This Rating takes into account only the matches played in the 2000s. Brief explanation of the ratings is given before each section (Detailed Explanation). So, here are the Top 7 Spin bowlers in ODI cricket in the 2000s.

*Note: All ODI Ratings are updated till 2025-09-15

CONTENTS

3. PRIMARY CRITERIA

3.1. PROLIFIC

3.2. CONSISTENT

3.2.1. Against All Teams

3.2.2. Against Top Teams

3.3. ECONOMIC

3.3.1. Against All Teams

3.3.2. Against Top Teams

3.4. BEST BOWLING BY WKTS (NWT)

3.5. BEST BOWLING BY ECO (NWT)

3.6. PRIMARY RATING

4. CONDITIONS CRITERIA

4.1. HOME/AWAY

4.1.1. At Home

4.1.2. Away From Home

4.2. FAVOURABLE/UNFAVOURABLE CONDITIONS

4.2.1. Favourable Conditions Rating

4.2.1.1. Non Asians In Asia

4.2.1.2. Asians In Asia

4.2.2. Unfavourable Conditions Rating

4.2.2.1. Non Asians Outside Asia

4.2.2.2. Asians Outside Asia

4.3. CONDITIONS RATING

5. SECONDARY CRITERIA

5.1. WORLD CUP

5.2. IMPACT INNINGS

5.3. TOP FORM

5.4. SECONDARY RATING

6. DECADES RATING

7. NON WEAK TEAMS

8. TOP TEAMS

THE CRITERIA

CRITERIA	CONSTITUENTS
Primary	Wickets, Average, Economy, BBI (Wkts & Eco)
Conditions	Home, Away, In Asia, Outside Asia
Secondary	World Cup, Top Form, Impact Inns

The Trend Setter (TS)

TS is the player which does the best in a criteria. The rating of all other players are calculated taking the TS as the benchmark. Know All About TS. Here is an example:-

TS Ave: 25.00; Player X Ave: 30.00; Section Points: 300.00
TS Points: 300.00(Max); Player X Points: TS Ave/Ave X 300 = 25.00/30.00 X 300 = 250.00
Ratings of all sections are calculated similarly with Ave being replaced by the Criteria Stat.

TT and NWT

Some sections consider performances only against the top teams (TT) and non weak teams (NWT). Here is some information:-

Win/Loss Ratio is used to determine TT and NWT.
They are calculated by decades.
A bowler's performace is counted in TT or NWT if it comes against that team in the specific decade.
Knock Out and Super Six matches of ODI World Cup are also counted.
TT & NWT may be found in the last section.

QUALIFICATION

Min Innings (TT)	15
Min Career Wkts	25

PRIMARY CRITERIA

The Primary Rating is divided into 5 main sections:-

CRITERIA	STAT	POINTS
Prolific	Wickets Taken	200.00
Consistent	Average	300.00
Economic	Strike Rate	300.00
Best Bowling	Top Inns (Wkts)	100.00
Economic Bowling	Top Inns (Eco)	100.00

PROLIFIC

Criteria: Points For Wickets Taken

RANK	BOWLER	NAT	INNS	WKTS	RAT
TS	M Muralitharan	SL	200	335	200.00
1	M Muralitharan	SL	200	335	200.00
2	DL Vettori	NZ	196	223	133.13
3	Harbhajan Singh	IND	184	215	128.36
4	Shahid Afridi	PAK	182	213	127.16
5	GB Hogg	AUS	106	153	91.34
6	SK Warne	AUS	60	81	48.36
7	BAW Mendis	SL	37	72	42.99

CONSISTENT

R Ave

Relative Average (R Ave) is a more accurate type of average. Know How It Is Calculated. Briefly it takes into account:-

Strength of Opposition.
Venues at which a bowler has played.
Time Period in which he has been active

Criteria: Points For Relative Average

Min Qualification For TS
Min Wickets	50
Min Wickets (TT)	30

Against All Teams

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	RUNS	WKTS	AVE	R AVE	RAT
TS	BAW Mendis	37	1286	72	17.86	19.59	150.00
1	BAW Mendis	37	1286	72	17.86	19.59	150.00
2	M Muralitharan	200	6885	335	20.55	21.81	134.77
3	GB Hogg	106	3970	153	25.95	25.91	113.41
4	DL Vettori	196	6775	223	30.38	29.03	101.23
5	SK Warne	60	2394	81	29.56	29.37	100.04
6	Shahid Afridi	182	6456	213	30.31	30.41	96.65
7	Harbhajan Singh	184	7206	215	33.52	33.50	87.71

Against Top Teams

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	RUNS	WKTS	AVE	R AVE	RAT
TS	M Muralitharan	148	5457	237	23.03	23.08	150.00
1	M Muralitharan	148	5457	237	23.03	23.08	150.00
2	BAW Mendis	24	936	40	23.40	23.35	148.27
3	GB Hogg	81	3129	112	27.94	26.65	129.92
4	SK Warne	47	1906	58	32.86	31.50	109.94
5	DL Vettori	154	5432	153	35.50	32.40	106.89
6	Shahid Afridi	131	4796	138	34.75	32.72	105.83
7	Harbhajan Singh	135	5440	158	34.43	32.99	104.96

ECONOMIC

R ER

Relative Economy Rate (R ER) for bowlers is calculated using the same method as R Ave with average being replaced with ER.

Criteria: Points For R ER

Min Qualification For TS
Min Balls	1000

Against All Teams

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	BLS	RUNS	ER	R ER	RAT
TS	M Muralitharan	200	11017	6885	3.75	3.65	150.00
1	M Muralitharan	200	11017	6885	3.75	3.65	150.00
2	DL Vettori	196	10032	6775	4.05	3.94	138.89
3	SK Warne	60	3270	2394	4.39	4.08	134.01
4	Harbhajan Singh	184	10067	7206	4.29	4.15	131.74
5	BAW Mendis	37	1797	1286	4.29	4.19	130.50
6	GB Hogg	106	5269	3970	4.52	4.29	127.39
7	Shahid Afridi	182	8493	6456	4.56	4.43	123.35

Against Top Teams

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	BLS	RUNS	ER	R ER	RAT
TS	M Muralitharan	148	8393	5457	3.90	3.69	150.00
1	M Muralitharan	148	8393	5457	3.90	3.69	150.00
2	DL Vettori	154	7862	5432	4.15	3.95	140.07
3	SK Warne	47	2587	1906	4.42	4.04	137.23
4	Harbhajan Singh	135	7485	5440	4.36	4.17	132.75
5	BAW Mendis	24	1222	936	4.60	4.29	129.05
6	GB Hogg	81	4004	3129	4.69	4.35	127.35
7	Shahid Afridi	131	6146	4796	4.68	4.46	124.24

BEST BOWLING BY WKTS (NWT)

BBW

In this criteria, we have taken the top 5 bowling performances by Wkts of a bowler against Non Weak Teams in the 2000s. Best Bowling By Wickets (BBW) is simply the total wickets taken in the 5 innings divided by 5.

Criteria: Points For Wkts Taken In Top 5 Inns

RANK	BOWLER	1	2	3	4	5	BBW	RAT
TS	M Muralitharan	7/30	5/9	5/23	5/30	5/31	5.40	100.00
1	M Muralitharan	7/30	5/9	5/23	5/30	5/31	5.40	100.00
2	Shahid Afridi	6/38	5/40	4/20	4/38	3/11	4.40	81.48
2	DL Vettori	5/7	5/30	4/14	4/20	4/24	4.40	81.48
2	Harbhajan Singh	5/31	5/43	5/56	4/46	3/27	4.40	81.48
5	GB Hogg	5/32	5/41	4/29	4/49	3/17	4.20	77.78
6	BAW Mendis	6/13	4/10	4/47	3/21	3/24	4.00	74.07
7	SK Warne	4/48	3/38	3/41	3/50	3/52	3.20	59.26

BEST BOWLING BY ECO (NWT)

BBE

In this criteria, we have taken the top 5 bowling performances by Economy of a bowler against Non Weak Teams. Best Bowling By Economy (BBE) is the Relative Economy of the bowler in the 5 Inns. Only 30+ Balls performaces are counted in this criteria.

Criteria: Points For Economy In Top 5 Inns

RANK	BOWLER	1	2	3	4	5	BBE	RAT
TS	M Muralitharan	10.0/9	10.0/9	6.0/6	9.0/11	8.0/12	1.06	100.00
1	M Muralitharan	10.0/9	10.0/9	6.0/6	9.0/11	8.0/12	1.06	100.00
2	DL Vettori	6.0/7	5.2/7	10.0/14	10.0/19	9.0/18	1.57	67.86
3	Harbhajan Singh	10.0/14	8.0/14	10.0/20	10.0/23	8.0/19	1.89	56.20
4	SK Warne	10.0/19	10.0/21	6.0/13	7.0/16	8.0/20	2.02	52.70
5	BAW Mendis	8.0/13	7.0/14	10.0/22	9.0/21	9.4/24	2.10	50.58
6	Shahid Afridi	7.0/11	7.2/15	8.0/19	10.0/24	8.0/21	2.17	49.00
7	GB Hogg	10.0/24	6.3/16	10.0/27	10.0/27	10.0/28	2.49	42.66

PRIMARY RATING

The total of the above five criteria comes out to be 1,000.00 points. The Primary Rating is the addition of the points a bowler scored in the five criteria. The Weightage of the Rating is 40%.

RANK	BOWLER	PRO	CON	ECO	BBW	BBE	RAT	PRI PTS
1	M Muralitharan	200.00	284.77	300.00	100.00	100.00	984.77	393.91
2	DL Vettori	133.13	208.12	278.96	81.48	67.86	769.55	307.82
3	BAW Mendis	42.99	298.27	259.55	74.07	50.58	725.46	290.18
4	Harbhajan Singh	128.36	192.67	264.49	81.48	56.20	723.21	289.28
5	GB Hogg	91.34	243.33	254.74	77.78	42.66	709.84	283.94
6	Shahid Afridi	127.16	202.48	247.59	81.48	49.00	707.71	283.09
7	SK Warne	48.36	209.98	271.24	59.26	52.70	641.53	256.61

CONDITIONS CRITERIA

The Conditions Rating is calculated by applying the five criteria of Primary Rating to various conditions. If Innings are less than the Qualification than the Player gets 50% of the Points.

The four conditions criteria and thier weightage is as follows:-

CRITERIA	POINTS
Home	20.00
Away	80.00
Favourable Conditions	20.00
Unfavourable Conditions	80.00

HOME/AWAY

HM/AW RATING

Points to note:-

U.A.E. and India are considered as Home for Afghanistan.
U.A.E. is also considered as a second home for Pakistan.
All Home and Away stats of Pakistani and Afghani bowlers are calculated accordingly.

At Home

Min Innings Vs Top Teams: 5

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	WKTS	AVE	ECO	RAT	WTG
1	M Muralitharan	62	105	20.41	3.62	972.20	19.44
2	DL Vettori	78	82	31.35	3.94	833.04	16.66
3	Harbhajan Singh	81	96	34.63	4.41	799.56	15.99
4	Shahid Afridi	75	88	31.50	4.55	756.55	15.13
5	GB Hogg	41	57	28.61	4.57	708.22	14.16
6	BAW Mendis	14	22	25.36	4.47	676.97	13.54
7	SK Warne	31	41	30.66	4.28	673.46	13.47

Away From Home

Min Innings Vs Top Teams: 10

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	WKTS	AVE	ECO	RAT	WTG
1	M Muralitharan	138	230	20.62	3.81	952.02	76.16
2	DL Vettori	118	141	29.82	4.12	721.59	57.73
3	BAW Mendis	23	50	14.56	4.17	713.88	57.11
4	GB Hogg	65	96	24.36	4.49	697.74	55.82
5	Harbhajan Singh	103	119	32.62	4.20	663.58	53.09
6	Shahid Afridi	107	125	29.47	4.57	660.98	52.88
7	SK Warne	29	40	28.43	4.52	617.60	49.41

FAVOURABLE/UNFAVOURABLE CONDITIONS

FC/UC RATING

Points to note:-

Unfavourable Conditions (UC) is Outside Asia for Spinners and In Asia for Pacers.
Favourable Conditions (FC) are the opposite.

Favourable Conditions Rating

Non Asians In Asia

Min Innings Vs Top Teams: 5

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	WKTS	AVE	ECO	RAT	WTG
1	DL Vettori	39	52	25.27	3.94	922.72	18.45
2	GB Hogg	20	35	20.57	4.36	840.69	16.81
3	SK Warne	7	7	40.29	4.83	495.97	9.92

Asians In Asia

Min Innings Vs Top Teams: 10

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	WKTS	AVE	ECO	RAT	WTG
1	M Muralitharan	112	193	18.94	3.50	997.91	19.96
2	Harbhajan Singh	121	152	31.57	4.28	748.26	14.97
3	BAW Mendis	27	51	19.27	4.38	724.29	14.49
4	Shahid Afridi	110	122	32.95	4.63	653.87	13.08

Unfavourable Conditions Rating

Non Asians Outside Asia

Min Innings Vs Top Teams: 10

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	WKTS	AVE	ECO	RAT	WTG
1	DL Vettori	157	171	31.94	4.08	934.01	74.72
2	GB Hogg	86	118	27.54	4.56	829.07	66.33
3	SK Warne	53	74	28.54	4.34	787.66	63.01

Asians Outside Asia

Min Innings Vs Top Teams: 5

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	WKTS	AVE	ECO	RAT	WTG
1	M Muralitharan	88	142	22.74	4.08	999.47	79.96
2	Shahid Afridi	72	91	26.77	4.46	809.51	64.76
3	Harbhajan Singh	63	63	38.21	4.33	681.33	54.51
4	BAW Mendis	10	21	14.43	4.04	500.00	40.00

CONDITIONS RATING

The Conditions Rating is the addition of the points a bowler scored in the four criteria. The Weightage of the Rating is 20%.

RANK	BOWLER	AW	HM	UC	FC	CON PTS
1	M Muralitharan	76.16	19.44	79.96	19.96	195.52
2	DL Vettori	57.73	16.66	74.72	18.45	167.56
3	GB Hogg	55.82	14.16	66.33	16.81	153.12
4	Shahid Afridi	52.88	15.13	64.76	13.08	145.85
5	Harbhajan Singh	53.09	15.99	54.51	14.97	138.55
6	SK Warne	49.41	13.47	63.01	9.92	135.81
7	BAW Mendis	57.11	13.54	40.00	14.49	125.14

SECONDARY CRITERIA

The Secondary Rating consists of three parts. If Innings are less than the Qualification than the Player gets 50% of the Points.

The three secondary criteria and thier weightage is as follows:-

CRITERIA	POINTS
World Cup	150.00
Impact Innings	150.00
Top Form	100.00

WORLD CUP

Min Innings Vs Top Teams: 3

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	WKTS	AVE	ECO	RAT	WTG
1	M Muralitharan	20	40	16.75	3.89	997.38	149.61
2	GB Hogg	20	34	19.24	4.13	906.46	135.97
3	DL Vettori	17	18	39.22	4.34	574.78	86.22
4	SK Warne	0	0	NA	NA	500.00	75.00
4	BAW Mendis	0	0	NA	NA	500.00	75.00
6	Harbhajan Singh	11	11	38.00	3.97	475.86	71.38
7	Shahid Afridi	4	6	27.33	5.38	336.87	50.53

IMPACT INNINGS (II)

Impact Innings are those innings which have an impact either in terms of wickets or economy rate. Know All About II. These are the criteria for an inning to be included in II:-

A Bowler takes equal to or more wickets than 4.
A Bowler bowls more than 30 balls and has a low ER.
The required ER is calculated by the number of wickets taken.

IMPACT INNINGS

Min Innings Vs Top Teams: 20

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	II	II Perc	RAT	WTG
1	M Muralitharan	200	98	49.00	1,000.00	150.00
2	DL Vettori	196	69	35.20	668.28	100.24
3	Harbhajan Singh	184	66	35.87	663.48	99.52
4	SK Warne	60	20	33.33	545.94	81.89
5	BAW Mendis	37	13	35.14	529.84	79.48
6	GB Hogg	106	29	27.36	528.25	79.24
7	Shahid Afridi	182	46	25.27	459.56	68.93

TOP FORM RATING

Points to note:-

Top Form is calculated by taking the best 50 consecutive innings of a bowler.
Only Inns against Non Weak Teams are considered in the rating.
Non Weak Teams may be found in the last section.

TOP FORM

Min Innings Vs Non Weak Teams: 10

RANK	BOWLER	INNS	WKTS	AVE	ECO	RAT	WTG
1	M Muralitharan	50	92	16.77	3.23	1,000.00	100.00
2	DL Vettori	50	62	25.73	3.94	705.32	70.53
3	GB Hogg	50	76	24.39	4.51	704.05	70.41
4	Harbhajan Singh	50	70	27.40	4.09	690.58	69.06
5	SK Warne	50	67	30.18	4.39	656.95	65.70
6	BAW Mendis	30	49	22.86	4.45	649.40	64.94
7	Shahid Afridi	50	65	31.34	4.51	630.35	63.04

SECONDARY RATING

The Secondary Rating is the addition of the points a bowler scored in the three criteria. The Weightage of the Rating is 40%.

RANK	BOWLER	WC	II	TF	SEC RAT
1	M Muralitharan	149.61	150.00	100.00	399.61
2	GB Hogg	135.97	79.24	70.41	285.61
3	DL Vettori	86.22	100.24	70.53	256.99
4	Harbhajan Singh	71.38	99.52	69.06	239.96
5	SK Warne	75.00	81.89	65.70	222.59
6	BAW Mendis	75.00	79.48	64.94	219.42
7	Shahid Afridi	50.53	68.93	63.04	182.50

DECADES RATING

DECADES Rating is the addition of the points of all the above criteria. The rating is out of 1,000 Pts.

RANK	BOWLER	NAT	PRI PTS	CON PTS	SEC PTS	FIN RAT
1	M Muralitharan	SL	393.91	195.52	399.61	989.04
2	DL Vettori	NZ	307.82	167.56	256.99	732.37
3	GB Hogg	AUS	283.94	153.12	285.61	722.67
4	Harbhajan Singh	IND	289.28	138.55	239.96	667.79
5	BAW Mendis	SL	290.18	125.14	219.42	634.74
6	SK Warne	AUS	256.61	135.81	222.59	615.01
7	Shahid Afridi	PAK	283.09	145.85	182.50	611.43

NON WEAK TEAMS

DECADE OF MAT	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1970s	WI	ENG	AUS	NZ	PAK	SL	IND
1980s	WI	ENG	AUS	PAK	IND	NZ	SL	ZIM
1990s	SA	AUS	PAK	WI	IND	SL	ENG	NZ	ZIM
2000s	AUS	SA	SL	PAK	IND	NZ	ENG	WI	BAN
2010s	IND	SA	AUS	ENG	NZ	PAK	SL	BAN	WI
2020s	IND	NZ	AUS	PAK	SL	SA	BAN	ENG	AFG	WI