Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
Taking a look at the figures of spinners in ODIs over the last two years from this date, the results don't appear very positive. Here's the table, if you want to modify figures. I've included only those who have taken at least 20 wickets, to filter out part-timers.
Amongst spinners who have played enough to take at least 20 wickets, only six bowlers have got averages under 30. Of the whole set, only Saeed Ajmal and Jim Tredwell have strike rates under or a little over 30. While economy rate is a useless statistic for a specialist strike bowler, Sunil Narine has a seriously effective economy of 4.19, which can make a difference, but there are few who score well even on this front- and one of them is Mohammed Hafeez, who's primarily a batsman. Only two, as against at least three different rosters you can make when you look for similar results in pace/seam/swing bowlers. The scene was much more encouraging, a year before, but that's mostly because of bowlers like Mishra, Bishoo and Tahir, who haven't played much. even then, the list bursts when you ask for pace bowler figures.
Long-running spinners with plenty of ODI caps, with the exception of Ajmal, are struggling. Are we seeing a long-running trend of struggling spinners in the past few years? With strike rates swelling, are spinners now primarily restrictive bowlers? Or is this a reflection of team selections that plump for four seamers and a spinner? Or as has ODI cricket, as Bishan Bedi said, weakened the spinner? Test figures look a lot better, but I am not surprised to see plenty from the subcontinent and West Indies there.
Amongst spinners who have played enough to take at least 20 wickets, only six bowlers have got averages under 30. Of the whole set, only Saeed Ajmal and Jim Tredwell have strike rates under or a little over 30. While economy rate is a useless statistic for a specialist strike bowler, Sunil Narine has a seriously effective economy of 4.19, which can make a difference, but there are few who score well even on this front- and one of them is Mohammed Hafeez, who's primarily a batsman. Only two, as against at least three different rosters you can make when you look for similar results in pace/seam/swing bowlers. The scene was much more encouraging, a year before, but that's mostly because of bowlers like Mishra, Bishoo and Tahir, who haven't played much. even then, the list bursts when you ask for pace bowler figures.
Long-running spinners with plenty of ODI caps, with the exception of Ajmal, are struggling. Are we seeing a long-running trend of struggling spinners in the past few years? With strike rates swelling, are spinners now primarily restrictive bowlers? Or is this a reflection of team selections that plump for four seamers and a spinner? Or as has ODI cricket, as Bishan Bedi said, weakened the spinner? Test figures look a lot better, but I am not surprised to see plenty from the subcontinent and West Indies there.
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