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Poll for current best test spinner

Best test spinner

  • Ashwin

    Votes: 8 40.0%
  • Jadeja

    Votes: 3 15.0%
  • Lyon

    Votes: 8 40.0%
  • Yasir

    Votes: 1 5.0%

  • Total voters
    20

Singh767

School Boy/Girl Captain
Hi All,

Hope you are not too bored during isolation life! You may have seen my last poll where I asked people to choose their current top 4 spinners, the below were chosen. I have thrown in some stats, of course stats are not everything.

Total Wickets/Matches/Economy rate/Overall average

Ashwin - 365 wickets, 71 matches, 2.84 Economy rate, 25.43 overall average
Jadeja - 213 wickets, 49 matches, 2.43 Economy rate, 24.62 overall average
Lyon - 390 wickets, 96 matches, 3.00 Economy rate, 31.58 overall average
Yasir - 213 wickets, 39 matches, 3.19 Economy rate, 30.52 overall average


Home average:

Ashwin - 22.80
Jadeja - 21.06
Lyon - 31.93
Yasir - (UAE average 24.56 from 17 tests, 2 tests in pakistan at 44.66 average)

Away average:

Ashwin - 31.44
Jadeja - 34.62
Lyon - 29.42 (but does not include what cricinfo states as "neutral" which is UAE. Lyon averages 53.80 from 4 tests in UAE)
Yasir - 37.19
 

Shady Slim

International Coach
if i have to win a game on a bouncy pitch i take lyon, if i have to win a game on a dead pitch i take yasir, if i have to win a game on a rank turner i take ashwin, but in a best of the world team i might well pick jadeja for his batting given i would have four elite quicks in that team
 

TheJediBrah

Request Your Custom Title Now!
if i have to win a game on a bouncy pitch i take lyon, if i have to win a game on a dead pitch i take yasir, if i have to win a game on a rank turner i take ashwin, but in a best of the world team i might well pick jadeja for his batting given i would have four elite quicks in that team
Agree with all this but I'd rather take Jadeja on a rank turner.

As for the poll I refuse to vote for any of them. They all have enormous limitations. Lyon's probably most deserving but I just can't vote for him.
 

Burgey

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Lol why? At least he's picked to play in all conditions and not left out when they don't suit. You can't be the best in the world at any discipline if you aren't a lock as first choice in that discipline for your own country.
 

morgieb

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Lol why? At least he's picked to play in all conditions and not left out when they don't suit. You can't be the best in the world at any discipline if you aren't a lock as first choice in that discipline for your own country.
It can be the case if he's competiting with the #2 in fairness.

Poll is definitely over-rating current Ashwin IMO.
 

h_hurricane

International Vice-Captain
Lol why? At least he's picked to play in all conditions and not left out when they don't suit. You can't be the best in the world at any discipline if you aren't a lock as first choice in that discipline for your own country.
If you talk about current best spinner,lets say for the last 5 years, here is Jadeja's average in different countries.

Australia - 28.57
England - 36.85
India - 21.31
NZ - 23
SL - 28.76
WI - 25.55

Overall he averages 21 at home and 29 abroad. Even in that solitary match against Eng, he took 7 wickets bowling long spells on a really flat Oval pitch.

So essentially Jadeja has good record everywhere in the last 5 years. Though out of context, bring his batting and fielding into the picture, he should be a lock for any world XI picked from 2015-2020.

Yes, he got dropped for Ashwin on a few occasions but that has more to do with Kohli relying more on his improved pace attack and not playing 2 spinners abroad.

Lyon doesn't get dropped anywhere because his competition is rubbish, not that he is awesome. Very similar to Kumble playing through 90s for India inspite of being poor abroad.
 
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TheJediBrah

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If you talk about current best spinner,lets say for the last 5 years, here is Jadeja's average in different countries.

Australia - 28.57
England - 36.85
India - 21.31
NZ - 23
SL - 28.76
WI - 25.55

Overall he averages 21 at home and 29 abroad. Even in that solitary match against Eng, he took 7 wickets bowling long spells on a really flat Oval pitch.

So essentially Jadeja has good record everywhere in the last 5 years. Though out of context, bring his batting and fielding into the picture, he should be a lock for any world XI picked from 2015-2020.

Yes, he got dropped for Ashwin on a few occasions but that has more to do with Kohli relying more on his improved pace attack and not playing 2 spinners abroad.

Lyon doesn't get dropped anywhere because his competition is rubbish, not that he is awesome. Very similar to Kumble playing through 90s for India inspite of being poor abroad.
lol

That Australia average is from just 2 matches
New Zealand average is from 1 match (and he only took 2 wickets - conveniently leaving out his 1 other game in NZ which bumps his average in the country up to 60)
Only played in match in South Africa once in his life

I got the England average from 2015-2020 as 42.

You're not exactly disproving the contention that he hasn't bowled in unfriendly conditions much. 10/10 effort for stat manipulation though
 
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h_hurricane

International Vice-Captain
lol

That Australia average is from just 2 matches
New Zealand average is from 1 match (and he only took 2 wickets - conveniently leaving out his 1 other game in NZ which bumps his average in the country up to 60)
Only played in match in South Africa once in his life

I got the England average from 2015-2020 as 42.

You're not exactly disproving the contention that he hasn't bowled in unfriendly conditions much. 10/10 effort for stat manipulation though
Which stat did I manipulate though ?

Jadeja averages 36 in England in the last 5 years, not 42. I also mentioned it was a solitary match. I took last 5 years, you could take 2,3 or 4.

That NZ match in 2014 happened when he was half the bowler that he went on to become. Doesn't fit in the theme "current".

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...5;spanval1=span;template=results;type=bowling

I was only proving that Jadeja didn't deserve to be dropped abroad. I didn't say it is large sample size either.

To cut it short, when you pick Jadeja, you get an awesome bowler at home and a serviceable one abroad.

When you pick Lyon, you get some one who is serviceable everywhere.

I clearly know whom to pick.
 
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h_hurricane

International Vice-Captain
People also conveniently forget that Lyon got to play in rank turners abroad (Ind and BD). His BD numbers are crazy making him look a better bowler abroad than he is. I am not sure if Jadeja has ever played rank turners abroad.

Jadeja isn't as better a bowler than Lyon as his overall stats suggest. But the argument that he is a better bowler than Lyon can't be dismissed entirely.
 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Posted without comment (especially given the tiny sample sizes on Query 2).

Didn't screenshot the criteria for image one - it's wickets away from home/neutral since 1 Jan 2017 as a spinner.

Screen Shot 2020-05-13 at 5.53.15 pm.png
Screen Shot 2020-05-13 at 5.55.45 pm.png
 

TheJediBrah

Request Your Custom Title Now!
To cut it short, when you pick Jadeja, you get an awesome bowler at home and a serviceable one abroad.

When you pick Lyon, you get some one who is serviceable everywhere.
Bro that's not the case though. Jadeja has hardly played abroad. Lyon would be better anywhere except Asia/WI. Jadeja would be better in Asia. However in contrast to your evaluation I'd say that Lyon is better by more outside Asia than Jadeja is in Asia.

Can't believe I'm defending Lyon but I think you've got this backwards.

People also conveniently forget that Lyon got to play in rank turners abroad (Ind and BD). His BD numbers are crazy making him look a better bowler abroad than he is. I am not sure if Jadeja has ever played rank turners abroad.

Jadeja isn't as better a bowler than Lyon as his overall stats suggest. But the argument that he is a better bowler than Lyon can't be dismissed entirely.
No that's definitely fair. It's not an easy comparison to make at all.
 

Tom Flint

International Regular
Lyon is a very good bowler and on his way to being one of the highest wicket takers ever. Jadeja has improved massively and is now a gun all round cricketer. He should really be 1st pick for India away from home and if that means leaving out Ashwin in places like eng aus sa and nz then so be it.
 

Migara

Cricketer Of The Year
Jadeja will win you matches single handed when the conditions suit him. Lyon will not despite being more all rounded.
 

cnerd123

likes this
Jadeja will win you matches single handed when the conditions suit him. Lyon will not despite being more all rounded.
Nah this is not true. Lyon's had success and won games in all conditions.

Jadeja is underrated, but Lyon is clearly the best spinner going around right now.
 

Tom Flint

International Regular
I don't disagree that Lyon is the best. But I wouldn't say he is clearly better, both him and Ashwin could end up with 600+ wickets
 

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