Spinners have become a precious commodity, particularly more so when it comes to limited-overs cricket.
Their ability to tie down the rate of scoring in the middle overs has always been a great asset to have for any ODI skippers, with many teams preferring to operate two spinners in tandem during the phase.
But while previously spinners were looked as a tactic to control the flow of runs and keep things tight, their role has evolved considerably in modern-day cricket. Spinners are now starting to emerge as genuine wicket-taking options, with several of them bowling in the powerplay and death overs as well.
With their increased significance in ODI cricket, we take a look at eight of the top spinners in the format. We have done so by sorting them out in four separate tiers.
TIER 4
Mitchell Santner – New Zealand
Mitchell Santner might not the most prolific wicket-taker in ODI cricket, but he performs an important role for the Blackcaps with some distinction.
The left-armed orthodox spinner might only have 71 wickets to show for his 72 ODI appearances, though his value is far greater than those numbers. A gun fielder in the outfield and a handy batsman down the order, Santner is adept at choking up the runs for the opposition.
His career economy-rate of just 4.89 is pretty impressive and he has a knack of coming up with clutch spells for the Blackcaps when it counts most. One only has to look at his display of 2-34 against India in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, which paved the way for a sensational Blackcaps victory.
With a similar bowling style to that of New Zealand legend Daniel Vettori, Santner relies more on his dip and guile to contain batsmen. He is not the biggest turner of the ball by any stretch but he knows how to hit the right spot every single time.
Adam Zampa – Australia
An under-rated spinner, Adam Zampa has managed to establish as a crucial component of Australia’s bowling attack in the past 18 months or so. Australia’s fascination of finding a like-for-like Shane Warne replacement means Zampa might never get the recognition he deserves, though the leg-spinner has managed to do a fine job for the limited-overs outfits in recent times.
He has the wood over India superstar Virat Kohli certainly, having dismissed him on as many as five separate occasions. The 28-year-old might spin the ball as sharply as Warne or Stuart MacGill, but he makes up for it with some intelligent bowling.
Armed with a good flipper and a googly, Zampa’s penchant of always attacking the stumps stands him in good stead. He has claimed 33 wickets for Australia in 22 matches since the start of 2019, despite playing most of his cricket on unhelpful pitches for spinners. He fancies himself for a battle against any batsman in the world, and is the perfect complement to Australia’s formidable pace attack.
TIER 3
Adil Rashid – England
While he might not have been able to tie down a place in England’s Test squad, Adil Rashid remains integral to their limited-overs formats. The leg-spinner has all the makings of a great spinner, with sharp turn, flight and a difficult to read googly in his armoury. However, like many wrist-spinners, he has a habit of delivering the odd loose ball in every over which offers batsmen a chance to relieve the pressure.
That shortcoming might have cost him with the red-ball for England, but the white-ball is more forgiving. With England’s enviable batting unit capable of chasing down any total, Rashid has been given the license to purely attack for wickets in the limited-overs formats.
It is a job he does well with as many as 69 wickets in his last 46 ODI appearances for England. He played an important and unheralded role in England’s 2019 World Cup win and chipped in with crucial wickets over the course of that campaign. While he might concede some runs in the process, Rashid guarantees wickets in the ODI format where batsmen are more inclined to attack him.
Shadab Khan – Pakistan
Still only 21, Shadab Khan is already a veteran of 43 ODI matches for Pakistan. Since his exploits as a teenager in Pakistan’s 2017 Champions Trophy-winning campaign, the youngster has managed to establish himself as a mainstay for the Men in Green.
A classical leg-spinner who can turn the ball prodigiously, Shadab has all the variations in the book to be a limited-overs success. After an impressive 2018 and 2019, the leggie suffered a dip in form last year where he averaged more than 41 with the ball. Yet, he has plenty of time on his side to overcome this minor blip and his past track record suggests he should be back among the wickets very soon.
His overall career numbers are still healthy, with 59 wickets at an average of 29.66 and an economy-rate of just 5.02. His growing value as a handy lower-order batsman makes him a must have in any Pakistan limited-overs XI.
TIER 2
Yuzvendra Chahal – India
When it comes to leg-spinners, there aren’t many better in the business than Yuzvendra Chahal. A late bloomer, Chahal’s route to the Indian team came after some consistent displays in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
It didn’t take him too long to find his feet in international cricket, with Chahal forging a fine wrist-spin partnership with Kuldeep Yadav. Having honed his skills primarily in the IPL, the 29-year-old has added all kinds of variations to his armoury including a fine googly.
However, it is the fact that he is not afraid to flight the ball that makes such a success for India. 91 wickets in just 52 matches at an average of only 25.83 is an excellent record for any ODI bowler. His ability to bowl with the new ball, as well as in the death overs, makes him a handy asset for India skipper Virat Kohli.
Mujeeb ur Rahman – Afghanistan
With an ICC ODI ranking of No3, Mujeeb ur Rahman is one of the brightest young talents in the sport of cricket. Shaving just turned 19, the Afghan teen has already developed a stellar reputation as a hard-to-pick mystery spinner.
He rose to fame by leading Afghanistan to a historic U19 Asia Cup title, with those exploits earning him a lucrative IPL contract with Kings XI Punjab in 2018. While the off-spinner might be his stock delivery, the Afghan man can also bowl leg-spin and googlies with the very same action.
It is this mystery that has seen him develop into one of the most economical bowlers in the circuit. In 40 ODIs, Mujeeb has maintained a staggering economy-rate of just 3.94 while also helping himself to 63 wickets. The teenager was one of the rare bright sparks in Afghanistan’s dismal 2019 World Cup campaign, where they failed to win a single game.
With him and Rashid Khan in tow, Afghanistan have one of the most young and formidable spin attacks in the world.
TIER 1
Rashid Khan – Afghanistan
When it comes to limited-overs spinners, no man has quite the reputation as Rashid Khan. Ranked No1 in the T20I format, the leg-spinner is equally effective in the 50-over version as well.
In just 71 ODIs for Afghanistan, Rashid has managed to snare 133 wickets at an outstanding average of just 18.54. He is the country’s biggest superstar and is arguably the most in-demand spinner in the business of T20 franchise cricket.
The 21-year-old guarantees wickets every time he steps on the field, and he is rarely ever taken for run to boot. His ODI economy-rate is just 4.16, with his variations making him a tough bowler to attack.
What makes Rashid tick is abitity to bowl darting leg-spinners at pace, giving the batsmen no time to read his delivery. That he also has a lethal googly up his sleeve only sows further doubts into the batsmen’s heads.
Kuldeep Yadav – India
Watching a left-armed wrist-spinner in motion is always a pretty sight and Kuldeep Yadav provides this rarity in cricket with some aplomb.
The 25-year-old is a pure wicket-taker with 104 scalps in 60 ODI appearances for India. Like his spin partner Chahal, Kuldeep never hesitates to give the ball plenty of flight while also possessing the ability to get it to dip sharply.
Like all modern wrist-spinners, Kuldeep has a cleverly disguised googly in his arsenal and that variation has fetched him several of his 104 wickets. Ever since he made his debut for India in 2017, no bowler apart from Rashid Khan (106) has picked up more wickets than Kuldeep.
There’s plenty of cricket still to come for Kuldeep, and he will only get better with some more experience under his belt. At times, he can let the pressure get the better of him and he could turn into a complete beast with some work on his temperament.
