The Changing Role of Spin Bowlers

[Manee]

Spin bowlers pre-1990s tend to have much higher strike rates and much lower economy rates than spinners in today's game. At first, I thought that this was to do with the increasing pace of the bowlers, but I noticed that both Bishan Bedi (a slow spinner) and Derek Underwood (a quick spinner) have strike rates over 70 and economy rates under 2.15. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar breaks the trend with an economy of 2.70 and strike rate of 65.9, but even these are lower and higher respectively than my following two examples.

Compare this to Harbhajan Singh who has a strike rate of 65.6 (economy rate of 2.83) and Anil Kumble who has a strike rate of 64.8 (economy rate of 2.83). The idea of spinners of the past being simply, better bowlers who pushed the batsman on the defensive is mooted by Muralitharan, who is clearly at least on par with the spinners of the past - he has a strike rate of 54.4 and economy rate of 2.41.

What do you think is the cause of the increase in economy rate and decrease in strike rate of spin bowlers? Although uncovered pitches would create a lower economy rate of the more older bowlers, it would not account for those post the introduction of covered pitches nor should it increase the strike rate of the older bowlers, should it?

 

[vic_orthdox]

Basically, it's attitude towards spinners (and bowlers in general). Early on, the idea is to take them on and not let them settle. Whereas batting attitudes used to be more about eliminating risk.

 

[Manee]

How did this attitude develop and permeate through to international level though?

 

[Ikki]

Warne also factors like Murali. They are just very special bowlers.

The SR of all bowlers have fallen, not just spinners, over the decades and conversely their economy has risen.

My own opinion, and a few others included, regard this due to the fact that batsmen are playing more shots with limited increased risk. This correlates well considering how much higher batting SRs have also become. It also explains, other than flat tracks, the slight increase in batting averages. This would also explain the increase in ER and the fall of SR.

 

[steds]

A large part of this has to be the way batsmen play spinners. Less happily padding up all day. Less likely to get away with padding upto the spinner. More quite dangerous shots (sweeps, etc.)

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Spin bowlers pre-1990s tend to have much higher strike rates and much lower economy rates than spinners in today's game. At first, I thought that this was to do with the increasing pace of the bowlers, but I noticed that both Bishan Bedi (a slow spinner) and Derek Underwood (a quick spinner) have strike rates over 70 and economy rates under 2.15. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar breaks the trend with an economy of 2.70 and strike rate of 65.9, but even these are lower and higher respectively than my following two examples.

Compare this to Harbhajan Singh who has a strike rate of 65.6 (economy rate of 2.83) and Anil Kumble who has a strike rate of 64.8 (economy rate of 2.83). The idea of spinners of the past being simply, better bowlers who pushed the batsman on the defensive is mooted by Muralitharan, who is clearly at least on par with the spinners of the past - he has a strike rate of 54.4 and economy rate of 2.41.

What do you think is the cause of the increase in economy rate and decrease in strike rate of spin bowlers? Although uncovered pitches would create a lower economy rate of the more older bowlers, it would not account for those post the introduction of covered pitches nor should it increase the strike rate of the older bowlers, should it?

I wouldn't be too concerned with those that drone on endlessly about uncovered wickets. The way some go on about it you would think that every time there was a cricket match there was automatically a downpour followed by a blazing sun leading to a spinner friendly wicket.

 

[Beleg]

What do you think is the cause of the increase in economy rate and decrease in strike rate of spin bowlers?

Decrease in strike-rate? What?

 

[Debris]

This is pretty easily explained by the introduction of limited-overs cricket.

 

[honestbharani]

This is pretty easily explained by the introduction of limited-overs cricket.

lol, I think all the responses above are quite right... All those are the reasons for the increase in ER and decrease in SR of spinners... I guess also the fact that umpires seem to be more happy giving out batsmen LBW even off the front foot. Someone like Kumble has REALLY benefitted from it but even guys like Kaneria, MacGill, Panesar etc. are getting the odd wicket this way too.

 

[Richard]

I wouldn't be too concerned with those that drone on endlessly about uncovered wickets. The way some go on about it you would think that every time there was a cricket match there was automatically a downpour followed by a blazing sun leading to a spinner friendly wicket.

You've lived in this country a while, I'm guessing.

How often do you get a three\five-day cricket match, plus the couple of days before the game, without any rain? And how often do you need a very heavy downpour followed by blazing sun to make the wicket spin-friendly? Just a short sharp shower could easily do the job.

 

[Richard]

This is pretty easily explained by the introduction of limited-overs cricket.

No, more the development of it.

Limited-overs cricket has been around since the 1960s. It's only since about 1990 or 1992 that it's been what we know it as today, however.

Presumably this has infiltrated the way spinners are treated now, but fingerspin was generally pretty ineffective in the 1970s and 1980s too.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

You've lived in this country a while, I'm guessing.

How often do you get a three\five-day cricket match, plus the couple of days before the game, without any rain? And how often do you need a very heavy downpour followed by blazing sun to make the wicket spin-friendly? Just a short sharp shower could easily do the job.

A short sharp shower does little for the spinners. The wicket becomes spin friendly after heavy rain followed by sun which makes it "sticky". It's the drying wicket after rain that helps the spinners, not just rain.

 

[Richard]

I know that, but ground does dry without sun on it - it just does it less quickly than it does when the sun comes straight out.

 

[honestbharani]

Spin bowlers pre-1990s tend to have much higher strike rates and much lower economy rates than spinners in today's game. At first, I thought that this was to do with the increasing pace of the bowlers, but I noticed that both Bishan Bedi (a slow spinner) and Derek Underwood (a quick spinner) have strike rates over 70 and economy rates under 2.15. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar breaks the trend with an economy of 2.70 and strike rate of 65.9, but even these are lower and higher respectively than my following two examples.

Compare this to Harbhajan Singh who has a strike rate of 65.6 (economy rate of 2.83) and Anil Kumble who has a strike rate of 64.8 (economy rate of 2.83). The idea of spinners of the past being simply, better bowlers who pushed the batsman on the defensive is mooted by Muralitharan, who is clearly at least on par with the spinners of the past - he has a strike rate of 54.4 and economy rate of 2.41.

What do you think is the cause of the increase in economy rate and decrease in strike rate of spin bowlers? Although uncovered pitches would create a lower economy rate of the more older bowlers, it would not account for those post the introduction of covered pitches nor should it increase the strike rate of the older bowlers, should it?

Manee, btw, juz realized that what you have in your sig was Richard's first ever post in CW.... Great work digging that up..

 

[SJS]

Its not so simple as to have just one easy answer. There are many factors.

Generally off spinners have 'worse' strike rates than leg spinners but the latter have worse economy rates

The changes in LBW laws over time have had a big influence on strike rates of off spinners.

In more recent times the off spinners have added the doosra which has increased the number of times they get people caught of the outside edge.

In recent times, umpires have also become more prone to declare a batsman out LBW where they would have given the benefit of doubt on most occasions when the batsman stretched forward and took the ball on the pad.

The last one has also helped bowlers like Kumble who bowl a lot of googlies and do not turn the ball away too much.

 

[SJS]

Here are the strike rates of the major spinners over time. I have taken all those spinners who have at least a 100 test wickets and a bowling average of under 35. I have then listed them in the order of their Test debut (in brackets against their names) and compared their strike rates against others who bowled similar spin over the entire history of Test cricket.

It makes interesting reading and even more interesting analysis.

I will come back and post my analysis of the same after a couple of hours since I have to go now

 

[Richard]

Manee, btw, juz realized that what you have in your sig was Richard's first ever post in CW.... Great work digging that up..

I've been proud of it for ages TBH, full credit to Manraj for displaying it for all to see mind.

 

[honestbharani]

I've been proud of it for ages TBH, full credit to Manraj for displaying it for all to see mind.

wonder what was my first post..

 

[SJS]

Here are the strike rates of the major spinners over time. I have taken all those spinners who have at least a 100 test wickets and a bowling average of under 35. I have then listed them in the order of their Test debut (in brackets against their names) and compared their strike rates against others who bowled similar spin over the entire history of Test cricket.

It makes interesting reading and even more interesting analysis.

I will come back and post my analysis of the same after a couple of hours since I have to go now

I have divided the 130 years of test cricket into six era according to the year in which they made their Test debuts. They are colour coded in the graphs.

• Turn of the century (19th/20th) and before : Maroon
• End of WW1 to 1950 : Lemon green
• 1950's : Blue
• 1960's & 70's :Dark Green
• 1980's & after : Yellow

There are specific reasons for the way these are divided.

• - The first era was predominantly that os under prepared wickets, poorer batting and thereby better (relativerly speaking) bowling figures
• - The second era which I like to call the Bradman era was a time of great run scoring, generally very good batting wickets and aggressive batting.
• - The 50's (upto the mid sixties) is a special era when after the war, we found batsmen going off to sleep. Batting was painfully slow, batsmen prefered to play as often with their pads as with their bats.
• - From the mid sixties onwards, authotities started worrting about the dullness that had crept into the game affecting attendences and a change started sweeping over the game. It also started an era of more and more players from abroad playing in the English domestic season and overall standards world wide (particularly in Pakistan and West Indies saw a big improvement).
• - Finally from 1980 onwards when the limited overs game had been in existence for a decade or more, batsmen started becoming more aggressive than probably any other time earlier in the game.

...to be continued

 

[Richard]

wonder what was my first post..

This wonderful piece of literature.