Best Sri Lankan Spin Bowlers In Tests Featured

Top 5 Sri Lankan 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 5 Sri Lankan Spin bowlers in Test Cricket since 1950.

*Note: All Test Ratings are updated till 2024-11-11

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. Asians In Asia
4.2.2. Unfavourable Conditions Rating
4.2.2.1. 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 Sri Lanka.

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

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
RANK ERA 2 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS M Muralitharan SL 1992 2010 2001 230 800 200.00
1 M Muralitharan SL 1992 2010 2001 230 800 200.00
2 HMRKB Herath SL 1999 2018 2008.5 170 433 108.25
3 ST Jayasuriya SL 1991 2007 1999 140 98 24.50
4 HDPK Dharmasena SL 1993 2004 1998.5 53 69 17.25
RANK ERA 3 NAT FP LP MP INNS WKTS RAT
TS R Ashwin IND 2011 2024 2017.5 199 536 170.00
1 MDK Perera SL 2014 2021 2017.5 78 161 51.06

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 23.72 200.00
1 M Muralitharan 230 18180 800 22.73 23.72 200.00
2 HMRKB Herath 170 12157 433 28.08 28.12 168.68
3 ST Jayasuriya 140 3366 98 34.35 35.22 134.67
4 MDK Perera 78 5780 161 35.90 36.14 131.26
5 HDPK Dharmasena 53 2920 69 42.32 44.10 107.55

Against Top Teams

RANK BOWLER INNS RUNS WKTS AVE R AVE RAT
TS SK Warne 219 14488 570 25.42 24.37 200.00
1 M Muralitharan 142 12486 492 25.38 26.48 184.00
2 HMRKB Herath 127 9465 319 29.67 29.72 163.99
3 ST Jayasuriya 96 2446 69 35.45 36.35 134.05
4 MDK Perera 54 4322 119 36.32 36.56 133.30
5 HDPK Dharmasena 37 2183 48 45.48 47.40 102.82

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 57.20 300.00
1 M Muralitharan 230 44039 800 55.05 60.17 285.15
2 HMRKB Herath 170 25993 433 60.03 70.00 245.14
3 MDK Perera 78 10805 161 67.11 80.10 214.22
4 ST Jayasuriya 140 8188 98 83.55 88.89 193.03
5 HDPK Dharmasena 53 6939 69 100.57 105.30 162.95

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 M Muralitharan 9/51 9/65 8/46 8/70 8/87 7/46 7/84 8.00 100.00
2 HMRKB Herath 9/127 8/63 7/48 7/64 7/89 7/157 6/43 7.29 91.07
3 MDK Perera 6/32 6/70 5/69 5/75 5/88 5/98 5/109 5.29 66.07
4 ST Jayasuriya 5/34 5/43 4/24 4/31 4/40 4/44 4/50 4.29 53.57
4 HDPK Dharmasena 6/72 6/99 5/57 4/75 3/43 3/58 3/132 4.29 53.57

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 M Muralitharan 200.00 384.00 285.15 100.00 969.15 484.58
2 HMRKB Herath 108.25 332.68 245.14 91.07 777.14 388.57
3 MDK Perera 51.06 264.56 214.22 66.07 595.91 297.96
4 ST Jayasuriya 24.50 268.72 193.03 53.57 539.82 269.91
5 HDPK Dharmasena 17.25 210.37 162.95 53.57 444.14 222.07

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 M Muralitharan 134 493 19.57 50.83 975.64 243.91
2 HMRKB Herath 92 278 23.65 51.34 804.64 201.16
3 MDK Perera 43 108 29.91 58.88 607.01 151.75
4 ST Jayasuriya 83 66 31.83 79.85 529.56 132.39
5 HDPK Dharmasena 31 43 39.93 96.02 419.81 104.95

Away From Home

Min Innings: 20

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 M Muralitharan 96 307 27.80 61.82 853.93 853.93
2 HMRKB Herath 78 155 36.01 75.62 638.12 638.12
3 ST Jayasuriya 57 32 39.53 91.19 478.52 478.52
4 MDK Perera 35 53 48.11 83.89 459.59 459.59
5 HDPK Dharmasena 22 26 46.27 108.08 423.33 423.33

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

Asians In Asia

Min Innings: 20

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 M Muralitharan 171 612 21.69 53.21 937.48 234.37
2 HMRKB Herath 127 354 26.03 55.63 784.30 196.08
3 MDK Perera 64 144 33.74 63.15 596.56 149.14
4 ST Jayasuriya 98 77 31.91 78.64 544.55 136.14
5 HDPK Dharmasena 38 56 38.59 92.25 456.54 114.14

Unfavourable Conditions Rating

Asians Outside Asia

Min Innings: 10

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 M Muralitharan 59 188 26.09 61.04 932.13 932.13
2 HMRKB Herath 43 79 37.24 79.75 607.64 607.64
3 ST Jayasuriya 42 21 43.29 101.57 382.02 382.02
4 MDK Perera 14 17 54.24 100.71 363.32 363.32
5 HDPK Dharmasena 15 13 58.38 136.38 267.13 267.13

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 M Muralitharan 853.93 243.91 932.13 234.37 2,264.34 226.43
2 HMRKB Herath 638.12 201.16 607.64 196.08 1,643.00 164.30
3 ST Jayasuriya 478.52 132.39 382.02 136.14 1,129.07 112.91
4 MDK Perera 459.59 151.75 363.32 149.14 1,123.80 112.38
5 HDPK Dharmasena 423.33 104.95 267.13 114.14 909.55 90.95

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 M Muralitharan 30 121 14.60 35.77 984.47 196.89
2 HMRKB Herath 30 115 19.19 42.30 863.99 172.80
3 MDK Perera 30 78 28.64 55.41 602.49 120.50
4 ST Jayasuriya 30 37 19.89 54.43 563.93 112.79
5 HDPK Dharmasena 30 43 37.81 89.74 426.92 85.38

TOP FORM AWAY

Min Innings: 10

RANK BOWLER INNS WKTS AVE SR RAT WTG
1 M Muralitharan 30 108 20.70 45.06 942.48 753.98
2 HMRKB Herath 30 65 28.98 60.35 680.64 544.51
3 MDK Perera 30 53 41.21 72.68 511.93 409.55
4 ST Jayasuriya 30 21 34.52 79.00 413.71 330.96
5 HDPK Dharmasena 22 26 46.27 108.08 363.05 290.44

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 M Muralitharan 230 800 3.48 1,000.00 500.00
2 HMRKB Herath 170 433 2.55 727.70 363.85
3 MDK Perera 78 161 2.06 629.67 314.83
4 HDPK Dharmasena 53 69 1.30 388.63 194.31
5 ST Jayasuriya 140 98 0.70 201.03 100.51

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 3 at a good AVE or SR.
  • 1st and 2nd; and 3rd and 4th inns are clubbed together.
  • The AVE should be less than 80% of the AVE of the better innings or
  • The SR should be less than 80% of the SR of the better innings.

Min Innings: 50

RANK BOWLER INNS II II Perc RAT WTG
1 M Muralitharan 230 102 44.35 956.58 956.58
2 HMRKB Herath 170 55 32.35 653.94 653.94
3 MDK Perera 78 17 21.79 383.14 383.14
4 HDPK Dharmasena 53 5 9.43 202.67 202.67
5 ST Jayasuriya 140 8 5.71 99.91 99.91

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 M Muralitharan 196.89 753.98 500.00 956.58 2,407.46 240.75
2 HMRKB Herath 172.80 544.51 363.85 653.94 1,735.11 173.51
3 MDK Perera 120.50 409.55 314.83 383.14 1,228.02 122.80
4 HDPK Dharmasena 85.38 290.44 194.31 202.67 772.82 77.28
5 ST Jayasuriya 112.79 330.96 100.51 99.91 644.17 64.42

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 1 M Muralitharan SL 484.58 226.43 240.75 951.76
2 11 HMRKB Herath SL 388.57 164.30 173.51 726.38
3 52 MDK Perera SL 297.96 112.38 122.80 533.14
4 70 ST Jayasuriya SL 269.91 112.91 64.42 447.23
5 80 HDPK Dharmasena SL 222.07 90.95 77.28 390.31

TOP TEAMS

Top Teams In Asia

DECADE OF MAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1950s AUS WI PAK IND ENG
1960s WI AUS PAK IND NZ ENG SA
1970s PAK ENG IND WI SA AUS
1980s PAK WI ENG NZ IND AUS
1990s IND PAK SA AUS SL WI
2000s AUS SL IND PAK SA ENG
2010s IND PAK SL ENG NZ SA AUS
2020s IND SL PAK AUS NZ ENG

Top Teams Outside Asia

DECADE OF MAT 1 2 3 4 5
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
FULL RATING WITH ALL NATIONS

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