Top Spin Bowlers Away Featured

Top 25 Spin Bowlers Away From 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 Away From 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
AWAY Rating

This rating only include stats of Spin bowlers in matches Away From 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 LR Gibbs WI 1958 1976 1967 89 183 200.00
1 LR Gibbs WI 1958 1976 1967 89 183 200.00
2 DL Underwood ENG 1966 1982 1974 78 152 166.12
3 R Benaud AUS 1952 1964 1958 62 144 157.38
4 BS Bedi IND 1966 1979 1972.5 64 129 140.98
5 S Ramadhin WI 1950 1960 1955 44 100 109.29
5 BS Chandrasekhar IND 1964 1979 1971.5 42 100 109.29
7 EAS Prasanna IND 1962 1978 1970 45 94 102.73
7 AL Valentine WI 1950 1962 1956 38 94 102.73
9 AA Mallett AUS 1968 1980 1974 32 69 75.41
10 Mushtaq Mohammad PAK 1959 1979 1969 43 51 55.74
11 B Yardley AUS 1978 1983 1980.5 22 47 51.37
12 RA Harper WI 1983 1993 1988 27 30 32.79
RANK ERA 2 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS SK Warne AUS 1992 2007 1999.5 144 389 250.00
1 SK Warne AUS 1992 2007 1999.5 144 389 250.00
2 M Muralitharan SL 1992 2010 2001 96 307 197.30
3 A Kumble IND 1990 2008 1999 121 269 172.88
4 DL Vettori NZ 1997 2014 2005.5 89 203 130.46
5 Danish Kaneria PAK 2000 2010 2005 62 145 93.19
6 GP Swann ENG 2008 2013 2010.5 52 135 86.76
7 Mushtaq Ahmed PAK 1990 2003 1996.5 52 118 75.84
7 Saqlain Mushtaq PAK 1995 2004 1999.5 46 118 75.84
9 Saeed Ajmal PAK 2009 2014 2011.5 44 111 71.34
RANK ERA 3 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS NM Lyon AUS 2011 2023 2017 101 222 210.00
1 NM Lyon AUS 2011 2023 2017 101 222 210.00
2 R Ashwin IND 2011 2022 2016.5 67 137 129.59
3 Yasir Shah PAK 2014 2022 2018 48 114 107.84
4 KA Maharaj SA 2016 2022 2019 38 86 81.35
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 SK Warne 144 9575 389 24.61 37.92 22.72 150.00
1 SK Warne 144 9575 389 24.61 37.92 22.72 150.00
2 RA Harper 27 881 30 29.37 42.24 24.33 140.05
3 GP Swann 52 4169 135 30.88 42.92 25.18 135.32
4 M Muralitharan 96 8534 307 27.80 37.68 25.82 131.96
5 Mushtaq Mohammad 43 1338 51 26.24 35.41 25.93 131.41
6 DL Underwood 78 4159 152 27.36 36.87 25.97 131.19
7 R Benaud 62 3507 144 24.35 32.38 26.32 129.44
8 AA Mallett 32 1873 69 27.14 35.61 26.68 127.71
9 Saeed Ajmal 44 3230 111 29.10 37.99 26.81 127.11
10 R Ashwin 67 4309 137 31.45 40.95 26.88 126.75
11 Saqlain Mushtaq 46 3496 118 29.63 37.89 27.37 124.51
12 KA Maharaj 38 2797 86 32.52 41.59 27.37 124.50
13 B Yardley 22 1444 47 30.72 38.61 27.85 122.35
14 NM Lyon 101 7075 222 31.87 40.02 27.87 122.25
15 AL Valentine 38 2422 94 25.77 32.28 27.94 121.96
16 LR Gibbs 89 5252 183 28.70 35.50 28.29 120.45
17 Mushtaq Ahmed 52 3773 118 31.97 39.02 28.68 118.81
18 DL Vettori 89 6540 203 32.22 38.90 28.99 117.54
19 S Ramadhin 44 2678 100 26.78 30.77 30.47 111.85
20 Danish Kaneria 62 5079 145 35.03 40.03 30.63 111.26
21 BS Chandrasekhar 42 3266 100 32.66 36.58 31.25 109.05
22 BS Bedi 64 4350 129 33.72 36.47 32.36 105.30
23 Yasir Shah 48 4297 114 37.69 40.20 32.82 103.84
24 A Kumble 121 9645 269 35.86 38.17 32.88 103.64
25 EAS Prasanna 45 3182 94 33.85 35.28 33.58 101.46

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE C AVE R AVE RAT
TS RA Harper 22 705 28 25.18 42.24 20.86 150.00
1 RA Harper 22 705 28 25.18 42.24 20.86 150.00
2 SK Warne 124 8609 344 25.03 37.92 23.10 135.48
3 R Benaud 62 3507 144 24.35 32.38 26.32 118.87
4 Saqlain Mushtaq 25 2060 72 28.61 37.89 26.43 118.40
5 M Muralitharan 64 6268 218 28.75 37.68 26.71 117.15
6 AA Mallett 27 1645 60 27.42 35.61 26.95 116.11
7 GP Swann 43 3308 100 33.08 42.92 26.97 116.01
8 DL Underwood 58 3273 110 29.75 36.87 28.25 110.78
9 R Ashwin 54 3574 108 33.09 40.95 28.29 110.62
10 LR Gibbs 89 5252 183 28.70 35.50 28.29 110.60
11 B Yardley 20 1278 40 31.95 38.61 28.96 108.04
12 Mushtaq Ahmed 34 2393 74 32.34 39.02 29.01 107.88
13 KA Maharaj 34 2685 77 34.87 41.59 29.35 106.63
14 AL Valentine 27 1986 71 27.97 32.28 30.33 103.16
15 NM Lyon 85 5954 168 35.44 40.02 31.00 100.95
16 Mushtaq Mohammad 36 1020 32 31.88 35.41 31.50 99.32
17 BS Chandrasekhar 38 2972 89 33.39 36.58 31.95 97.94
18 Saeed Ajmal 30 2289 65 35.22 37.99 32.44 96.45
19 BS Bedi 62 4228 125 33.82 36.47 32.46 96.40
20 Danish Kaneria 54 4526 121 37.40 40.03 32.70 95.68
21 A Kumble 83 6775 181 37.43 38.17 34.33 91.16
22 EAS Prasanna 41 2959 83 35.65 35.28 35.37 88.47
23 DL Vettori 61 4756 117 40.65 38.90 36.58 85.55
24 S Ramadhin 33 2196 68 32.29 30.77 36.74 85.17
25 Yasir Shah 32 2998 70 42.83 40.20 37.29 83.92
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 SK Warne 144 21288 389 54.72 81.13 53.96 250.00
1 SK Warne 144 21288 389 54.72 81.13 53.96 250.00
2 Mushtaq Mohammad 43 3065 51 60.10 88.89 54.09 249.41
3 B Yardley 22 3179 47 67.64 93.60 57.81 233.34
4 BS Chandrasekhar 42 6778 100 67.78 90.86 59.68 226.03
5 Mushtaq Ahmed 52 7866 118 66.66 87.65 60.84 221.72
6 RA Harper 27 2343 30 78.10 100.19 62.36 216.32
7 M Muralitharan 96 18978 307 61.82 78.36 63.11 213.75
8 GP Swann 52 8513 135 63.06 78.48 64.28 209.85
9 AA Mallett 32 5037 69 73.00 90.61 64.45 209.31
10 KA Maharaj 38 5443 86 63.29 78.06 64.86 207.98
11 R Benaud 62 10064 144 69.89 85.35 65.51 205.93
12 Saqlain Mushtaq 46 7894 118 66.90 79.67 67.18 200.81
13 R Ashwin 67 8851 137 64.61 75.94 68.06 198.20
14 Yasir Shah 48 7334 114 64.33 75.15 68.49 196.97
15 NM Lyon 101 14197 222 63.95 74.69 68.50 196.94
16 Danish Kaneria 62 9525 145 65.69 76.12 69.04 195.40
17 DL Underwood 78 11889 152 78.22 90.56 69.10 195.23
18 Saeed Ajmal 44 7239 111 65.22 72.39 72.07 187.18
19 EAS Prasanna 45 7660 94 81.49 90.04 72.40 186.32
20 A Kumble 121 20058 269 74.57 79.96 74.61 180.82
21 AL Valentine 38 7684 94 81.74 87.60 74.65 180.71
22 BS Bedi 64 10973 129 85.06 90.89 74.87 180.19
23 LR Gibbs 89 16005 183 87.46 91.56 76.42 176.53
24 DL Vettori 89 15313 203 75.43 78.42 76.95 175.31
25 S Ramadhin 44 8391 100 83.91 83.85 80.06 168.50
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 9/65 8/70 7/100 7/155 6/39 6/45 6/49 7.00 100.00
1 M Muralitharan 9/65 8/70 7/100 7/155 6/39 6/45 6/49 7.00 100.00
2 NM Lyon 8/50 7/94 7/94 6/49 6/60 6/82 5/34 6.43 91.84
3 SK Warne 7/94 7/165 6/33 6/46 6/48 6/86 6/122 6.29 89.80
4 Danish Kaneria 7/77 7/168 7/188 6/150 5/46 5/62 5/125 6.00 85.71
4 A Kumble 8/141 6/53 6/72 6/78 6/176 5/84 5/87 6.00 85.71
4 Yasir Shah 7/76 7/94 6/63 6/72 6/96 5/71 5/78 6.00 85.71
7 DL Vettori 6/28 6/64 6/70 6/87 6/100 6/127 5/59 5.86 83.67
8 LR Gibbs 7/98 6/39 6/76 6/98 5/37 5/51 5/59 5.71 81.63
8 BS Chandrasekhar 6/38 6/52 6/52 6/94 6/120 5/127 5/136 5.71 81.63
10 AL Valentine 8/104 6/39 6/102 5/32 5/88 5/99 4/48 5.57 79.59
10 S Ramadhin 7/49 6/23 6/86 5/46 5/66 5/86 5/90 5.57 79.59
10 DL Underwood 7/113 6/12 6/85 5/28 5/84 5/94 5/108 5.57 79.59
10 EAS Prasanna 8/76 6/94 6/104 6/141 5/32 4/40 4/44 5.57 79.59
10 R Benaud 7/72 6/52 6/70 5/43 5/49 5/53 5/76 5.57 79.59
10 Saeed Ajmal 7/95 6/42 6/96 5/69 5/82 5/146 5/166 5.57 79.59
16 Saqlain Mushtaq 7/66 6/46 5/35 5/89 5/93 5/94 5/94 5.43 77.55
16 Mushtaq Ahmed 7/56 6/78 6/78 5/57 5/95 5/115 4/83 5.43 77.55
18 GP Swann 6/82 6/106 5/54 5/57 5/90 5/91 5/110 5.29 75.51
18 R Ashwin 7/83 6/46 5/42 5/52 5/69 5/87 4/55 5.29 75.51
20 KA Maharaj 9/129 6/40 5/36 5/94 4/58 4/85 3/21 5.14 73.47
20 BS Bedi 6/127 6/226 5/55 5/82 5/89 5/105 4/53 5.14 73.47
22 AA Mallett 6/64 5/53 5/91 5/114 5/126 4/22 3/50 4.71 67.35
23 Mushtaq Mohammad 5/28 5/49 5/59 4/50 4/58 4/60 4/80 4.43 63.27
24 B Yardley 5/88 4/35 4/40 4/80 4/91 4/107 4/142 4.14 59.18
25 RA Harper 6/57 4/43 3/47 3/50 2/9 2/36 2/54 3.14 44.90
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 SK Warne 4/8 4/11 4/13 3/11 6/33 3/23 6/46 4.83 100.00
1 SK Warne 4/8 4/11 4/13 3/11 6/33 3/23 6/46 4.83 100.00
2 M Muralitharan 6/39 5/34 9/65 4/29 6/45 3/23 4/31 7.19 67.23
3 R Benaud 3/0 4/15 3/15 5/43 6/52 5/49 7/72 7.45 64.84
4 NM Lyon 3/12 8/50 5/34 4/31 6/49 6/60 4/42 7.72 62.59
5 S Ramadhin 6/23 4/25 7/49 5/46 4/39 3/38 5/66 8.41 57.46
6 DL Underwood 6/12 3/16 5/28 4/28 3/38 4/56 6/85 8.48 56.97
7 LR Gibbs 3/14 6/39 5/37 3/26 5/51 5/59 4/49 8.87 54.48
8 Saqlain Mushtaq 4/24 5/35 6/46 7/66 4/46 4/48 3/46 9.42 51.29
9 DL Vettori 6/28 4/27 4/28 6/64 6/70 5/59 5/66 9.50 50.88
10 BS Chandrasekhar 6/38 4/30 6/52 6/52 3/43 6/94 3/50 10.56 45.78
11 Danish Kaneria 3/6 5/46 7/77 3/36 5/62 4/53 3/44 10.80 44.75
12 EAS Prasanna 5/32 8/76 4/40 4/44 4/51 4/54 4/60 10.82 44.68
13 Mushtaq Mohammad 5/28 3/23 5/49 5/59 4/50 4/58 4/60 10.90 44.34
14 R Ashwin 6/46 5/42 5/52 3/35 7/83 4/55 5/69 10.91 44.28
15 Saeed Ajmal 4/23 6/42 3/34 4/51 3/40 7/95 5/69 11.06 43.69
16 AL Valentine 5/32 6/39 3/29 4/48 8/104 4/67 3/51 11.21 43.11
17 KA Maharaj 6/40 3/21 5/36 3/42 9/129 4/58 3/50 11.39 42.42
18 A Kumble 6/53 3/32 3/32 4/47 6/72 6/78 3/40 11.42 42.33
19 Mushtaq Ahmed 7/56 3/32 3/34 5/57 6/78 6/78 3/57 11.88 40.69
20 GP Swann 3/13 4/43 5/54 5/57 6/82 3/52 4/70 12.37 39.08
21 BS Bedi 3/14 5/55 4/53 4/58 3/44 3/46 3/49 12.76 37.88
22 Yasir Shah 6/63 7/76 6/72 7/94 5/71 5/78 6/96 13.10 36.91
23 AA Mallett 4/22 5/53 6/64 3/50 5/91 3/55 3/58 13.55 35.67
24 B Yardley 4/35 4/40 3/49 5/88 4/80 3/64 4/91 16.56 29.19
25 RA Harper 6/57 4/43 3/47 3/50 21.55 22.43
AW Rating

The AWAY (AW) 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 AW RAT
1 SK Warne 250.00 150.00 135.48 250.00 89.80 100.00 975.27
2 M Muralitharan 197.30 131.96 117.15 213.75 100.00 67.23 827.39
3 NM Lyon 210.00 122.25 100.95 196.94 91.84 62.59 784.57
4 R Benaud 157.38 129.44 118.87 205.93 79.59 64.84 756.04
5 LR Gibbs 200.00 120.45 110.60 176.53 81.63 54.48 743.70
6 DL Underwood 166.12 131.19 110.78 195.23 79.59 56.97 739.89
7 R Ashwin 129.59 126.75 110.62 198.20 75.51 44.28 684.96
8 A Kumble 172.88 103.64 91.16 180.82 85.71 42.33 676.53
9 BS Chandrasekhar 109.29 109.05 97.94 226.03 81.63 45.78 669.72
10 GP Swann 86.76 135.32 116.01 209.85 75.51 39.08 662.54
11 Saqlain Mushtaq 75.84 124.51 118.40 200.81 77.55 51.29 648.40
12 Mushtaq Mohammad 55.74 131.41 99.32 249.41 63.27 44.34 643.49
13 DL Vettori 130.46 117.54 85.55 175.31 83.67 50.88 643.41
14 Mushtaq Ahmed 75.84 118.81 107.88 221.72 77.55 40.69 642.49
15 KA Maharaj 81.35 124.50 106.63 207.98 73.47 42.42 636.34
16 BS Bedi 140.98 105.30 96.40 180.19 73.47 37.88 634.21
17 AA Mallett 75.41 127.71 116.11 209.31 67.35 35.67 631.55
18 AL Valentine 102.73 121.96 103.16 180.71 79.59 43.11 631.26
19 Danish Kaneria 93.19 111.26 95.68 195.40 85.71 44.75 626.00
20 Yasir Shah 107.84 103.84 83.92 196.97 85.71 36.91 615.19
21 S Ramadhin 109.29 111.85 85.17 168.50 79.59 57.46 611.86
22 RA Harper 32.79 140.05 150.00 216.32 44.90 22.43 606.49
23 Saeed Ajmal 71.34 127.11 96.45 187.18 79.59 43.69 605.36
24 B Yardley 51.37 122.35 108.04 233.34 59.18 29.19 603.48
25 EAS Prasanna 102.73 101.46 88.47 186.32 79.59 44.68 603.25

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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