Cricket
Top five English spinners of all time
With The Ashes just around the corner, an injury to preferred spinner Jack Leach means that Moeen Ali returns to the side.
Here we will take a look at some of England’s best spinners throughout the years, all of whom they would have loved to call up this year.
We look through the players below.
5. Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar was somewhat of a revolutionary when he gave spin bowling in England a revival following his test debut in 2006. Panesar bowled left-arm off-spin and was described by some as the best spinner in the world at his peak.
Monty Panesar’s ability with the bat and in the field was a point of ridicule, but no one was laughing at his bowling with his ability to generate immense turn and his extravagant celebration when he would take a wicket.
Panesar took 167 wickets in 50 tests, with a bowling average of 34.71 runs conceded per wicket, a respectable figure for a man who came to the forefront of spin bowling when England were crying out for such a player.
4. Tony Lock
Tony Lock is another left-arm spinner who was crucial in so many England victories. Lock is sometimes overlooked due to his legendary spin bowling partner, Jim Laker, but Lock’s talents should not be understated.
Lock was more of an attacking, aggressive spinner, rather than a slower, high-spinning bowler. This skill set was crucial in his partnership with Laker, as the two bowled two very different styles of spin, leading to an incredible number of wickets taken between them.
Lock took 174 wickets in 49 tests at an average of just 25.58 runs per wicket, a figure which emphasises his consistency and attacking nature.
3. Jim Laker
The other, more well-known half of the formidable partnership was right-arm off-spinner, Jim Laker. Laker is considered by some, including West Indies great Sir Garfield Sobers, as the greatest off-spinner of all time.
Laker was infamous for his wide range of variations as with ease he would drastically alter the flight, spin and pace of his deliveries, being almost unstoppable on his day, especially on English wickets.
Laker finished his career with 193 wickets in 46 tests, with an average of just 21.24 runs per wicket, the best on this list, statistics which render him one of the greatest ever.
2. Graeme Swann
Graeme Swann is England’s most recent memory of a truly world-class spinner, and the right-arm off-spinner is considered by all to be England’s greatest off-spinner of this century.
Swann burst onto the Test cricket scene with England, taking two wickets in his first-ever Test over, dismissing the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid both by LBW. Swann’s England form was exemplary throughout his five-year stint in the side, with his highlight coming in the 2010/11 Ashes where he played a pivotal role in the 3-1 win over Australia.
Swann’s tally of 255 wickets in 60 tests is one of the best on this list and averaging over four wickets per test is seriously impressive, with a bowling average of 29.96 being more than respectable.
1. Derek Underwood
Derek Underwood is yet another legendary left-arm off-spinner, and being England’s top wicket-taking spinner he has since earned his place in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Underwood was able to adapt to any conditions, but it was on damper English wickets where he could deal the most damage with his incredible precision and variations in pace. It was on these types of wickets where, on six occasions, he took 10 wickets in a single match.
Underwood fell just three short of another milestone as he finished his career on 297 wickets in 86 tests, in an England career which lasted 16 years. His bowling average of 25.83 would certainly have been brought down on one occasion where he took his best figures of 8/51 against Pakistan.
