in the mid-late 70s. All three wrapped up their careers before 1980, leaving a huge whole in Indian's bowling attack.
They played only one test as a full quartet but many as a trio with either Venkat or Prasanna missing out. Together they were responsible for several series victories for India, a few of them in away series. For a side that had barely known the taste of victory in their first half century of cricket this was huge for the country. They gave them their first series wins outright against the Windies and Aussies, and their first away wins against England and NZ.
Prasanna's biggest tool in his arsenal was his control of flight, which meant he didn't even need a helpful pitch to be effective(him, Bedi and Chandra all had very solid records in Australia). He often managed to make the batsman come out forward to a ball that would drop and land shorter than they anticipated.
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marc71178
Eyes not spreadsheets
That sort of attitude could be taken by everyone in respect of every list as we all disagree with some placing. Won’t make it any less reasonable if the person you think should be number 1 isn’t.
mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
#19th. Hugh Trumble, 122 points
Featured on 14 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 4th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 7th of 13 (Right Arm OffBreak)
Test WPM ranking: 15th of 43 (4.41)
Australia's first spinning great and the proud owner of two test hat-tricks, the first of 3 man to do so. Like many of the other old school bowlers on this list he had a great average and S/R, though not quite as good as Briggs, Blythe and Peel. A tall man, he pushed the ball through at close to medium pace on a sticky he was deadly. He held the test record for most ever wickets from 1904 to 1914 with 141. All of those wickets came against England, and he held the record for most ashes wickets all the way til DK Lillee. He's still 4th on that list.
Featured on 14 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 4th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 7th of 13 (Right Arm OffBreak)
Test WPM ranking: 15th of 43 (4.41)
Australia's first spinning great and the proud owner of two test hat-tricks, the first of 3 man to do so. Like many of the other old school bowlers on this list he had a great average and S/R, though not quite as good as Briggs, Blythe and Peel. A tall man, he pushed the ball through at close to medium pace on a sticky he was deadly. He held the test record for most ever wickets from 1904 to 1914 with 141. All of those wickets came against England, and he held the record for most ashes wickets all the way til DK Lillee. He's still 4th on that list.
mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
18th. Saqlain Mushtaq, 137 points
Featured on 19 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 5th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 6th of 13 (Right Arm OffBreak)
Test WPM ranking: 18th of 43 (4.24)
Widely known as the inventor of the doosra(I think it translates to 'the other one') one of the most controversial deliveries in cricket. But Saqlain, unlike many other proponents of the ball, never came under much scrutiny to my knowledge about the legality of his action when he bowled it. That is quite impressive. He was very effective with it too, surprising many a batsman when he first came onto the scene. He's the highest Pakistani to feature on the list. His bowling run-up and action were quite memorable, the little Fred-Flintstone twinkle toe steps before a halt at the crease and then release.
Perhaps held up slightly higher by pundits in ODI cricket, Saqlain still had a great test record, taking a little over 4 wickets a test while often having to share the spoils with Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib and sometimes his similar named partner in crime and rival for a spot Mushtaq Ahmed. His crowning moment in tests came in the fiercely contested 1999 series against neighbors India, where he took 24 wickets in 3 tests at 20.9 including 2 ten fers. He was critical in Pakistan winning that important series, a series dominated by spin(Kumble took his 10 fer during it).
Saqlain never reached those heights again but his only real struggles came against South Africa and in the West Indies, averaging over 40 in those two columns. It's been written that he a got little too obsessed with variations and may have started to over bowl his doosra, often starting a spell with it, maybe causing it to become a bit predictable. Saqlain faded quite early in the 21st century, playing his last test at the young age of 27. By that time he had already taken 208 wickets. Like Bosanquet he may accrued bonus points in this exercise for inventing a delivery, but more power to him for that. A fine bowler.
Featured on 19 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 5th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 6th of 13 (Right Arm OffBreak)
Test WPM ranking: 18th of 43 (4.24)
Widely known as the inventor of the doosra(I think it translates to 'the other one') one of the most controversial deliveries in cricket. But Saqlain, unlike many other proponents of the ball, never came under much scrutiny to my knowledge about the legality of his action when he bowled it. That is quite impressive. He was very effective with it too, surprising many a batsman when he first came onto the scene. He's the highest Pakistani to feature on the list. His bowling run-up and action were quite memorable, the little Fred-Flintstone twinkle toe steps before a halt at the crease and then release.
Perhaps held up slightly higher by pundits in ODI cricket, Saqlain still had a great test record, taking a little over 4 wickets a test while often having to share the spoils with Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib and sometimes his similar named partner in crime and rival for a spot Mushtaq Ahmed. His crowning moment in tests came in the fiercely contested 1999 series against neighbors India, where he took 24 wickets in 3 tests at 20.9 including 2 ten fers. He was critical in Pakistan winning that important series, a series dominated by spin(Kumble took his 10 fer during it).
Saqlain never reached those heights again but his only real struggles came against South Africa and in the West Indies, averaging over 40 in those two columns. It's been written that he a got little too obsessed with variations and may have started to over bowl his doosra, often starting a spell with it, maybe causing it to become a bit predictable. Saqlain faded quite early in the 21st century, playing his last test at the young age of 27. By that time he had already taken 208 wickets. Like Bosanquet he may accrued bonus points in this exercise for inventing a delivery, but more power to him for that. A fine bowler.
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Cricket wasn’t a financially secure for Indian cricketers in the 60s.
Murali doesn’t have to be number one. But if he doesn’t make the top 3 or even top 5, that’s ridiculous.
SeamUp
International Coach
That almost looks like left-arm leg-break with the position of the wrist and fingers.#32. Tony Lock, 27 points
Featured on 4 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 9th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 12th of 14 (Slow Left Arm Orthodox)
Test WPM ranking: 36th of 43 (3.55)
The man at the opposite end who claimed the other 1 wicket during Laker's match. Lock started his career with a normal action, was told he'd have to impart more turn on the ball if he wanted to ever play for England and so he remodeled it so his arm would come in lower. He achieved more spin and also pushed the ball through much quicker. He rose to prominence soon after the change. But his action came under a lot of scrutiny and a lot of people thought him to be a chucker. He got no-balled a few times when bowling his quicker ball so he shelved that. When he eventually saw his own bowling action on film he was horrified and remodeled it yet again. He was never as successful with the new legitimate action.
Still, poor action or not he was never banned from bowling in tests during his dubious peak(I dunno if they banned anyone back then) and it was quite a peak he reached in the 50s. Before he saw footage of his action in 1959 and changed it, he'd taken over 100 wickets from 25 tests @ a smidge under 20.
He was a bit of a home track bully, averaging 19.5 in England over his test career. Away it shot right up to 34.5. His overall average of 25 is one of the better bowling averages on this list. England were spoilt for spin choice in the early 50s with Wardle, Lock and Laker all on the scene.
SeamUp
International Coach
Was really interested watching Saqlain in his career. Whilst Murail showed off the doosra - the manor in which Saqlain did it with a really orthodox action intrigued me. He was quality and loved a hattrick. ODI beast too.18th. Saqlain Mushtaq, 137 points
Featured on 19 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 5th (1 time)
Ranking within spin discipline: 6th of 13 (Right Arm OffBreak)
Test WPM ranking: 18th of 43 (4.24)
Widely known as the inventor of the doosra(I think it translates to 'the other one') one of the most controversial deliveries in cricket. But Saqlain, unlike many other proponents of the ball, never came under much scrutiny to my knowledge about the legality of his action when he bowled it. That is quite impressive. He was very effective with it too, surprising many a batsman when he first came onto the scene. He's the highest Pakistani to feature on the list. His bowling run-up and action were quite memorable, the little Fred-Flintstone twinkle toe steps before a halt at the crease and then release.
Perhaps held up slightly higher by pundits in ODI cricket, Saqlain still had a great test record, taking a little over 4 wickets a test while often having to share the spoils with Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib and sometimes his similar named partner in crime and rival for a spot Mushtaq Ahmed. His crowning moment in tests came in the fiercely contested 1999 series against neighbors India, where he took 24 wickets in 3 tests at 20.9 including 2 ten fers. He was critical in Pakistan winning that important series, a series dominated by spin(Kumble took his 10 fer during it).
Saqlain never reached those heights again but his only real struggles came against South Africa and in the West Indies, averaging over 40 in those two columns. It's been written that he a got little too obsessed with variations and may have started to over bowl his doosra, often starting a spell with it, maybe causing it to become a bit predictable. Saqlain faded quite early in the 21st century, playing his last test at the young age of 27. By that time he had already taken 208 wickets. Like Bosanquet he may accrued bonus points in this exercise for inventing a delivery, but more power to him for that. A fine bowler.
mr_mister
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
17th. Wilfred Rhodes, 144 points
Featured on 15 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 5th (2 times)
Ranking within spin discipline: 5th of 14 (Slow Left Arm Orthodox)
Test WPM ranking: 43rd of 43 (2.19)
Wilfred Rhodes is the last player on this list to have played test cricket in the 1800s. His 31 year test career spanning from 1899 to 1930 is the longest of all time. He is the first player to appear on this list with more than one top 5 finish and makes the top 5 for SLA bowlers. He also finished dead last in the WPM rankings. This is mainly because for a brief time before WW1 he played as an opening batsman who barely bowled. After the war he took up full time bowling again and at this old age was finally a fully fledged all-rounder.
His longevity is obviously his biggest asset when assessing him. One thing I found interesting about him was that he dismissed both Victor Trumper and George Headley in tests, the latter ATG having barely been born by the time the former ATG had passed away. I'm not sure if he dismissed Bradman but I assume he did bowl to him in the 1930 Australian tour. I also assume he bowled to WG Grace in FC cricket. Now that's impressive. Another interesting feature of his longevity resulted in his two test lowest average years with the ball coming in 1904 and 1926, 22 years apart.
Rhodes record as a bowler doesn't appear all that flash at first, as he averaged over 40 against the two newly formed test teams of his era, South Africa and West Indies. But even though he didn't cash in against the minnows(and he was a very old man when he vsed the Windies) against the quality opposition of Australia he averaged exactly 24 from 41 tests. His bowling transcended a generation and at the start of his career his overall average of 26 may have been fairly standard but by 1930 it was considered very solid. Combined with his batting he was an awesome player.
His bowling was said to be very slow, very accurate and very economical. He once bragged he'd never been cut or pulled in his career, an exaggeration though most people agreed he hardly ever bowled a ball short of a good length.
Featured on 15 of 35 lists
Highest finish: 5th (2 times)
Ranking within spin discipline: 5th of 14 (Slow Left Arm Orthodox)
Test WPM ranking: 43rd of 43 (2.19)
Wilfred Rhodes is the last player on this list to have played test cricket in the 1800s. His 31 year test career spanning from 1899 to 1930 is the longest of all time. He is the first player to appear on this list with more than one top 5 finish and makes the top 5 for SLA bowlers. He also finished dead last in the WPM rankings. This is mainly because for a brief time before WW1 he played as an opening batsman who barely bowled. After the war he took up full time bowling again and at this old age was finally a fully fledged all-rounder.
His longevity is obviously his biggest asset when assessing him. One thing I found interesting about him was that he dismissed both Victor Trumper and George Headley in tests, the latter ATG having barely been born by the time the former ATG had passed away. I'm not sure if he dismissed Bradman but I assume he did bowl to him in the 1930 Australian tour. I also assume he bowled to WG Grace in FC cricket. Now that's impressive. Another interesting feature of his longevity resulted in his two test lowest average years with the ball coming in 1904 and 1926, 22 years apart.
Rhodes record as a bowler doesn't appear all that flash at first, as he averaged over 40 against the two newly formed test teams of his era, South Africa and West Indies. But even though he didn't cash in against the minnows(and he was a very old man when he vsed the Windies) against the quality opposition of Australia he averaged exactly 24 from 41 tests. His bowling transcended a generation and at the start of his career his overall average of 26 may have been fairly standard but by 1930 it was considered very solid. Combined with his batting he was an awesome player.
His bowling was said to be very slow, very accurate and very economical. He once bragged he'd never been cut or pulled in his career, an exaggeration though most people agreed he hardly ever bowled a ball short of a good length.
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