Is 2020s worst era for spinners since 80s?

[govinda indian fan]

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?

 

[Johan]

Packer was right, spinners are workhorses, pacers are the ones who bring in the money.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Only test class spinner to debut in last 10 years is kuldeep yadav

Maharaj
Ajaz
Noman Ali


Possibly:
Motie (if picked) edited
Sajid Khan
Taijul
Jayasuriya



Also most matches aren't going 5 days, so pitches aren't breaking up as much.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

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.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Maharaj
Ajaz
Noman Ali


Possibly:
Worrican (if picked)
Sajid Khan
Taijul
Jayasuriya



Also most matches aren't going 5 days, so pitches aren't breaking up as much.

Motie > Warrican

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Motie > Warrican

Sorry, I meant to write Motie. Brain said Motie, but I wrote Worrican

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Sorry, I meant to write Motie. Brain said Motie, but I wrote Worrican

Good, now I can applaud you

 

[Ali TT]

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.

 

[Starfighter]

No. Up until Ashwin retired I'd have said that over the past fifteen years or so the overall quality of finger spinners has been as good as it's ever been.

 

[Coronis]

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]

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.

 

[Thala_0710]

Sorry, I meant to write Motie. Brain said Motie, but I wrote Worrican

That's fine. It's what the WI selectors did too apparently

 

[Coronis]

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.

 

[Migara]

Rashid Khan is also very talented.

ATG in short format, but don't rate him in long format. Would be mighty successful against players who don't know how to play spin well, but good defensive players of spin will grind him to the dirt. Like a more accurate, less flamboyant Stuart MacGill

 

[Coronis]

ATG in short format, but don't rate him in long format. Would be mighty successful against players who don't know how to play spin well, but good defensive players of spin will grind him to the dirt. Like a more accurate, less flamboyant Stuart MacGill

Not sure why you’d think this but rate someone like Mujeeb, who only had 1 unsuccessful test (which was his only FC match) and is worse in both ODIs and T20’s. Compared to Rashid who is far superior in both those formats and actually has both a good test and FC record.

 

[Migara]

Not sure why you’d think this but rate someone like Mujeeb, who only had 1 unsuccessful test (which was his only FC match) and is worse in both ODIs and T20’s. Compared to Rashid who is far superior in both those formats and actually has both a good test and FC record.

Basically it is the eye test. I don't think even Rashid has played enough tests to be regarded as even good. Mujeeb is the closest we had to Saqlain. And he is bloody accurate too. While I back Rashid on shorter formats (Mujeeb has a stellar ODI record too), he has a MO that is suited to test cricket. Slower, loopier, let the ball mis behave off the pitch rather than hitting it with pace, and of course all other goodies as variations.

 

[shortpitched713]

Answer is yes. After Ashwin retirement, how many really high quality spinners we even have in world cricket?

Old Jadeja simply doesn't hack it. Spinners as a class are nothing more than over rate boosters, and workhorse stock bowlers, especially outside the subcontinent. It's sad.

 

[Coronis]

Basically it is the eye test. I don't think even Rashid has played enough tests to be regarded as even good. Mujeeb is the closest we had to Saqlain. And he is bloody accurate too. While I back Rashid on shorter formats (Mujeeb has a stellar ODI record too), he has a MO that is suited to test cricket. Slower, loopier, let the ball mis behave off the pitch rather than hitting it with pace, and of course all other goodies as variations.

Of course, its no secret I’m no expert on shorter formats, but if Mujeeb’s record is stellar then what is Rashid’s?

 

[Paranoid Kendroid]

Mujeeb vs Rashid: The Rivalry That Never Existed

 

[CricAddict]

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

This is pretty much true and proof is in the icc rankings. Only 2 of the top 12 test bowlers are spinners while 9 of the top 12 t20 bowlers are spinners.