Bowling is one difficult part of cricket. Being regarded as the best player of all time is more difficult.
Here is the list of the top 10 leg spinners of all time in international cricket:
1. Shane Warne:
When we talk about spinners, the first name that will come into our mind will be Shane Warne. Warne is usually said as the best bowler to play in the game of cricket. Appearing for Australia in the national side, this legend has orchestrated numerous victories for the team. Debuting in International cricket with poor bowling stats of 1/150 against India, this player grew a long way. Warne has taken a total of 708 wickets from 145 test matches which make him the highest wicket taker for Australia and the second highest wicket taker in cricket history. Undoubtedly, Shane Warne is the best leg spinner of all time. Check out his ball of the century, a leg break
2. Anil Kumble:
Former Indian captain and Indian spin legend Anil Kumble is the highest wicket taker for India in international cricket. At the beginning of his career he was not considered as a big deal as his ball spinning abilities were comparatively lesser than other spinners. But making his accuracy and the ability to pitch and bounce the ball wherever he want, Anil grew up to become one of the best leg spinners of all time. Played in a total of 132 matches he has taken 619 wickets in tests and is the highest wicket taker for India.
3. Abdul Qadir:
No true fan of the game can forget the name of Abdul Qader. This Pakistani leg spinner has caused some great destruction to the opponents on many occasions. He played for Pakistan in 67 test matches and has taken 236 wickets. He is also the bowler with the best bowling figures of any Pak bowler. In 1987 against England, Qader took 9 wickets for 56 runs. Hiding many bowling skills under his sleeve, especially the googly that caused greater destruction at the opponents Abdul Qader is undoubtedly one of the best leg spinners of all time.
4. Richie Benaud:
Richie Benaud is very well known for his appearance as a commentator in Channel 9. Talking about his game career, Benaud is one of the most respectful and distinguished figures in the Australian cricket history. During the 1950’s and 1960’s he was the most important wrist spinners in the team. Played for a total of 63 test matches, he has taken a total of 248 wickets at an average of 27.03.
5. Bill O’Reilly:
Bill O’Reilly is undoubtedly one of the greatest bowlers of all time. He has played for Australia for a total of 27 test matches and has taken 144 wickets. His bowling streak against the then batsmen Walter Hammond is considered as the best in cricket history even today. Bill took the wicket of Hammond, 10 times in his career making his batting average against Bill modest 22.59.
6. Subhash Gupte:
Subash Gupte is a very well recognised name in cricket history because of his exceptional bowling performance and gentleman nature in the field. Sir Garry Sobers considered Subash as the best leg spinner of all time (even better than Shane Warne). He has taken 27 wickets from 5 matches against vintage West Indies and has established himself as one of the best bowlers in the history. Played in a total of 36 test matches he has taken a total of 149 wickets in his career.
7. BS Chandrashekar:
Chandrashekar is one of the greatest test bowlers of all time. Playing only for 8 test matches, he has picked up 242 wickets with an amazing average of 29.74 for India. During the 1970’s Chandrashekar was the biggest answer that India had to the opponent batsmen in good form. The biggest thing that makes him the best leg spinner of all time is his unpredictability in bowling which often confused the batsmen. Here's a sneak peak into the BS Chandrashekar's life: BS Chandrasekhar | A Fast Bowler Turned Into Legendary Leg-Spinner
8. Mushtaq Ahmed:
Mushtaq Ahmed was one of the best wrist spinners in international cricket at a time. Succeeding Abdul Qadir in the test tea, he led Pakistan to a number of victories at that time. He ended his career playing Pakistan with a total of 185 wickets taken from 52 test matches. In his cricketing career Ahmed has also appeared for 3 different county teams such as Sussex, Surrey and Somerset.
9. Stuart MacGill:
Stuart MacGill is one of the most unfortunate spinners of all time. He was always in the shadow of Shane Warne who was the number one test bowler for Australia. With his amazing spin over the ball and the exceptional skill to bowl unpredictable googly’s he has taken 208 wickets from 44 test matches.
10. Danesh Kaneria:
Yet another Pak leg spinner, Danish Kaneria stands in the 10th position of this list. He is the best leg spinner Pakistan has ever had and the highest wicket taking leg spinner with a total of 261 wickets from 61 matches in test cricket. Kaneris is well acknowledged for his perfect googly which was his masterpiece that gave him the scalps of many opponent batsmen.
Also read here best fast bowlers of all time and best off spinners of all time
