Our T20 International (T20I) ratings take into account all matches from the first T20I match on February 17, 2005 till the below mentioned
last update date. The Ratings are divided into 5 sections which take into account the number of wickets taken; the average of bowlers;
their economy rate; their best performances by wickets and their top most economic spells. How the rating works is explained in highlighted
sections. So, here are the Top 10 Spin bowlers in World Cup cricket
*Note: All T20I Ratings are updated till 2023-01-08
WORLD CUP Rating
This rating only includes stats of Spin bowlers in World Cup cricket. The rating is divided into sections to make it easy to understand how it is calculated. Before each section, its criteria is highlighted in bold. Our ratings are dynamic, and as new matches are played, the rating of earlier bowlers may change if current bowlers set new benchmarks.
Top Teams (TT)
Top Teams play an integral part in our T20I Rating. The Average (Con) and Economy (Eco) sections are divided into overall stats as well as stats against the top teams. Moreover, the best (BBW) and most economic (BBE) performances only include performances against the top teams. Here is how the Top Teams are calculated:-
- Win/Loss Ratio is used to determine top teams.
- The top teams are calculated by decades.
- To be a top team, the team should be among the top teams of the decade overall.
- A team is also included in top teams if it is a World Cup winner in that decade.
- A bowler’s performace is counted in TT if he played against that team in that decade.
- Knock Out matches of ICC World Cup are also included in TT.
- The Top Teams may be found in the last section of the rating.
The Trend Setter
The Trend Setter (TS) is the player which does the best in a criteria. The rating of all other players are calculated as percentage points of TS. Let’s taken an example to understand it:-
- Let’s assume that Trent Boult has taken 100 wkts, which is the highest. This makes him the TS.
- Another player, say Dale Steyn, has taken 50 wkts.
- If the rating is out of 200, Boult will get the full points (pts), that is 200.
- The points of Steyn are calculated as His Wkts/Boult’s Wkts*200. This comes out to be 100.
- Thus the formula is (Wkts Taken/Wkts Taken By TS)*Max Points.
- All ratings are calculated similarly with Wkts being replaced by the Criteria Stat.
- Obviously, for average the formula is reverased as lower average is better for a bowler.
- For Average, a bowler is eligible to be TS only if he has taken a minimum number of wickets.
- For Economy, a bowler is eligible to be TS only if he has bowled a minimum number of balls.
- If a bowler doesn’t fulfill the criteria of TS but has done better, he gets the max points but his stat is not taken as benchmark.
- Lastly, it is to be noted that it is not necessary for a TS to be part of the rating as he might have topped in a criteria but not done well in others.
QUALIFICATION
| Min Innings | 5 |
| Min Innings (TT) | 5 |
| Min Wickets (TS AVE) | 10 |
| Min Balls (TS ECO) | 100 |
PROLIFIC
Criteria: Points For Wickets Taken
| RANK | BOWLER | NAT | FP | LP | INNS | WKTS | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | Shahid Afridi | PAK | 2006 | 2018 | 34 | 39 | 200.00 |
| 1 | Saeed Ajmal | PAK | 2009 | 2015 | 23 | 36 | 184.62 |
| 2 | Ajantha Mendis | SL | 2008 | 2014 | 21 | 35 | 179.49 |
| 3 | R Ashwin | IND | 2010 | 2022 | 24 | 32 | 164.10 |
| 4 | IS Sodhi | NZ | 2014 | 2022 | 17 | 25 | 128.21 |
| 5 | S Badree | WI | 2012 | 2018 | 15 | 24 | 123.08 |
| 6 | A Zampa | AUS | 2016 | 2022 | 14 | 23 | 117.95 |
| 7 | GP Swann | ENG | 2008 | 2012 | 15 | 22 | 112.82 |
| 8 | W Hasaranga | SL | 2019 | 2023 | 10 | 18 | 92.31 |
| 8 | Imran Tahir | SA | 2013 | 2019 | 9 | 18 | 92.31 |
| 10 | SP Narine | WI | 2012 | 2019 | 12 | 15 | 76.92 |
C Ave
The Comparative Average (C Ave) for bowlers is calculated by taken into account two factors:-
- First is the average of batsmen in the decades the bowler played.
- Second is the average of the opposition batsmen at Home, in Asia or outside Asia; whichever is applicable.
- The average of the opposing team’s batsmen is also calculated by decades.
- Higher C Ave suggest that more runs were scored by the batsmen in the above mentioned factors.
- Thus it was difficult to get Wkts and the bowler will benefit from this.
- Lower C Ave means the opposite.
R Ave
The Relative Average (R Ave) is calculated using the C Ave. Its formula is (Bowler Ave/C Ave)*A Constant Factor. This constant doesn’t affect the rating as it is the same for everone. If your C Ave is comparatively high, your R Ave will be low; which is better for bowlers. Broadly speaking, the following bowlers will benefit from this system:-
- Bowlers who have played more in unfavourable conditions.
- Bowlers who have played more against top opposition than weaker teams.
CONSISTENT
Criteria: Points For R Ave
Against All Teams
| RANK | BOWLER | INNS | RUNS | WKTS | AVE | C AVE | R AVE | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | Imran Tahir | 9 | 214 | 18 | 11.89 | 25.83 | 11.28 | 150.00 |
| 1 | Imran Tahir | 9 | 214 | 18 | 11.89 | 25.83 | 11.28 | 150.00 |
| 2 | S Badree | 15 | 326 | 24 | 13.58 | 25.75 | 12.93 | 130.86 |
| 3 | A Zampa | 14 | 306 | 23 | 13.30 | 25.06 | 13.01 | 130.01 |
| 4 | W Hasaranga | 10 | 247 | 18 | 13.72 | 25.31 | 13.28 | 127.35 |
| 5 | SP Narine | 12 | 231 | 15 | 15.40 | 25.84 | 14.60 | 115.85 |
| 6 | Ajantha Mendis | 21 | 526 | 35 | 15.03 | 24.81 | 14.84 | 113.98 |
| 7 | GP Swann | 15 | 358 | 22 | 16.27 | 25.39 | 15.70 | 107.72 |
| 8 | Saeed Ajmal | 23 | 607 | 36 | 16.86 | 24.84 | 16.63 | 101.69 |
| 9 | R Ashwin | 24 | 552 | 32 | 17.25 | 24.86 | 17.00 | 99.51 |
| 10 | IS Sodhi | 17 | 444 | 25 | 17.76 | 25.37 | 17.15 | 98.61 |
Against Top Teams
| RANK | BOWLER | INNS | RUNS | WKTS | AVE | C AVE | R AVE | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | W Hasaranga | 8 | 193 | 16 | 12.06 | 25.31 | 11.68 | 150.00 |
| 1 | W Hasaranga | 8 | 193 | 16 | 12.06 | 25.31 | 11.68 | 150.00 |
| 2 | S Badree | 15 | 326 | 24 | 13.58 | 25.75 | 12.93 | 135.49 |
| 3 | Imran Tahir | 8 | 193 | 14 | 13.79 | 25.83 | 13.07 | 133.94 |
| 4 | SP Narine | 11 | 210 | 14 | 15.00 | 25.84 | 14.22 | 123.15 |
| 5 | GP Swann | 15 | 358 | 22 | 16.27 | 25.39 | 15.70 | 111.54 |
| 6 | A Zampa | 12 | 268 | 16 | 16.75 | 25.06 | 16.38 | 106.92 |
| 7 | IS Sodhi | 14 | 349 | 20 | 17.45 | 25.37 | 16.85 | 103.92 |
| 8 | R Ashwin | 20 | 463 | 26 | 17.81 | 24.86 | 17.55 | 99.81 |
| 9 | Saeed Ajmal | 21 | 568 | 29 | 19.59 | 24.84 | 19.32 | 90.64 |
| 10 | Ajantha Mendis | 17 | 475 | 24 | 19.79 | 24.81 | 19.54 | 89.62 |
C ER And R ER
The Comparative Economy Rate (C ER) and Relative Economy Rate (R ER) for bowlers is calculated using the same method as in C Ave and R Ave with average replaced with ER.
ECONOMIC
Criteria: Points For R ER
Against All Teams
| RANK | BOWLER | INNS | BLS | RUNS | ER | C ER | R ER | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | SMSM Senanayake | 5 | 102 | 83 | 4.88 | 7.13 | 4.80 | 150.00 |
| 1 | SP Narine | 12 | 268 | 231 | 5.17 | 7.24 | 5.00 | 143.78 |
| 2 | S Badree | 15 | 354 | 326 | 5.53 | 7.20 | 5.38 | 133.80 |
| 3 | Imran Tahir | 9 | 216 | 214 | 5.94 | 7.26 | 5.73 | 125.48 |
| 4 | A Zampa | 14 | 300 | 306 | 6.12 | 7.32 | 5.85 | 122.85 |
| 5 | W Hasaranga | 10 | 228 | 247 | 6.50 | 7.33 | 6.21 | 115.81 |
| 6 | GP Swann | 15 | 330 | 358 | 6.51 | 7.25 | 6.29 | 114.38 |
| 7 | R Ashwin | 24 | 510 | 552 | 6.49 | 7.10 | 6.40 | 112.31 |
| 8 | Ajantha Mendis | 21 | 471 | 526 | 6.70 | 7.16 | 6.55 | 109.82 |
| 9 | IS Sodhi | 17 | 378 | 444 | 7.05 | 7.43 | 6.64 | 108.39 |
| 10 | Saeed Ajmal | 23 | 536 | 607 | 6.79 | 7.12 | 6.68 | 107.70 |
Against Top Teams
| RANK | BOWLER | INNS | BLS | RUNS | ER | C ER | R ER | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | SMSM Senanayake | 5 | 102 | 83 | 4.88 | 7.13 | 4.80 | 150.00 |
| 1 | SP Narine | 11 | 244 | 210 | 5.16 | 7.24 | 5.00 | 143.99 |
| 2 | S Badree | 15 | 354 | 326 | 5.53 | 7.20 | 5.38 | 133.80 |
| 3 | Imran Tahir | 8 | 192 | 193 | 6.03 | 7.26 | 5.82 | 123.67 |
| 4 | W Hasaranga | 8 | 186 | 193 | 6.23 | 7.33 | 5.95 | 120.91 |
| 5 | A Zampa | 12 | 252 | 268 | 6.38 | 7.32 | 6.10 | 117.82 |
| 6 | GP Swann | 15 | 330 | 358 | 6.51 | 7.25 | 6.29 | 114.38 |
| 7 | IS Sodhi | 14 | 312 | 349 | 6.71 | 7.43 | 6.32 | 113.82 |
| 8 | R Ashwin | 20 | 426 | 463 | 6.52 | 7.10 | 6.43 | 111.85 |
| 9 | Saeed Ajmal | 21 | 488 | 568 | 6.98 | 7.12 | 6.86 | 104.78 |
| 10 | Ajantha Mendis | 17 | 396 | 475 | 7.20 | 7.16 | 7.03 | 102.24 |
BBW
In this criteria, we have taken the top 5 bowling performances by Wkts of a bowler against top teams. Best Bowling By Wickets (BBW) is simply the total wickets taken in the 5 innings divided by 5.
BEST BOWLING (WKTS)
Criteria: Points For Wkts Taken In Top 5 Inns
| RANK | BOWLER | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | BBW | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | Saeed Ajmal | 4/26 | 4/30 | 3/17 | 3/34 | 2/18 | 3.20 | 100.00 |
| 1 | Saeed Ajmal | 4/26 | 4/30 | 3/17 | 3/34 | 2/18 | 3.20 | 100.00 |
| 2 | Ajantha Mendis | 4/12 | 3/9 | 3/20 | 3/24 | 2/9 | 3.00 | 93.75 |
| 2 | S Badree | 4/15 | 3/10 | 3/12 | 3/14 | 2/16 | 3.00 | 93.75 |
| 4 | R Ashwin | 4/11 | 3/22 | 3/22 | 2/14 | 2/15 | 2.80 | 87.50 |
| 5 | W Hasaranga | 3/13 | 3/20 | 3/21 | 2/19 | 2/22 | 2.60 | 81.25 |
| 5 | SP Narine | 3/9 | 3/16 | 3/20 | 2/17 | 2/19 | 2.60 | 81.25 |
| 7 | IS Sodhi | 3/18 | 3/21 | 2/17 | 2/21 | 2/28 | 2.40 | 75.00 |
| 8 | A Zampa | 3/23 | 2/12 | 2/21 | 2/22 | 2/32 | 2.20 | 68.75 |
| 8 | GP Swann | 3/24 | 2/22 | 2/24 | 2/26 | 2/28 | 2.20 | 68.75 |
| 8 | Imran Tahir | 3/26 | 2/13 | 2/24 | 2/27 | 2/27 | 2.20 | 68.75 |
BBE
In this criteria, we have taken the top 5 bowling performances by Economy of a bowler against top teams. Best Bowling By Economy (BBE) is the Relative Economy of the bowler in the 5 Inns. Only 12+ Balls performaces are counted in this criteria.
BEST BOWLING (ECO)
Criteria: Points For Economy In Top 5 Inns
| RANK | BOWLER | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | BBE | RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TS | Ajantha Mendis | 4.0/9 | 3.0/9 | 4.0/12 | 4.0/12 | 4.0/19 | 3.14 | 100.00 |
| 1 | Ajantha Mendis | 4.0/9 | 3.0/9 | 4.0/12 | 4.0/12 | 4.0/19 | 3.14 | 100.00 |
| 2 | S Badree | 4.0/10 | 4.0/12 | 4.0/14 | 4.0/15 | 4.0/16 | 3.26 | 96.29 |
| 3 | R Ashwin | 3.2/11 | 4.0/14 | 4.0/15 | 3.0/12 | 4.0/16 | 3.66 | 85.80 |
| 4 | SP Narine | 3.4/9 | 4.0/16 | 4.0/17 | 4.0/19 | 4.0/20 | 3.98 | 78.77 |
| 5 | IS Sodhi | 4.0/14 | 4.0/17 | 4.0/18 | 3.4/21 | 4.0/23 | 4.45 | 70.48 |
| 6 | W Hasaranga | 4.0/13 | 4.0/19 | 4.0/20 | 4.0/21 | 4.0/22 | 4.54 | 69.15 |
| 7 | A Zampa | 4.0/12 | 4.0/20 | 4.0/21 | 2.0/11 | 4.0/22 | 4.57 | 68.66 |
| 8 | GP Swann | 4.0/17 | 4.0/17 | 4.0/20 | 4.0/20 | 4.0/22 | 4.64 | 67.68 |
| 9 | Saeed Ajmal | 4.0/17 | 4.0/18 | 3.3/18 | 4.0/23 | 4.0/23 | 4.99 | 62.89 |
| 10 | Imran Tahir | 4.0/13 | 4.0/18 | 4.0/24 | 4.0/26 | 4.0/27 | 5.21 | 60.27 |
WC Rating
The WORLD CUP (WC) Rating is the addition of the points of all the above criteria. The rating is out of 1,000.
RATING
| RANK | BOWLER | PRO | CON | C TT | ECO | E TT | BBW | BBE | WC RAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S Badree | 123.08 | 130.86 | 135.49 | 133.80 | 133.80 | 93.75 | 96.29 | 847.08 |
| 2 | Ajantha Mendis | 179.49 | 113.98 | 89.62 | 109.82 | 102.24 | 93.75 | 100.00 | 788.90 |
| 3 | SP Narine | 76.92 | 115.85 | 123.15 | 143.78 | 143.99 | 81.25 | 78.77 | 763.72 |
| 4 | R Ashwin | 164.10 | 99.51 | 99.81 | 112.31 | 111.85 | 87.50 | 85.80 | 760.88 |
| 5 | W Hasaranga | 92.31 | 127.35 | 150.00 | 115.81 | 120.91 | 81.25 | 69.15 | 756.78 |
| 6 | Imran Tahir | 92.31 | 150.00 | 133.94 | 125.48 | 123.67 | 68.75 | 60.27 | 754.41 |
| 7 | Saeed Ajmal | 184.62 | 101.69 | 90.64 | 107.70 | 104.78 | 100.00 | 62.89 | 752.32 |
| 8 | A Zampa | 117.95 | 130.01 | 106.92 | 122.85 | 117.82 | 68.75 | 68.66 | 732.96 |
| 9 | IS Sodhi | 128.21 | 98.61 | 103.92 | 108.39 | 113.82 | 75.00 | 70.48 | 698.42 |
| 10 | GP Swann | 112.82 | 107.72 | 111.54 | 114.38 | 114.38 | 68.75 | 67.68 | 697.27 |
TOP TEAMS
| DECADE OF MAT | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | PAK | SA | IND | SL | AUS | WI | ENG | NZ | ||
| 2010s | IND | ENG | SA | AUS | PAK | NZ | SL | WI | AFG | BAN |
| 2020s | IND | ENG | PAK | AUS | SA | NZ | WI | SL | ZIM | AFG |