Spinners make a bowling unit complete, be it in any given format or any condition. A quality spinner is a necessity for any side just because of the sheer impact they have on the opposition.
Ideally, in ODIs, a spinner plays a vital role for the respective bowling unit by giving breakthroughs in the middle overs while also keeping things tight in that phase. In this way, pressure is created on the batsman, which leads to the pacers coming in at later stages to finish the proceedings.
Let us see the players who have done this role to perfection over the years and have been successful. Here are the top 10 wicket-takers among spinners in the ODI format.
Most Wickets by Spinners in ODI
| Player | Innings | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Muthiah Muralidaran (SL) | 341 | 534 |
| Shahid Afridi (PAK) | 372 | 395 |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 271 | 337 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 368 | 323 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 241 | 317 |
| Daniel Vettori (NZ) | 277 | 305 |
| Shane Warne (AUS) | 191 | 293 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK) | 165 | 288 |
| Harbhajan Singh (IND) | 227 | 269 |
| Ravindra Jadeja (IND) | 189 | 220 |
Key insights from the above stats
8: The number of players featured from the sub-continent teams. Shane Warne and Daniel Vettori are the only 2 spinners from non-Asian countries.
3: India has the maximum number of representations in the top 10 wicket-takers when it comes to spinners. Sri Lanka and Pakistan, on the other hand, have 2 players each.
48: The number of spinners who have taken 100 or more wickets in ODI cricket. The number shrinks to 11 when we take into account the spinners who have taken 200 or more wickets. Adil Rashid (199) is just a wicket shy of reaching the milestone.
534: Sri Lankan legend Muralidaran, aside from being the leading wicket-taker in Tests (800), is also the ODI format’s highest wicket-taker. He has taken 534 wickets at an astonishing average of 23.08 with 10 five-wicket hauls (second-most by any bowler in ODIs).
21.78: This is former Pakistan premier off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq’s ODI bowling average, and this remains the best for a bowler with more than 200 wickets. Rashid Khan has an incredible average of around 20 but is yet to reach the 200-wicket milestone in ODIs.
250: Saqlain is the fastest to cross 250 ODI wickets (138 games) and the second fastest to breach the 200-wicket mark.
30.4: Similarly, Saqlain has the best bowling strike rate for a spinner with more than 200 wickets. Rashid Khan has the best strike rate overall, as he is taking a wicket approximately every 28 balls in ODIs.
