Items15The creator’s order
  1. 1Jim LakerJim LakerBorn 9 Feb 1922Laker's 19 wickets for 90 against Australia at Old Trafford in 1956 remain the best match figures in first-class cricket, let alone Tests. The pitch helped, but Tony Lock, a fine spinner at the other end, took one wicket on it. Laker's accuracy and drift with off-spin, and his patience to keep the…0i
  2. 2Derek UnderwoodDerek UnderwoodBorn 8 Jun 1945Deadly Derek bowled left-arm spin at almost medium pace, which on rain-affected uncovered pitches was nearly unplayable. At the Oval in 1968, after a storm and volunteers mopping the outfield, he took the last Australian wicket with minutes to spare to level the series. He was more than a…0i
  3. 3Bishan Singh BediBishan Singh BediBorn 25 Sept 1946Bedi's left-arm spin was the most classical of the great Indian quartet: a smooth, unhurried action, loop and subtle variations in flight that drew batters out of their crease. He played county cricket for Northamptonshire and was a master of deceiving good players on true English and Australian…0i
  4. 4B. S. ChandrasekharB. S. ChandrasekharBorn 17 May 1945Chandrasekhar bowled leg-spin and googlies at near medium pace with an arm withered by childhood polio, which gave him unusual bounce and speed off the pitch. His 6 for 38 at the Oval in 1971 bowled England out and gave India their first Test win in England. He was erratic on some days and…0
  5. 5Abdul Qadir (cricketer)Abdul Qadir (cricketer)Born 15 Sept 1955Qadir kept leg-spin alive in the 1980s, when fast bowling dominated, with a bouncing, theatrical run-up and a full set of variations: leg-break, googly, top-spinner and flipper. His 9 for 56 against England at Lahore in 1987 is the spell to find. Shane Warne later said Qadir's example had shown him…0i
  6. 6Shane WarneShane WarneBorn 13 Sept 1969Warne's first ball in England, the 1993 delivery that drifted, dipped and spun past Mike Gatting to hit off stump, revived leg-spin overnight. He took 708 Test wickets with accuracy unusual for a wrist-spinner, plus the flipper, drift and constant mind games. His 40 wickets in the 2005 Ashes, in a…0i
  7. 7Muttiah MuralitharanMuttiah MuralitharanBorn 17 Apr 1972Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets, the record, with an off-spinner's wrist that produced huge turn and a doosra that went the other way. His 16 wickets at the Oval in 1998, on a flat pitch where England made 445, won the Test almost single-handedly. His action was investigated and cleared after…0i
  8. 8Anil KumbleAnil KumbleBorn 17 Oct 1970Kumble barely turned his leg-breaks; he bowled them fast, flat and straight with extra bounce, and relied on accuracy and top-spin. On a wearing Delhi pitch in 1999 he took all ten Pakistan wickets in an innings, only the second bowler to do it in Tests. His 619 Test wickets prove that craft can be…0i
  9. 9Saqlain MushtaqSaqlain MushtaqSaqlain is widely credited with developing the doosra, the off-spinner's delivery that turns the other way, and he used it to become the fastest bowler to 100 and 200 one-day international wickets at the time. In Chennai in 1999 his ten wickets beat India by 12 runs. His influence on modern finger…0i
  10. 10Graeme SwannGraeme SwannBorn 24 Mar 1979Swann gave orthodox off-spin an attacking edge, ripping the ball with a big flick and drift, and he struck early in his spells. With Monty Panesar he spun England to a series win in India in 2012-13, rare for touring spinners. He also took wickets in English conditions that normally favour seam, a…0i