Pakistan as a country are known to produce some extraordinary fast bowlers, but over the years they have produced some quality spinners too. After receiving their Test status in the year of 1952, Pakistan didn’t take long to settle into the groove of international cricket, straight away, they recorded a sensational win over England during their 1st ever abroad tour.
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Over the years, the spin bowlers from Pakistan has remained under the shadows of their fast bowlers, but despite their dominance, the spinners too have had some praiseworthy performances in the past. Abdul Qadir kept the art of leg break intact in an era dominated by fast bowlers.
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Saqlain Mushtaq invented a delivery (doosra) which later on became the surprise delivery for many other successful Test bowlers. Players like Saeed Ajmal, Danish Kaneria, Mushtaq Ahmed, Abdur Rehman also played vital roles for Pakistan in their success.
With the rise of another potentially sensational leg break bowler Yasir Shah, we are hopeful that the country will produce many more quality spinners in the near future. Yasir Shah reminded every one of the magical delivery Shane Warne had bowled in the Ashes series in 2005 to Andrew Strauss. It was a mirror image of that ball and comparisons have started in the cricketing fraternity that which ball was better.
Now, here is a list of famous spinners who played for Pakistan.
#1-Abdul Qadir (right-arm wrist spin)
Abdul Qadir was a bowler who revolutionised spin bowling in an era where fast bowlers dominated. Leg break as an art which was nearly obsolete in the cricketing circles during that time and he was the man who kept the dying art intact.
He bamboozled batsman with his variations, especially his googlies. He had 2 types of googlies up his sleeve along with the orthodox leg-break, the top spinner and the flipper. He was a bowler Shane Warne idolised as a child and he also took tips from him during his initial years at the international level.
Qadir made his Test debut against England in the year 1977. He played 67 Tests and 104 ODIs for Pakistan spanning from 1977-1993. He was regarded as the best spinner of his generation. Former England captain Graham Gooch said that Qadir was finer than Shane Warne.
Qadir finished his career with 236 Test wickets and 132 ODI wickets. Abdul Qadir also served as a selector in 2009 and was instrumental in picking the side which won the ICC World Twenty20 in England.
#2-Saqlain Mushtaq (right arm off break)
Saqlain Mushtaq the inventor of ‘doosra’(a leg break delivery bowled with an off-break action) played for Pakistan between 1995-2004. Saqlain made both his Test and ODI debut against Srilanka in the year 1995 and fared well in his first few outings.
His most memorable performance came in the year 1999 against India. This was the first time he took 10 wickets in an innings that ensured a thrilling win for Pakistan, after Sachin Tendulkar had scored a brilliant century fighting with back pain.
Saqlain accumulated 208 wickets from the 49 Tests he played with 13 five hauls and three 10 wicket hauls. He was a terrific ODI bowler too, picking 288 wickets at an average of 21.78 per wicket.
Very few people knew what doosra was before its implementation by the Pakistani. Doosra was a very effective option as it confused batsman from all over the world. The ball is bowled with an off break action, but after pitching the ball behaves like a leg break. He was also the inventor of ‘teesra’, or the carrom ball as it is known in some quarters.
#3- Mushtaq Ahmed (right-arm wrist spin)
Mushtaq Ahmed, the current spin bowling coach of Pakistan was considered one of the best wrist spinners during his peak. Mushtaq made his international debut in the year 1989 playing an ODI against Srilanka and picked up 3 wickets on his debut. He got his first Test call-up the following year when Pakistan toured Australia.
He was a part of the Pakistan World Cup winning team in the year 1992. He picked up 16 wickets in the tournament, becoming the 2nd highest wicket taker in the tournament behind his compatriot Wasim Akram.
Though he was quite successful in the ODI format, he was unable to replicate his form in the longer version. He hardly made an impact from 1990-1994. But his fortunes changed and he picked up as many as ten five-wicket-hauls during the span of 1995-1998.
He was also an overseas county player for Somerset from 1993-98.
#4- Saeed Ajmal (right arm off break, doosra)
Saeed Ajmal donned the Pakistan jersey from 2006-2014. An extraordinary spinner in the few years he played, he perplexed batsmen all over the world. He bowled a terrific doosra, which bamboozled many great batsmen. Ajmal made his Test debut in the year 2006 against Srilanka and had a relatively sedate start to his international career.
He received his first coloured clothing call up two years later after making his Test debut. In 2009 Ajmal was reported by umpires for having a suspect bowling action. He appeared for an independent test the following month and it was seen that Ajmal’s arm flexed within the 15-degree tolerance by the ICC.
Ajmal was part of the T20 World Cup winning team in the year 2009 and was the 2nd highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 12 wickets from 7 matches. Ajmal was at his peak during the ICC World T20 2010, but very few remember his heroics as he was the unfortunate bowler who conceded 3 sixes in the final over of the Semi Final. Mike Hussey played an astonishing innings and Australia clinched victory from the jaws of defeat.
He played his last Test and ODI against Srilanka in 2014.
#5- Danish Kaneria (right arm wrist spin)
Danish Kaneria holds the record for most number of wickets by a Pakistani spinner. Kaneria who made his Test debut as a 19-year-old against England at Faisalabad ended Mushy's Test career in the early 2000’s. Though, not as lethal as his predecessors Mushtaq and Saqlain, Kaneria was a more than a handy successor bailing out Pakistan from many precarious situations.
The Pakistani achieved his career-best figures against Bangladesh in the year 2003 when he took 7/77 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. In the later half of his career, he played a pivotal role in Test wins against England, New Zealand and India. Kaneria never found a permanent place in the ODI XI, playing just 18 ODIs throughout his career. He was a member of Pakistan's squad in the 2007 World Cup.
Kaneria’s Test career spanned for 10 years and he played 61 Tests in the process. He played his last Test against England at Nottingham in 2010. Kaneria finished his Test career with 261 wickets at an average of 34.79, with 15 five wicket hauls.
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