Why do spinners have better economy rates in t20?

[ankitj]

Look at the list of best economy rates in t20 internationals. Ignoring those playing for non-test playing and newer cricketing nations, there are about 12 spinners before first pacer appears. Why do you reckon that is the case? Has it something to do with which phases spinners bowl in (mostly outside powerplay and before death overs)? We don't observe this in 50 over game.

Player​	Span​	Mat​	Overs​	Mdns​	Runs​	Wkts​	BBI​	Ave​	Econ​	SR​	4​	5​
DL Vettori (NZ)	2007-2014	34	131.1	1	748	38	4/20	19.68	5.70	20.7	1	0
SP Narine (WI)	2012-2019	51	183.4	1	1105	52	4/12	21.25	6.01	21.1	1	0
Rashid Khan (AFG/ICC)	2015-2020	48	183.0	1	1124	89	5/3	12.62	6.14	12.3	3	2
Imad Wasim (PAK)	2015-2020	46	163.0	3	1004	45	5/14	22.31	6.15	21.7	1	1
S Badree (WI/World)	2012-2018	52	191.0	4	1180	56	4/15	21.07	6.17	20.4	1	0
Harbhajan Singh (INDIA)	2006-2016	28	102.0	5	633	25	4/12	25.32	6.20	24.4	1	0
Ahmed Raza (UAE)	2014-2020	41	139.0	2	874	29	2/8	30.13	6.28	28.7	0	0
RE van der Merwe (NL/SA)	2009-2019	43	149.1	1	938	54	4/35	17.37	6.28	16.5	1	0
Mohammad Naveed (UAE)	2015-2019	31	114.4	5	729	37	3/14	19.70	6.35	18.5	0	0
Saeed Ajmal (PAK)	2009-2015	64	238.2	2	1516	85	4/19	17.83	6.36	16.8	4	0
GP Swann (ENG)	2008-2012	39	135.0	4	859	51	3/13	16.84	6.36	15.8	0	0
J Botha (SA)	2006-2012	40	129.0	1	823	37	3/16	22.24	6.37	20.9	0	0
DT Johnston (IRE)	2008-2013	30	99.0	5	636	32	4/22	19.87	6.42	18.5	1	0
BAW Mendis (SL)	2008-2014	39	147.3	5	952	66	6/8	14.42	6.45	13.4	3	2
Khawar Ali (OMAN)	2015-2020	32	91.0	0	590	35	4/16	16.85	6.48	15.6	2	0
Samiullah Shinwari (AFG)	2010-2020	64	105.4	0	688	28	5/13	24.57	6.51	22.6	1	1
A Zampa (AUS)	2016-2020	33	114.2	1	751	36	3/14	20.86	6.56	19.0	0	0
Mohammad Hafeez (PAK)	2006-2020	94	186.1	2	1226	54	4/10	22.70	6.58	20.6	1	0
Shahid Afridi (ICC/PAK)	2006-2018	99	361.2	4	2396	98	4/11	24.44	6.63	22.1	3	0
Mudassar Bukhari (NL)	2008-2016	38	117.2	4	780	43	4/7	18.13	6.64	16.3	3	0
Rohan Mustafa (UAE)	2014-2020	43	133.5	3	890	45	4/18	19.77	6.65	17.8	1	0
JJ Bumrah (INDIA)	2016-2020	50	179.1	7	1195	59	3/11	20.25	6.66	18.2	0	0

 

[Howe_zat]

Has it something to do with which phases spinners bowl in (mostly outside powerplay and before death overs)?

Yes.

 

[ankitj]

But that's largely true in 50 over games too. Yet we see an even mix of spin and pace among most economic bowlers for that format.

 

[Prince EWS]

Yeah I think it's mostly because of when they bowl. Even the ones who bowl in the first four overs aren't typically used at the death where the real carnage happens.

 

[ankitj]

Meanwhile, Is Vettori the GOAT t20 bowler? The gap in ER between him and #2 is quite big.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Rashid Khan bowls a bit at the death. Hard to prove this without proper data though.

ECB please give me a year's budget to research this for Data Driven 2023 Twenty20 World Cup success, thanks

 

[honestbharani]

Narine bowled in the death a few times in his initial years too. I think, objectively speaking, seamers get to bowl a lot more of the low scoring overs in ODIs which helps their ER unlike in T20s, where any over can be one to target. Spinners have better ERs maybe because it is usually only 1 or 2 bowling that style and they play them out sometimes, while they cant afford the same with seamers.

Also coz I feel batsmen try the all or nothing big shot way too often against spinners in T20Is. Against seamers there is a sense of, lets at least get a single whereas against spinners, they often go for the heave and miss the ball etc. creating a dot ball.

 

[mr_mister]

All to do with the powerplay and death overs for sure

 

[Daemon]

Hope Piyush Chawla is reading this

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

because they are slow bowlers

 

[weldone]

This is the sort of question we are aiming to have definitive answers to from the stats spider 2 project with ball-by-ball data.

 

[Kirkut]

The quicker they come on the bat, the quicker they go.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Rashid Khan bowls a bit at the death. Hard to prove this without proper data though.

Not sure anyone was claiming that no spinner has bowled at the death, ever. Something doesn't have to be absolute for it to be a statistically significant trend.

 

[ankitj]

Is there no way to get ERs for overs 7th to 16th on statsguru? I couldn't get the stats.

 

[honestbharani]

cricviz could help you

 

[ankitj]

cricviz could help you

How? Didn't find stat page on their site.

 

[honestbharani]

let me check.

 

[weldone]

Is there no way to get ERs for overs 7th to 16th on statsguru? I couldn't get the stats.

Nope

 

[weldone]

cricviz could help you

Nope. cricviz data is not public info. You need to send them an email promising to pay first.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Why can’t stuff like this be private?
It’s not like we’re asking for nudes