5 Best left-arm spinners in business at present

Cricket has witnessed some of the great left-arm spinners like Daniel Vettori, Bishan Singh Bedi and Derek Underwood. But the modern era of cricket is witnessing the dearth of such spinners and the teams which possess them are utilizing their skill like diamonds. Unlike off-spinners who are abundant in number and also leg-spinners who usually fox the batsmen, left-arm spinners are rare to find these days. Although, their action seems to be straightforward a lot goes through their hand which makes the ball talk.

Spinners of all kind are crucial but left-arm spinners are special as they bring variety to the attack. They are the go-to bowlers for their skippers in any format may it be Test, ODI or T20. They don’t need the pitch to assist them as they go about their business like a norm. With the advent of T20 cricket in recent years, the dynamics of the game has changed and so has the importance of left-arm tweakers. Few teams mostly from sub-continent are blessed with these magical bowlers and they are playing a crucial role for them currently.

Here we bring you the best left-arm spinners who are playing the game currently:

1. Rangana Herath

Rangana Herath, who spent most of his career under the shadow of Muttiah Muralitharan, has come of age in the concluding stages of his career. He has won many matches for Sri Lanka in the last five years and is rated as the ‘ageless wonder’. Recently his heroics helped Sri Lanka defend 136 on the fifth-day pitch against Pakistan in UAE.

He also became the first ever left-arm spinner to scalp 400 wickets in Tests which is a huge achievement. The wily old fox reached the feat in only his 84th Test match with 33 five-fors and 9 ten wicket hauls in the match. The statistics prove he is a stalwart for his team and is going strong even at the age of 39.

2. Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan, who is currently on a break from the longest format of the game, has been the key figure for Bangladesh cricket in the last 5-6 years. He has been through all the highs and lows with his team which is now reaping rich rewards albeit only on home soil. But his presence in the team makes it all together a different prospect for the Tigers.

The left-arm spinner has played 51 Tests and has picked 188 wickets with 17 five-wicket hauls to his name. In ODIs, he has 224 wickets in 177 games at an average of 29.49 and in the shortest format has scalped 70 wickets in 59 T20Is with an economy rate of just 6.79. He is the best bowler for Bangladesh hands down and with age on his side, would create a lot more records by the day he calls time on his career.

3. Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is another spinner who made it to the side at a very young age and is now ruling with his left-arm. He has proved his prowess with the ball many times and has won matches for India single-handedly. Even if he is not picking wickets, he contains runs from one end with his tight stump-to-stump bowling which leads to a wicket from the other. This has happened so many times in ODIs and T20Is while he is also the prime bowler for India in Tests.

Jaddu has foxed 155 batsmen in only 32 Tests at an impressive average of 23.60 with as many as 9 five-fors to his name. Though he is not a part of the Indian limited overs squad currently, his records in both ODIs and T20Is is impressive. In 136 matches, he has scalped the same number of wickets as in Tests and in 40 T20Is has 31 wickets against his name but with a miserly economy of 7.27. He continues to be the most important player on the team albeit in the longer formats for now.

4. Keshav Maharaj

South Africa would feel lucky to have found someone like Keshav Maharaj who bowls tidy and picks wickets at crucial intervals even on flat decks. His 7 wickets in the match against Bangladesh recently on a mundane wicket is a testimony to the impact he has.

Maharaj also became the fastest left-arm spinner to reach 50 wickets in Tests in that game. The 27 years old achieved this feat in just 12 Test matches which marks a remarkable achievement for a bowler who hasn’t played in the sub-continent yet. Though he is struggling to stamp his authority in the other formats, he is on course to becoming the best spinner Proteas ever had.

5. Imad Wasim

Imad Wasim, alike Jadeja, is not a huge turner of the ball and depends on his line and length. He is the limited overs specialist for Pakistan as of now who first made his debut at the international level in a T20I against Zimbabwe in Lahore. Since then he hasn’t looked back and has improved leaps and bounds.

His economy of 4.63 and 6 in ODIs and T20Is make him the USP of his side. Imad picks wickets by exerting pressure on the opposition and looks a great prospect for Pakistan in the future. He has 26 wickets in ODIs in as many games and 25 in T20Is in 22 matches. The tally will improve as he will play more games in the coming years and it will be a surprise for everyone if he doesn’t finish his career on a high in next 10 years.