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Is 2020s worst era for spinners since 80s?

govinda indian fan

International Debutant
1980s was worst time for spin bowlers with qadir being only test class spinner in world. While 90s and 00s saw rebirth of spin with warne and murali alongside quality bowlers like kumble, swann and saqlain. Ashwin and lyon took took baton from them along side jadeja and yasir shah. But come 2020s pitches became friendly to fast bowlers across world with less good quality spinners around. Ashwin has retired and jadeja and lyon are at their last legs. Only test class spinner to debut in last 10 years is kuldeep yadav and even he has played just 12 tests in 8 years. Is art of spin bowling esp in test cricket in decline?
 

LangleyburyCCPlayer

State Captain
Scyld Berry wrote an interesting piece in the Telegraph in response to KP saying that batting was harder in his day, I think he has a point, but regardless, games are either over before the spinners can come into the game, or as we’ve seen in England this summer, are just dead and don’t offer much help to anyone

Where Pietersen is right, although he does not spell it out, is that the standard of finger-spin bowling in Test cricket has decreased, while that of wrist-spin has plummeted. And this is where T20 must have had its impact: spinners bowl a higher percentage of the overs in a T20 game than they do in a red-ball or Test match, but it is a different sort of spin: fired in, flat, at the batsman’s legs, denying him room. It is a distant relation of flight and dip and turn and defeating the batsman past either inside or outside edge.
 

Ali TT

International Captain
Given that of the 4 decades in scope for this question, two of them were dominated by Warne and Murali - both had and shoulders above almost all other year spinners in history - and this decade is only halfway through. So it's not really the shocking headline the OP makes out it to be.
 

Coronis

Hall of Fame Member
I mean 90’s had Warne and Murali, 00’s had Warne and Murali, 10’s had Ashwin and Lyon, 20’s have had Ashwin (now retired) and Lyon. So yeah technically it is. Things will look a bit different if Lyon retires. Pakistan seem to have some decent talent, I’m not sure of any of Lyon’s replacements. India should have one of their spinners who can be good in tests. Not sure its “awful” just that we had that golden era of Warne and Murali - everything will seem **** compared to that. People are always gonna be nervous/alarmist around a time of change and uncertainty with Ashwin retiring and Lyon getting up there.
 

Migara

International Coach
1980s was worst time for spin bowlers with qadir being only test class spinner in world. While 90s and 00s saw rebirth of spin with warne and murali alongside quality bowlers like kumble, swann and saqlain. Ashwin and lyon took took baton from them along side jadeja and yasir shah. But come 2020s pitches became friendly to fast bowlers across world with less good quality spinners around. Ashwin has retired and jadeja and lyon are at their last legs. Only test class spinner to debut in last 10 years is kuldeep yadav and even he has played just 12 tests in 8 years. Is art of spin bowling esp in test cricket in decline?
There is lack of Kuldeep Yadav from India and Akhila Dhanajaya from Sri Lanka. Pretty impressive spinners at any format. Somewhere in between Afghans had Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, but he just faded away. Was a very good looking long format bowler.
 

Coronis

Hall of Fame Member
There is lack of Kuldeep Yadav from India and Akhila Dhanajaya from Sri Lanka. Pretty impressive spinners at any format. Somewhere in between Afghans had Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, but he just faded away. Was a very good looking long format bowler.
Rashid Khan is also very talented.
 

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