Top Spin Bowlers At Home Featured

Top 25 Spin Bowlers At Home In Test Cricket

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All Test Ratings on the website are from 01/01/1950 onwards. Our ratings are based on conditions and diverse oppositions. Before the above mentioned date, there were primarily only two teams which dominated cricket. Moreover, matches were of unequal length with some ending in 4 days and some being timeless. Post 1950, West Indies and South Africa grew as test teams. Moreover, Asian teams India and Pakistan started improving after 1950 and became compenent at home at least. Performance in Asia and outside Asia are integral to our overall rating. How the rating works is explained in highlighted sections. So, here are the Top 25 Spin bowlers in matches At Home

*Note: All Test Ratings are updated till 2023-01-08

CONTENTS
1. QUALIFICATION
2. PROLIFIC
3. CONSISTENT
3.1. Against All Teams
3.2. Against Top Teams
4. ATTACKING
5. BEST BOWLING (WKTS)
6. BEST BOWLING (AVE)
7. RATING
8. TOP TEAMS IN ASIA
9. TOP TEAMS OUTSIDE ASIA
HOME Rating

This rating only include stats of Spin bowlers in matches At Home. 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. It is to be noted that U.A.E. is considered as a second Home for Pakistan and all stats of Pakistani bowlers are calculated accordingly.

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 Glenn McGrath has taken 500 wkts, which is the highest. This makes him the TS.
  • Another player, say Jason Gillespie, has taken 250 wkts.
  • If the rating is out of 250, McGrath will get the full points (pts), that is 250.
  • The points of Gillespie are calculated as His Wkts/McGrath’s Wkts*250. This comes out to be 125.
  • 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 the lower average is better for a bowler.
  • For Average and Strike Rate, a bowler is eligible to be TS only if he has taken a minimum number of wickets, which are mentioned in the qualificaton.
  • 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 20
Min Wickets (TS AVE SR) 50
Min Wickets v/s Top Teams (TS AVE) 25
The Eras

The first criteria Prolific gives points for wkts taken. We have divided cricket from 1950 onwards into 3 broad eras. This has been done to make it fair for players from earlier era, when less cricket was played, and also for current players, who are in the middle of their careers. Let’s take an example:-

  • Let’s assume Murlidharan has taken 500 wickets, which is the maximum and gives him 250 points.
  • Now, say Underwood in earlier times took 250 wkts, which was the max for his era.
  • If there are no eras, he would get 50% of the pts, that is 125.
  • Instead of that, we reduced 50 pts (according to %age) from the max to arrive at the figure of 200 pts for Underwood.
  • Now, everyone in his era is compared to Underwood and not Murlidharan.
  • So a player who has taken 50 Wkts in Underwood’s era will get (50/250)*200 pts or 40pts.
  • Eras are calculated by MP, which is the mean of the years a player: First Played (FP) and Last Played (LP).

PROLIFIC

Criteria: Points For Wickets Taken

Era 1 MP before 1991
Era 2 MP between 1990 and 2016
Era 3 MP greater than 2015
RANK ERA 1 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS Abdul Qadir PAK 1977 1990 1983.5 68 168 180.00
1 Abdul Qadir PAK 1977 1990 1983.5 68 168 180.00
2 DL Underwood ENG 1966 1982 1974 73 145 155.36
3 BS Chandrasekhar IND 1964 1979 1971.5 55 142 152.14
4 BS Bedi IND 1966 1979 1972.5 54 137 146.79
5 LR Gibbs WI 1958 1976 1967 59 126 135.00
6 Iqbal Qasim PAK 1976 1988 1982 50 111 118.93
7 GAR Lock ENG 1952 1968 1960 50 104 111.43
8 R Illingworth ENG 1958 1973 1965.5 71 102 109.29
9 EAS Prasanna IND 1962 1978 1970 41 95 101.79
10 B Yardley AUS 1978 1983 1980.5 36 79 84.64
11 DR Doshi IND 1979 1983 1981 37 77 82.50
12 JG Bracewell NZ 1980 1990 1985 20 38 40.71
13 JD Higgs AUS 1978 1981 1979.5 21 37 39.64
RANK ERA 2 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS M Muralitharan SL 1992 2010 2001 134 493 250.00
1 M Muralitharan SL 1992 2010 2001 134 493 250.00
2 A Kumble IND 1990 2008 1999 115 350 177.48
3 SK Warne AUS 1992 2007 1999.5 129 319 161.76
4 HMRKB Herath SL 1999 2018 2008.5 92 278 140.97
5 Harbhajan Singh IND 1998 2015 2006.5 103 265 134.38
6 SCG MacGill AUS 1998 2008 2003 54 135 68.46
7 GP Swann ENG 2008 2013 2010.5 57 120 60.85
RANK ERA 3 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS R Ashwin IND 2011 2022 2016.5 99 312 210.00
1 R Ashwin IND 2011 2022 2016.5 99 312 210.00
2 NM Lyon AUS 2011 2023 2017 116 238 160.19
3 RA Jadeja IND 2012 2022 2017 71 172 115.77
4 Yasir Shah PAK 2014 2022 2018 41 130 87.50
5 MM Ali ENG 2014 2021 2017.5 62 104 70.00
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.
  • Asian fast bowlers and Non-Asian spin bowlers whereever applicable.
  • Bowlers who have played in an era where the batsmen dominated, like the 2000s
  • Bowlers who have played more against top opposition than weaker teams.
Top Teams (TT)

The R Ave Rating is divided into two parts:-

  • One is Overall which gives points for the overall R Ave.
  • The second part is Against Top Teams, which gives points for R Ave against top teams.
  • Win/Loss Ratio is used to determine top teams.
  • The top teams are calculated by decades.
  • Further, they are divided into In Asia and Outside Asia.
  • To be a top team, the team should be among the top teams in the specific condition (Asia or outside Asia) or among the top teams of the decade overall.
  • A bowler’s performace is counted in TT if he palyed against it in the specific condition and in the specific decade.
  • The Top Teams may be found in the last section of the rating.

CONSISTENT

Criteria: Points For Relative Average

Against All Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE C AVE R AVE RAT
TS GAR Lock 50 2030 104 19.52 32.50 21.02 150.00
1 GAR Lock 50 2030 104 19.52 32.50 21.02 150.00
2 M Muralitharan 134 9646 493 19.57 32.06 21.36 147.65
3 JD Higgs 21 971 37 26.24 38.92 23.60 133.61
4 DL Underwood 73 3515 145 24.24 35.89 23.64 133.38
5 JG Bracewell 20 1117 38 29.39 43.00 23.92 131.80
6 RA Jadeja 71 3554 172 20.66 29.95 24.15 130.60
7 SK Warne 129 8420 319 26.39 37.59 24.58 128.30
8 R Ashwin 99 6603 312 21.16 29.71 24.93 126.49
9 HMRKB Herath 92 6575 278 23.65 32.37 25.57 123.32
10 GP Swann 57 3473 120 28.94 39.56 25.60 123.16
11 SCG MacGill 54 3738 135 27.69 36.99 26.20 120.38
12 DR Doshi 37 1955 77 25.39 33.33 26.66 118.27
13 A Kumble 115 8710 350 24.89 32.58 26.74 117.94
14 Iqbal Qasim 50 2792 111 25.15 32.74 26.89 117.27
15 BS Bedi 54 3287 137 23.99 30.84 27.23 115.82
16 R Illingworth 71 2769 102 27.15 34.39 27.62 114.15
17 NM Lyon 116 7488 238 31.46 39.79 27.68 113.94
18 B Yardley 36 2542 79 32.18 40.55 27.77 113.55
19 Abdul Qadir 68 4506 168 26.82 33.65 27.90 113.03
20 MM Ali 62 3482 104 33.48 40.28 29.09 108.39
21 LR Gibbs 59 3737 126 29.66 35.02 29.64 106.37
22 Yasir Shah 41 3360 130 25.85 30.24 29.92 105.40
23 EAS Prasanna 41 2560 95 26.95 31.23 30.20 104.42
24 BS Chandrasekhar 55 3933 142 27.70 31.80 30.48 103.45
25 Harbhajan Singh 103 7624 265 28.77 32.51 30.98 101.80

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE C AVE R AVE RAT
TS JD Higgs 18 820 33 24.85 38.92 22.35 150.00
1 JD Higgs 18 820 33 24.85 38.92 22.35 150.00
2 RA Jadeja 49 2676 129 20.74 29.95 24.24 138.28
3 SK Warne 87 5606 215 26.07 37.59 24.28 138.06
4 Abdul Qadir 44 3139 134 23.43 33.65 24.37 137.57
5 DL Underwood 60 3025 120 25.21 35.89 24.58 136.34
6 M Muralitharan 78 6218 274 22.69 32.06 24.77 135.32
7 MM Ali 38 2347 82 28.62 40.28 24.87 134.78
8 DR Doshi 35 1723 69 24.97 33.33 26.22 127.83
9 JG Bracewell 15 872 27 32.30 43.00 26.29 127.52
10 R Ashwin 64 4455 196 22.73 29.71 26.78 125.19
11 Iqbal Qasim 41 2338 93 25.14 32.74 26.88 124.72
12 GAR Lock 33 1498 60 24.97 32.50 26.89 124.66
13 B Yardley 30 2223 71 31.31 40.55 27.02 124.04
14 NM Lyon 87 5670 184 30.82 39.79 27.11 123.66
15 HMRKB Herath 61 4632 179 25.88 32.37 27.98 119.81
16 A Kumble 76 6010 226 26.59 32.58 28.57 117.32
17 SCG MacGill 28 2187 71 30.80 36.99 29.14 115.02
18 R Illingworth 47 1880 65 28.92 34.39 29.43 113.89
19 Yasir Shah 18 1357 53 25.60 30.24 29.64 113.09
20 LR Gibbs 45 2980 99 30.10 35.02 30.09 111.41
21 GP Swann 32 2310 67 34.48 39.56 30.50 109.89
22 BS Bedi 42 2689 100 26.89 30.84 30.51 109.85
23 BS Chandrasekhar 45 3250 117 27.78 31.80 30.57 109.64
24 Harbhajan Singh 82 6137 211 29.09 32.51 31.32 107.04
25 EAS Prasanna 35 2127 75 28.36 31.23 31.78 105.46
C SR And R SR

The Comparative Strike Rate (C SR) and Relative Strike Rate (R SR) for bowlers is calculated using the same method as in C Ave and R Ave with average replaced with SR. Points to note are:-

  • Bowlers from the earlier era benefit from R SR.
  • This is because more balls were taken to get a Wkt back then as batsmen had better defensive technique.
  • Rest of the factors are the same as in R Ave

ATTACKING

Criteria: Points For R SR or Relative Balls/Wkt

RANK BOWLER INNS BLS WKTS SR C SR R SR RAT
TS SCG MacGill 54 7196 135 53.30 78.00 54.67 250.00
1 SCG MacGill 54 7196 135 53.30 78.00 54.67 250.00
2 JD Higgs 21 2551 37 68.95 99.11 55.65 245.59
3 MM Ali 62 5518 104 53.06 76.10 55.78 245.02
4 GAR Lock 50 6450 104 62.02 88.18 56.27 242.89
5 M Muralitharan 134 25061 493 50.83 70.32 57.83 236.32
6 B Yardley 36 5730 79 72.53 98.80 58.73 232.71
7 SK Warne 129 19416 319 60.87 82.20 59.24 230.72
8 DL Underwood 73 9973 145 68.78 92.30 59.62 229.26
9 JG Bracewell 20 2882 38 75.84 99.36 61.06 223.82
10 Abdul Qadir 68 10464 168 62.29 81.41 61.20 223.31
11 GP Swann 57 6836 120 56.97 74.41 61.25 223.15
12 BS Chandrasekhar 55 9185 142 64.68 83.33 62.10 220.09
13 R Ashwin 99 14718 312 47.17 60.15 62.74 217.83
14 HMRKB Herath 92 14272 278 51.34 64.89 63.29 215.93
15 A Kumble 115 20794 350 59.41 71.94 66.07 206.86
16 EAS Prasanna 41 6693 95 70.45 82.76 68.10 200.69
17 NM Lyon 116 15573 238 65.43 76.70 68.25 200.25
18 Yasir Shah 41 6921 130 53.24 61.65 69.08 197.84
19 DR Doshi 37 5650 77 73.38 83.07 70.66 193.42
20 Iqbal Qasim 50 8070 111 72.70 80.76 72.02 189.77
21 RA Jadeja 71 9483 172 55.13 61.23 72.03 189.73
22 Harbhajan Singh 103 16989 265 64.11 69.25 74.06 184.54
23 BS Bedi 54 10391 137 75.85 81.33 74.60 183.20
24 R Illingworth 71 8778 102 86.06 91.10 75.57 180.85
25 LR Gibbs 59 11110 126 88.17 92.42 76.33 179.06
BBW

In this criteria, we have taken the top 7 bowling performances by Wkts of a bowler. Best Bowling By Wickets (BBW) is simply the total wickets taken in the 7 innings divided by 7.

BEST BOWLING (WKTS)

Criteria: Points For Wkts Taken In Top 7 Inns

RANK BOWLER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 BBW RAT
TS M Muralitharan 9/51 8/46 8/87 7/46 7/84 7/94 7/97 7.57 100.00
1 M Muralitharan 9/51 8/46 8/87 7/46 7/84 7/94 7/97 7.57 100.00
2 A Kumble 10/74 7/48 7/59 7/63 7/115 6/64 6/67 7.14 94.34
3 HMRKB Herath 9/127 7/48 7/64 7/89 7/157 6/43 6/48 7.00 92.45
3 Harbhajan Singh 8/84 7/48 7/62 7/87 7/123 7/133 6/62 7.00 92.45
5 SK Warne 8/71 7/23 7/52 7/56 6/31 6/34 6/64 6.71 88.68
6 R Ashwin 7/59 7/66 7/103 7/145 6/31 6/41 6/47 6.57 86.79
6 DL Underwood 8/51 7/32 7/50 6/41 6/45 6/60 6/66 6.57 86.79
8 Abdul Qadir 9/56 7/142 6/16 6/44 5/44 5/74 5/76 6.14 81.13
9 BS Chandrasekhar 8/79 7/157 6/76 6/90 5/50 5/65 5/116 6.00 79.25
10 Yasir Shah 8/41 6/124 6/143 6/184 5/51 5/79 5/110 5.86 77.36
11 LR Gibbs 8/38 6/29 6/60 6/108 5/80 5/102 4/66 5.71 75.47
12 BS Bedi 7/98 6/42 6/71 5/27 5/37 5/48 5/63 5.57 73.58
12 GAR Lock 7/35 7/51 6/20 5/17 5/28 5/45 4/12 5.57 73.58
12 SCG MacGill 7/50 7/104 5/43 5/56 5/57 5/65 5/77 5.57 73.58
12 NM Lyon 7/152 6/122 6/128 5/50 5/50 5/67 5/68 5.57 73.58
16 Iqbal Qasim 7/49 6/89 6/141 5/35 5/78 5/83 4/27 5.43 71.70
16 B Yardley 7/98 7/187 6/84 5/107 5/132 4/38 4/77 5.43 71.70
16 RA Jadeja 7/48 6/63 5/21 5/30 5/41 5/58 5/73 5.43 71.70
16 GP Swann 6/65 6/90 6/106 5/44 5/62 5/76 5/159 5.43 71.70
20 MM Ali 6/53 6/67 5/63 5/69 4/39 4/45 4/59 4.86 64.15
20 EAS Prasanna 6/74 5/42 5/51 5/70 5/121 4/16 4/41 4.86 64.15
22 DR Doshi 6/103 5/39 5/43 5/85 4/69 4/81 4/92 4.71 62.26
22 R Illingworth 6/29 6/87 5/70 4/37 4/42 4/92 4/100 4.71 62.26
24 JG Bracewell 6/32 6/85 5/75 4/61 4/74 4/77 3/88 4.57 60.38
25 JD Higgs 5/148 4/25 4/45 4/59 4/69 3/42 3/87 3.86 50.94
BBA

In this criteria, we have taken the top 7 bowling performances by Average of a bowler. Best Bowling By Average (BBA) is simply the average of the bowler in the 7 Inns. Only 3+ Wkt performaces are counted in this criteria.

BEST BOWLING (AVE)

Criteria: Points For Average In Top 7 Inns

RANK BOWLER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 BBA RAT
TS M Muralitharan 5/13 5/15 6/18 4/14 6/26 5/23 6/28 3.70 100.00
1 M Muralitharan 5/13 5/15 6/18 4/14 6/26 5/23 6/28 3.70 100.00
2 GAR Lock 4/12 6/20 5/17 4/14 7/35 5/28 7/51 4.66 79.49
3 SK Warne 7/23 4/15 6/31 3/16 6/34 3/20 7/52 5.31 69.79
4 RA Jadeja 3/12 5/21 4/17 5/30 7/48 3/24 5/41 6.03 61.39
5 DL Underwood 5/20 7/32 8/51 6/41 7/50 6/45 5/39 6.32 58.60
6 R Ashwin 4/8 6/31 5/32 4/27 6/41 6/47 7/59 6.45 57.43
7 HMRKB Herath 4/15 7/48 6/43 5/40 6/48 4/35 7/64 7.51 49.29
8 BS Bedi 5/27 4/22 6/42 5/37 4/38 5/48 3/29 7.59 48.76
9 GP Swann 4/12 4/16 3/16 5/44 4/38 4/42 6/65 7.77 47.67
10 LR Gibbs 3/11 8/38 6/29 6/60 3/32 3/38 3/44 7.88 47.02
11 A Kumble 5/30 7/48 10/74 7/59 7/63 4/38 4/39 7.98 46.42
12 Abdul Qadir 6/16 9/56 6/44 5/44 4/45 3/34 5/74 8.24 44.95
13 SCG MacGill 3/18 7/50 3/22 5/43 4/39 3/33 5/56 8.70 42.56
14 Harbhajan Singh 5/29 7/48 7/62 3/30 5/51 6/62 8/84 8.93 41.48
15 NM Lyon 3/14 3/19 3/25 5/50 5/50 3/33 3/36 9.08 40.78
16 Iqbal Qasim 4/27 5/35 7/49 4/41 4/48 4/49 3/39 9.29 39.86
17 R Illingworth 6/29 3/15 4/37 3/31 4/42 3/37 5/70 9.32 39.72
18 EAS Prasanna 4/16 5/42 5/51 4/41 3/33 6/74 4/55 10.06 36.79
19 Yasir Shah 8/41 5/51 4/44 4/50 3/40 4/58 3/44 10.58 35.00
20 BS Chandrasekhar 3/25 3/28 8/79 5/50 4/42 4/50 6/76 10.61 34.91
21 MM Ali 6/53 4/39 6/67 4/45 5/63 5/69 4/59 11.62 31.87
22 DR Doshi 5/39 5/43 3/42 5/85 6/103 4/69 3/52 13.97 26.51
23 JG Bracewell 6/32 6/85 5/75 4/61 4/74 4/77 3/88 15.38 24.08
24 B Yardley 4/38 3/41 6/84 7/98 4/77 5/107 4/89 16.18 22.88
25 JD Higgs 4/25 4/45 3/42 4/59 4/69 3/87 5/148 17.59 21.05
HM Rating

The HOME (HM) Rating is the addition of the points of all the above criteria. The rating is out of 1,000.

RATING

RANK BOWLER PRO CON CON TT ATT BBW BBA HM RAT
1 M Muralitharan 250.00 147.65 135.32 236.32 100.00 100.00 969.29
2 R Ashwin 210.00 126.49 125.19 217.83 86.79 57.43 823.73
3 SK Warne 161.76 128.30 138.06 230.72 88.68 69.79 817.32
4 DL Underwood 155.36 133.38 136.34 229.26 86.79 58.60 799.74
5 GAR Lock 111.43 150.00 124.66 242.89 73.58 79.49 782.06
6 Abdul Qadir 180.00 113.03 137.57 223.31 81.13 44.95 779.99
7 A Kumble 177.48 117.94 117.32 206.86 94.34 46.42 760.35
8 HMRKB Herath 140.97 123.32 119.81 215.93 92.45 49.29 741.78
9 NM Lyon 160.19 113.94 123.66 200.25 73.58 40.78 712.41
10 RA Jadeja 115.77 130.60 138.28 189.73 71.70 61.39 707.47
11 BS Chandrasekhar 152.14 103.45 109.64 220.09 79.25 34.91 699.48
12 BS Bedi 146.79 115.82 109.85 183.20 73.58 48.76 678.00
13 SCG MacGill 68.46 120.38 115.02 250.00 73.58 42.56 670.00
14 Iqbal Qasim 118.93 117.27 124.72 189.77 71.70 39.86 662.23
15 Harbhajan Singh 134.38 101.80 107.04 184.54 92.45 41.48 661.70
16 LR Gibbs 135.00 106.37 111.41 179.06 75.47 47.02 654.34
17 MM Ali 70.00 108.39 134.78 245.02 64.15 31.87 654.21
18 B Yardley 84.64 113.55 124.04 232.71 71.70 22.88 649.52
19 JD Higgs 39.64 133.61 150.00 245.59 50.94 21.05 640.84
20 GP Swann 60.85 123.16 109.89 223.15 71.70 47.67 636.43
21 R Illingworth 109.29 114.15 113.89 180.85 62.26 39.72 620.16
22 Yasir Shah 87.50 105.40 113.09 197.84 77.36 35.00 616.19
23 EAS Prasanna 101.79 104.42 105.46 200.69 64.15 36.79 613.30
24 DR Doshi 82.50 118.27 127.83 193.42 62.26 26.51 610.79
25 JG Bracewell 40.71 131.80 127.52 223.82 60.38 24.08 608.32

TOP TEAMS IN ASIA

DECADE OF MAT 1 2 3 4 5 6
1950s AUS WI PAK IND ENG
1960s WI AUS PAK IND ENG SA
1970s PAK ENG IND WI SA AUS
1980s PAK WI ENG NZ AUS
1990s IND PAK SA AUS WI
2000s AUS SL IND PAK SA ENG
2010s IND PAK SL ENG SA AUS
2020s IND AUS ENG PAK NZ

TOP TEAMS OUTSIDE ASIA

DECADE OF MAT 1 2 3 4 5 6
1950s AUS ENG WI SA PAK
1960s ENG AUS WI SA NZ
1970s SA ENG WI AUS IND
1980s WI NZ AUS ENG PAK
1990s AUS SA WI PAK ENG
2000s AUS SA ENG IND NZ
2010s SA AUS ENG NZ IND
2020s AUS NZ ENG SA IND

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