Greatest Test Spinners

[Archer6K]

Where does Nathan Lyon rank in terms of the greatest Test spinners?

 

[ataraxia]

Top 15.

 

[Line and Length]

The list from a while back. How much will it have changed?

The List	Tests	Wickets	Average	S.R.	E.R.	W.P.M.
1. Muttiah Muralitharan	133	800	22.73	55.05	2.48	6.02
2. Shane Warne	145	708	25.42	57.49	2.65	4.89
3. Bill O'Reilly	27	144	22.60	69.61	1.95	5.33
4. Jim Laker	46	193	21.25	62.32	2.05	4.20
5. Clarrie Grimmett	37	216	24.22	67.19	2.16	5.84
6. Hedley Verity	40	144	24.38	77.59	1.88	3.60
7. Hugh Tayfield	37	170	25.91	79.81	1.95	4.59
8. Anil Kumble	132	619	29.65	65.99	2.70	4.69
9. Derek Underwood	86	297	25.84	73.61	2.11	3.45
10. Lance Gibbs	79	309	29.09	87.75	1.99	3.91
11. Ravichandran Ashwin	86	442	24.13	52.24	2.77	5.14
12. Richie Benaud	63	248	27.03	72.05	2.11	3.94
13. Rangana Herath	93	433	28.08	60.03	2.81	4.66
14. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar	58	242	29.75	65.96	2.71	4.17
15. Bishen Bedi	67	266	28.71	80.32	2.14	3.97
16. Nathan Lyon	108	427	32.16	65.53	2.94	3.95
17. Saqlain Mushtaq	49	208	29.84	67.64	2.65	4.24
18. Graeme Swann	60	255	29.97	60.19	2.99	4.25
19. Ravindra Jadeja	59	242	24.44	61.44	2.43	4.10
20. Subhash Gupte	36	149	29.55	75.73	2.34	4.14
21. Hugh Trumble	32	141	21.79	57.44	2.28	4.41
22. Wilfred Rhodes	58	127	26.97	64.81	2.50	2.19
23. Colin Blythe	19	100	18.63	45.46	2.46	5.26
24. Johnny Wardle	28	102	20.39	64.68	1.89	3.64
25. Sonny Ramadhin	43	158	28.98	88.22	1.97	3.67
26. Erapally Prasanna	49	189	30.38	75.94	2.40	3.86
27. Stuart MacGill	44	208	29.02	54.02	3.22	4.72
28. Harbhajan Singh	103	417	32.46	68.54	2.84	4.05
29. Keshav Maharaj	42	150	30.67	58.74	3.13	3.57
30. Bert Ironmonger	14	74	17.97	63.45	1.70	5.28

 

[Anthony Clayden]

Not sure about top 15

Is he above?

From Australia alone...
Warne
O'Reilly
Grimmet
MacGill (who without Warne would have had a much longer career
Benaud

There is 5 from Australia alone

Written before the list above posted, I suppose it depends on the job you wanted from your spinner, hold an end/dry the runs and first innings wickets then Lyon, but if I wanted someone to win the match on a day 5 pitch, then Macgill. MacGill has the second best SR to Ashwin, and Ashwin has been bowling on bunsens at home...

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Among off-spinners, the distance between Lyon and Ramesh Powar is 16 places

 

[Patience and Accuracy+Gut]

From Australia

O’Reilly
Warne
Grimmett

The above in order is clear top 3. After that,

MacGill
Trumble
Benaud
Lyon
Mailey

 

[TheJediBrah]

Massively overrated. Like mentioned he's not top 5 Australian alone. Can't see how he could be top 15. Top 30 maybe

Like Jimmy Anderson, benefits from a long career and a lot of wickets pushing him above much better bowlers in some people's minds

 

[trundler]

O'Reilly over Warne is almost as ridiculous as McGill over Lyon.

 

[ataraxia]

O'Reilly over Warne is almost as ridiculous as McGill over Lyon.

No way. MacGill > Lyon is surely insanity. (And O'Reilly > Warne is true )

 

[Fuller Pilch]

No way. MacGill > Lyon is surely insanity.

No, it isn't.

 

[trundler]

No way. MacGill > Lyon is surely insanity. (And O'Reilly > Warne is true )

There's really no logical reason to place O'Reilly over Warne. The problem with Warne is that he failed in India, but O'Reilly didn't play there so it's irrelevant. McGill over Lyon is a nostalgic boomerism too. It's the same one eyed simple mindedness that could make someone believe an FC bully from one's childhood with a clear weakness against quality pace bowling is better than a proven test quality batsman from today.

 

[ataraxia]

There's really no logical reason to place O'Reilly over Warne. The problem with Warne is that he failed in India, but O'Reilly didn't play there so it's irrelevant.

Ponting > Bradman too then.

 

[TheJediBrah]

No way. MacGill > Lyon is surely insanity. (And O'Reilly > Warne is true )

Lyon isn't half the bowler MacGill was. Lyon > MacGill is a terrible opinion. It's a trundlerism

 

[ataraxia]

Lyon isn't half the bowler MacGill was. Lyon > MacGill is a terrible opinion. It's a trundlerism

Name a better off-spinner than Nathan Lyon. I'll wait

 

[TheJediBrah]

Name a better off-spinner than Nathan Lyon. I'll wait

MacGill was a leg-spinner

But anyway: Ashwin, Murali (if he counts as an off-spinner) . . . probably a bunch of pre-90s guys I've obviously never heard of

 

[ataraxia]

MacGill was a leg-spinner

But anyway: Ashwin, Murali (if he counts as an off-spinner) . . . probably a bunch of pre-90s guys I've obviously never heard of

So an Australian admits both:

• that Murali doesn't chuck
• that Ashwin > Lyon

I'll be sleeping good tonight, rest assured.

 

[TheJediBrah]

So an Australian admits both:

• that Murali doesn't chuck
• that Ashwin > Lyon

I'll be sleeping good tonight, rest assured.

Of course Ashwin > Lyon

But no I didn't say that Murali didn't chuck

 

[ataraxia]

Of course Ashwin > Lyon

But no I didn't say that Murali didn't chuck

Ah so even though you think Murali cheats, you still rate him highly. Such an Australian thing to do.

 

[Prince EWS]

Ah so even though you think Murali cheats, you still rate him highly. Such an Australian thing to do.

Cheating is based and grinding is cringe.

 

[Migara]

Lyon isn't half the bowler MacGill was. Lyon > MacGill is a terrible opinion. It's a trundlerism

Lyon knows how to bowl to good players of spin for a start. MacGill was cannon fodder for players who played spin well.