Best English Spin Bowlers In Tests Featured

Top 7 English Spin Bowlers In Tests Since 1950

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All Test Ratings on the website are from 01/01/1950 onwards (Know Why). Most of our ratings are dynamic, and as new matches are played, the rating of earlier bowlers may change if current bowlers set new benchmarks. Brief explanation of the ratings is given before each section (Detailed Explanation). So, here are the Top 7 English Spin bowlers in Test Cricket since 1950.

*Note: All Test Ratings are updated till 2025-02-15

CONTENTS
1. THE CRITERIA
2. QUALIFICATION
3. PRIMARY CRITERIA
3.1. PROLIFIC
3.2. CONSISTENT
3.2.1. Against All Teams
3.2.2. Against Top Teams
3.3. ATTACKING
3.4. BEST BOWLING (WKTS)
3.5. 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
4.2.2. Unfavourable Conditions Rating
4.2.2.1. Non Asians Outside Asia
4.3. CONDITIONS RATING
5. SECONDARY CRITERIA
5.1. TOP FORM AT HOME
5.2. TOP FORM AWAY
5.3. WKTS/INN
5.4. IMPACT INNINGS
5.5. SECONDARY RATING
6. OVERALL RATING
7. TOP TEAMS
7.1. Top Teams In Asia
7.2. Top Teams Outside Asia
Nations Filter

The Nations Rating filters the OVERALL Rating to show players only from England.

  • The Rating of the players from England remains the same as in the original OVERALL Rating.
  • Thus the Trend Setter can be from any nation and is not necessarily from England.

THE CRITERIA

CRITERIA CONSTITUENTS
Primary Wickets, Average, Strike Rate, Top Inns
Conditions Home, Away, In Asia, Outside Asia
Secondary Top Form Home, Top Form Away, Wkts/Inn, 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.
Top Teams (TT)

Some sections consider performances only against the top teams. Here is some information about the 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.
  • A bowler’s performace is counted in TT if it comes in the specific condition and in the specific decade.

QUALIFICATION

Min Innings 50

PRIMARY CRITERIA

CRITERIA STAT POINTS
Prolific Wickets Taken 200.00
Consistent Average 400.00
Attacking Strike Rate 300.00
Best Bowling Top Bowling Performances 100.00

PROLIFIC

The Eras

The time period from 1950 to present is divided into eras for this section. This is because less cricket was played earlier. To make it fair for earlier players they are compared with players of the same period with a slight reduction in points. Know More About Eras.

Era 1 MP before 1991
Era 2 MP between 1990 And 2016
Era 3 MP greater than 2015

Criteria: Points For Wickets Taken

RANK ERA 1 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS LR Gibbs WI 1958 1976 1967 148 309 140.00
1 DL Underwood ENG 1966 1982 1974 151 297 134.56
2 GAR Lock ENG 1952 1968 1960 88 174 78.83
3 FJ Titmus ENG 1955 1975 1965 90 153 69.32
4 DA Allen ENG 1960 1966 1963 65 122 55.28
RANK ERA 2 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS M Muralitharan SL 1992 2010 2001 230 800 200.00
1 GP Swann ENG 2008 2013 2010.5 109 255 63.75
2 MS Panesar ENG 2006 2013 2009.5 85 167 41.75
RANK ERA 3 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS NM Lyon AUS 2011 2025 2018 253 553 170.00
1 MM Ali ENG 2014 2023 2018.5 119 204 62.71

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 player has played.
  • Time Period in which a bowler has been active

Criteria: Points For Relative Average

Min Qualification For TS
Min Wickets 100

Against All Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE R AVE RAT
TS M Muralitharan 230 18180 800 22.73 23.77 200.00
1 DL Underwood 151 7674 297 25.84 25.21 188.61
2 GP Swann 109 7642 255 29.97 26.36 180.41
3 GAR Lock 88 4451 174 25.58 27.60 172.29
4 DA Allen 65 3779 122 30.98 31.02 153.30
5 MS Panesar 85 5797 167 34.71 31.13 152.77
6 FJ Titmus 90 4931 153 32.23 32.26 147.38
7 MM Ali 119 7612 204 37.31 34.15 139.25

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE R AVE RAT
TS SK Warne 242 15927 638 24.96 23.99 200.00
1 GP Swann 81 5887 189 31.15 27.39 175.14
2 DL Underwood 129 6764 240 28.18 27.50 174.48
3 DA Allen 58 3457 111 31.14 31.19 153.84
4 FJ Titmus 82 4724 144 32.81 32.84 146.10
5 MS Panesar 69 4887 129 37.88 33.97 141.24
6 MM Ali 90 6195 162 38.24 35.00 137.10
7 GAR Lock 68 3806 117 32.53 35.10 136.71

ATTACKING

R SR

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

Criteria: Points For R SR or Balls/Wkt

Min Qualification For TS
Min Wickets 100
RANK BOWLER INNS BALLS WKTS SR R SR RAT
TS SCG MacGill 85 11237 208 54.02 57.31 300.00
1 DL Underwood 151 21862 297 73.61 64.36 267.18
2 GP Swann 109 15349 255 60.19 64.83 265.24
3 GAR Lock 88 13147 174 75.56 68.75 250.09
4 MM Ali 119 12610 204 61.81 69.40 247.77
5 MS Panesar 85 12475 167 74.70 77.12 222.95
6 DA Allen 65 11297 122 92.60 79.34 216.72
7 FJ Titmus 90 15118 153 98.81 84.61 203.21

BEST BOWLING (WKTS)

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.

Criteria: Points For Wkts Taken In Top 7 Inns

RANK BOWLER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 AVE WT RAT
TS M Muralitharan 9/51 9/65 8/46 8/70 8/87 7/46 7/84 8.00 100.00
1 DL Underwood 8/51 7/32 7/50 7/113 6/12 6/41 6/45 6.71 83.93
2 GAR Lock 7/35 7/51 6/20 6/53 6/65 5/17 5/28 6.00 75.00
3 MS Panesar 6/37 6/62 6/81 6/126 6/129 6/137 5/46 5.86 73.21
4 GP Swann 6/65 6/82 6/90 6/106 6/106 5/44 5/54 5.71 71.43
5 FJ Titmus 7/79 6/73 5/19 5/66 5/83 5/103 5/116 5.43 67.86
6 MM Ali 6/53 6/67 5/57 5/63 5/69 4/36 4/39 5.00 62.50
7 DA Allen 5/30 5/41 5/67 5/123 4/46 4/47 4/58 4.57 57.14

PRIMARY RATING

The total of the above four criteria comes out to be 1,000.00 points. The Primary Rating is the addition of the points a bowler scored in the four criteria. The Weightage of the Rating is half of the OVERALL Rating, i.e. 500 pts.

RANK BOWLER PRO CON ATT BBW RAT PRI PTS
1 DL Underwood 134.56 363.09 267.18 83.93 848.76 424.38
2 GP Swann 63.75 355.55 265.24 71.43 755.96 377.98
3 GAR Lock 78.83 309.00 250.09 75.00 712.92 356.46
4 MM Ali 62.71 276.35 247.77 62.50 649.33 324.67
5 DA Allen 55.28 307.14 216.72 57.14 636.28 318.14
6 FJ Titmus 69.32 293.48 203.21 67.86 633.87 316.93
7 MS Panesar 41.75 294.01 222.95 73.21 631.92 315.96

CONDITIONS CRITERIA

The Conditions

The Conditions Ratings are calculated by applying the four criteria of the Primary Rating to diffirent conditions. If Innings are less than the Qualification than the Player gets 50% of the Points. Click on the Ratings to see how they were calculated.

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

CRITERIA POINTS
Home 250.00
Away 1,000.00
Favourable Conditions 250.00
Unfavourable Conditions 1,000.00

HOME/AWAY

HOME/AWAY RATING

Points to note:-

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

At Home

Min Innings: 20

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 DL Underwood 73 145 24.24 68.78 865.65 216.41
2 GAR Lock 50 104 19.52 62.02 807.14 201.79
3 GP Swann 57 120 28.94 56.97 724.55 181.14
4 MM Ali 69 113 34.91 55.52 676.41 169.10
5 MS Panesar 38 81 28.77 63.20 672.32 168.08
6 FJ Titmus 38 54 29.72 94.87 582.32 145.58
7 DA Allen 22 35 31.74 84.20 572.87 143.22

Away From Home

Min Innings: 20

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 DL Underwood 78 152 27.36 78.22 759.50 759.50
2 GP Swann 52 135 30.88 63.06 739.18 739.18
3 DA Allen 43 87 30.67 95.98 643.26 643.26
4 FJ Titmus 52 99 33.60 100.96 635.31 635.31
5 MS Panesar 47 86 40.31 85.53 569.37 569.37
6 GAR Lock 38 70 34.59 95.67 567.30 567.30
7 MM Ali 50 91 40.30 69.63 559.39 559.39

FAVOURABLE/UNFAVOURABLE CONDITIONS

Favourable/Unfavourable Conditions 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: 10

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 DL Underwood 38 73 26.66 78.93 783.37 195.84
2 GP Swann 24 73 25.97 54.82 726.14 181.53
3 DA Allen 14 34 27.00 85.15 596.08 149.02
4 GAR Lock 12 32 30.13 88.59 563.73 140.93
5 FJ Titmus 10 27 27.67 88.63 560.37 140.09
6 MS Panesar 25 52 36.13 81.12 560.31 140.08
7 MM Ali 26 56 35.82 59.50 549.18 137.29

Unfavourable Conditions Rating

Non Asians Outside Asia

Min Innings: 20

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 DL Underwood 113 224 25.57 71.88 766.30 766.30
2 GP Swann 85 182 31.57 62.35 662.33 662.33
3 GAR Lock 76 142 24.56 72.62 657.10 657.10
4 MM Ali 93 148 37.88 62.69 594.11 594.11
5 MS Panesar 60 115 34.07 71.80 583.84 583.84
6 FJ Titmus 80 126 33.21 100.99 562.18 562.18
7 DA Allen 51 88 32.51 95.48 545.67 545.67

CONDITIONS RATING

The total of the above four criteria comes out to be 2,500.00 points. The Conditions Rating is the addition of the points a bowler scored in the four criteria. The Weightage of the Rating is one-fourth of the OVERALL Rating, i.e. 250 pts.

RANK BOWLER AWAY HOME UC FC TOT CON PTS
1 DL Underwood 759.50 216.41 766.30 195.84 1,938.06 193.81
2 GP Swann 739.18 181.14 662.33 181.53 1,764.19 176.42
3 GAR Lock 567.30 201.79 657.10 140.93 1,567.12 156.71
4 FJ Titmus 635.31 145.58 562.18 140.09 1,483.16 148.32
5 DA Allen 643.26 143.22 545.67 149.02 1,481.17 148.12
6 MS Panesar 569.37 168.08 583.84 140.08 1,461.37 146.14
7 MM Ali 559.39 169.10 594.11 137.29 1,459.90 145.99

SECONDARY CRITERIA

The Secondary Rating consists of four parts. If Innings are less than the Qualification than the Player gets 50% of the Points. Click on the Rating Titles to see how they were calculated.

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

CRITERIA POINTS
Top Form Home 200.00
Top Form Away 800.00
Wkts Per Inn 500.00
Impact Innings 1,000.00
TOP FORM RATING

Points to note about Top Form Rating:-

  • Top Form is calculated by taking the best 30 consecutive innings of a bowler.
  • There are two TF Ratings used in our OVERALL Rating: Home and Away.

TOP FORM AT HOME

Min Innings: 10

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 DL Underwood 30 80 16.88 56.20 844.17 168.83
2 GAR Lock 30 81 13.98 52.20 837.95 167.59
3 GP Swann 30 67 24.57 48.09 677.25 135.45
4 MS Panesar 30 69 26.49 55.83 668.20 133.64
5 MM Ali 30 60 28.00 46.13 624.74 124.95
6 FJ Titmus 30 49 26.08 88.14 525.75 105.15
7 DA Allen 22 35 31.74 84.20 445.59 89.12

TOP FORM AWAY

Min Innings: 10

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 GP Swann 30 82 27.93 58.21 757.13 605.71
2 DL Underwood 30 70 22.13 59.66 739.80 591.84
3 FJ Titmus 30 73 26.03 82.38 704.82 563.85
4 MS Panesar 30 71 33.69 70.38 660.88 528.70
5 DA Allen 30 69 28.68 91.01 633.05 506.44
6 GAR Lock 30 59 30.42 89.61 596.03 476.82
7 MM Ali 30 53 41.04 71.36 524.55 419.64

WKTS/INN

WKTS/INN RATING

Points to note:-

  • This rating gives points for wkts taken per inn.
  • All Teams, Top Teams and Top 7 Batsmen are the criteria used.

Min Innings: 50

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS WKTS/INN RAT WTG
1 GP Swann 109 255 2.34 695.68 347.84
2 DL Underwood 151 297 1.97 586.14 293.07
3 DA Allen 65 122 1.88 580.58 290.29
4 MS Panesar 85 167 1.96 554.36 277.18
5 GAR Lock 88 174 1.98 533.23 266.62
6 FJ Titmus 90 153 1.70 518.25 259.13
7 MM Ali 119 204 1.71 501.46 250.73

IMPACT INNINGS

Impact Innings (II)

Impact Innings are those innings which have an impact either in terms of wickets or strike 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 5.
  • A Bowler equal to or more wickets than 2 at a good AVE or SR.
  • 1st and 2nd; and 3rd and 4th inns are clubbed together.
  • The AVE should be less than 70% of the AVE of the better innings or
  • The SR should be less than 70% of the SR of the better innings.

Min Innings: 50

RANK BOWLER INNS II II Perc RAT WTG
1 DA Allen 65 24 36.92 660.99 660.99
2 GP Swann 109 44 40.37 655.81 655.81
3 DL Underwood 151 50 33.11 636.99 636.99
4 MM Ali 119 39 32.77 563.90 563.90
5 FJ Titmus 90 27 30.00 536.72 536.72
6 MS Panesar 85 27 31.76 469.27 469.27
7 GAR Lock 88 26 29.55 425.87 425.87

SECONDARY RATING

The total of the above three criteria comes out to be 2,500.00 points. The Conditions Rating is the addition of the points a bowler scored in the three criteria. The Weightage of the Rating is one-fourth of the OVERALL Rating, i.e. 250 pts.

RANK BOWLER TF HM TF AW WPI II TOT SEC RAT
1 GP Swann 135.45 605.71 347.84 655.81 1,744.81 174.48
2 DL Underwood 168.83 591.84 293.07 636.99 1,690.73 169.07
3 DA Allen 89.12 506.44 290.29 660.99 1,546.83 154.68
4 FJ Titmus 105.15 563.85 259.13 536.72 1,464.85 146.48
5 MS Panesar 133.64 528.70 277.18 469.27 1,408.80 140.88
6 MM Ali 124.95 419.64 250.73 563.90 1,359.22 135.92
7 GAR Lock 167.59 476.82 266.62 425.87 1,336.90 133.69

OVERALL RATING

OVERALL Rating is the addition of the points of all the above criteria. The rating is out of 1,000 Pts. Half the points are for Primary Criteria; one-fourth for Conditions; and one-fourth for Secondary Criteria.

RANK OV RANK BOWLER NAT PRI RAT CON RAT SEC RAT FIN RAT
1 6 DL Underwood ENG 424.38 193.81 169.07 787.26
2 10 GP Swann ENG 377.98 176.42 174.48 728.88
3 28 GAR Lock ENG 356.46 156.71 133.69 646.86
4 33 DA Allen ENG 318.14 148.12 154.68 620.94
5 36 FJ Titmus ENG 316.93 148.32 146.48 611.73
6 37 MM Ali ENG 324.67 145.99 135.92 606.58
7 39 MS Panesar ENG 315.96 146.14 140.88 602.98

TOP TEAMS

Top Teams In Asia

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

Top Teams Outside Asia

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

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