Top 50 Spin Bowlers With Best Economy Rates In Tests

All Test Stats on the website are from 01/01/1950 onwards (Know Why). They are updated till 2026-02-05. The first list simply gives you the bowlers with best economy rates in Test Cricket since 1950. The second list gives you the bowlers with best Relative Economy Rates (R ER).

CONTENTS

1. QUALIFICATION

2. TOP 50 SPINNERS WITH BEST ECONOMY RATES IN TEST CRICKET

3. TOP 50 SPINNERS WITH BEST R ER IN TEST CRICKET

QUALIFICATION

Min Innings (Top Teams)	25
Min Balls	2500
Min Career Wkts	50

TOP 50 SPINNERS WITH BEST ECONOMY RATES IN TEST CRICKET

RANK	BOWLER	NAT	INNS	RUNS	BALLS	WKTS	ER
1	RG Nadkarni	IND	65	2559	9165	88	1.68
2	R Illingworth	ENG	100	3807	11934	122	1.91
3	AL Valentine	WI	63	4215	12953	139	1.95
4	FJ Titmus	ENG	90	4931	15118	153	1.96
5	S Ramadhin	WI	76	4579	13939	158	1.97
6	LR Gibbs	WI	148	8989	27115	309	1.99
7	GAR Lock	ENG	88	4451	13147	174	2.03
8	R Benaud	AUS	116	6704	19108	248	2.11
9	DL Underwood	ENG	151	7674	21862	297	2.11
10	PH Edmonds	ENG	84	4273	12028	125	2.13
11	BS Bedi	IND	118	7637	21364	266	2.14
12	HJ Howarth	NZ	50	3178	8833	86	2.16
13	G Miller	ENG	50	1859	5149	60	2.17
14	JE Emburey	ENG	103	5646	15391	147	2.20
15	Iqbal Qasim	PAK	86	4807	13019	171	2.22
16	DR Doshi	IND	55	3502	9322	114	2.25
17	SLV Raju	IND	51	2857	7602	93	2.25
18	S Venkataraghavan	IND	96	5634	14877	156	2.27
19	JW Gleeson	AUS	53	3367	8857	93	2.28
20	SL Boock	NZ	48	2564	6598	74	2.33
21	SP Gupte	IND	61	4403	11284	149	2.34
22	RJ Shastri	IND	125	6185	15751	151	2.36
23	RJ Bright	AUS	39	2180	5541	53	2.36
24	AA Mallett	AUS	71	3940	9990	132	2.37
25	TBA May	AUS	45	2606	6577	75	2.38
26	EAS Prasanna	IND	86	5742	14353	189	2.40
27	Maninder Singh	IND	52	3288	8218	88	2.40
28	PCR Tufnell	ENG	70	4560	11288	121	2.42
29	CL Hooper	WI	145	5635	13788	114	2.45
30	ST Jayasuriya	SL	140	3366	8188	98	2.47
31	SA Durani	IND	46	2657	6446	75	2.47
32	M Muralitharan	SL	230	18180	44039	800	2.48
33	HDPK Dharmasena	SL	53	2920	6939	69	2.52
34	Abdur Rehman	PAK	43	2910	6892	99	2.53
35	CG Borde	IND	54	2417	5695	52	2.55
36	NS Yadav	IND	61	3580	8360	102	2.57
37	Intikhab Alam	PAK	78	4494	10474	125	2.57
38	Saeed Ajmal	PAK	67	5003	11592	178	2.59
39	DL Vettori	NZ	187	12441	28814	362	2.59
40	RA Jadeja	IND	167	8741	20241	348	2.59
41	JD Higgs	AUS	36	2057	4752	66	2.60
42	JG Bracewell	NZ	67	3653	8403	102	2.61
43	RB Simpson	AUS	84	3001	6881	71	2.62
44	CH Gayle	WI	104	3120	7109	73	2.63
45	Mushtaq Mohammad	PAK	70	2309	5260	79	2.63
46	Saqlain Mushtaq	PAK	86	6206	14070	208	2.65
47	SK Warne	AUS	273	17995	40704	708	2.65
48	PL Harris	SA	63	3901	8809	103	2.66
49	Mohammad Hafeez	PAK	77	1808	4067	53	2.67
50	Wasim Raja	PAK	69	1826	4082	51	2.68

TOP 50 SPINNERS WITH BEST R ER IN TEST CRICKET

R ER

Relative Economy Rate (R ER) is a more accurate type of ER. 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

RANK	BOWLER	NAT	INNS	RUNS	BALLS	WKTS	ER	R ER
1	RG Nadkarni	IND	65	2559	9165	88	1.68	2.24
2	PL Harris	SA	63	3901	8809	103	2.66	2.56
3	RA Jadeja	IND	167	8741	20241	348	2.59	2.59
4	R Illingworth	ENG	100	3807	11934	122	1.91	2.62
5	Saeed Ajmal	PAK	67	5003	11592	178	2.59	2.63
6	Abdur Rehman	PAK	43	2910	6892	99	2.53	2.66
7	LR Gibbs	WI	148	8989	27115	309	1.99	2.66
8	MJ Santner	NZ	54	2603	5551	78	2.81	2.68
9	FJ Titmus	ENG	90	4931	15118	153	1.96	2.69
10	JE Emburey	ENG	103	5646	15391	147	2.20	2.70
11	G Miller	ENG	50	1859	5149	60	2.17	2.73
12	PH Edmonds	ENG	84	4273	12028	125	2.13	2.73
13	SLV Raju	IND	51	2857	7602	93	2.25	2.73
14	Iqbal Qasim	PAK	86	4807	13019	171	2.22	2.74
15	DL Underwood	ENG	151	7674	21862	297	2.11	2.74
16	GAR Lock	ENG	88	4451	13147	174	2.03	2.74
17	BS Bedi	IND	118	7637	21364	266	2.14	2.75
18	SL Boock	NZ	48	2564	6598	74	2.33	2.76
19	CH Gayle	WI	104	3120	7109	73	2.63	2.76
20	DL Vettori	NZ	187	12441	28814	362	2.59	2.77
21	Mohammad Hafeez	PAK	77	1808	4067	53	2.67	2.78
22	M Muralitharan	SL	230	18180	44039	800	2.48	2.78
23	PP Ojha	IND	48	3420	7633	113	2.69	2.79
24	SJ Benn	WI	42	3402	7322	87	2.79	2.79
25	MS Panesar	ENG	85	5797	12475	167	2.79	2.81
26	Maninder Singh	IND	52	3288	8218	88	2.40	2.82
27	HJ Howarth	NZ	50	3178	8833	86	2.16	2.82
28	ST Jayasuriya	SL	140	3366	8188	98	2.47	2.82
29	NM Lyon	AUS	262	17099	34832	567	2.95	2.83
30	HMRKB Herath	SL	170	12157	25993	433	2.81	2.84
31	R Benaud	AUS	116	6704	19108	248	2.11	2.85
32	R Ashwin	IND	200	12891	27241	537	2.84	2.85
33	CL Hooper	WI	145	5635	13788	114	2.45	2.85
34	PCR Tufnell	ENG	70	4560	11288	121	2.42	2.86
35	RJ Shastri	IND	125	6185	15751	151	2.36	2.87
36	S Ramadhin	WI	76	4579	13939	158	1.97	2.87
37	RJ Bright	AUS	39	2180	5541	53	2.36	2.88
38	MJ Leach	ENG	67	4838	9402	142	3.09	2.88
39	S Venkataraghavan	IND	96	5634	14877	156	2.27	2.88
40	DR Doshi	IND	55	3502	9322	114	2.25	2.89
41	GP Swann	ENG	109	7642	15349	255	2.99	2.89
42	AL Valentine	WI	63	4215	12953	139	1.95	2.89
43	JW Gleeson	AUS	53	3367	8857	93	2.28	2.90
44	TBA May	AUS	45	2606	6577	75	2.38	2.91
45	AY Patel	NZ	39	2623	5020	91	3.14	2.93
46	KA Maharaj	SA	106	6370	12308	218	3.11	2.94
47	Mohammad Rafique	BAN	48	4076	8744	100	2.80	2.96
48	HDPK Dharmasena	SL	53	2920	6939	69	2.52	2.98
49	A Kumble	IND	236	18355	40852	619	2.70	2.99
50	Shakib Al Hasan	BAN	121	7804	15675	246	2.99	2.99

BRIEF EXPLANATION

Dynamic Nature

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.

Top Teams (TT)

An opposition is counted as a TT considering its Win/Loss (WL) Ratios in last 7 years.
Home, Away, In Asia, Outside Asia and Overall WL Ratio is considered.
The WL Ratio should be more than a certain value overall or in specific condition.