5 best players of spin from Australia

Australia is a country that is famous for its quick, bouncy pitches and fast bowlers. Although the country has produced arguably the greatest spin bowlers in the history of the sport, the game is largely dominated by fast bowlers.

Naturally, the batsmen who grow up on a diet of fast bowling are at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to playing quality spin as opposed to players from other nations.

Despite that, Australia have produced plenty of batsmen who have been excellent against spin and had it not been the case, they would not have been one of the world's great cricketing nations.

Let's take a look at 5 of Australia's finest players of spin bowling till date and since the record in the sub-continent is the ultimate yardstick for batting against spin, the players' performances in Asia remains a key deciding factor.

#5 Doug Walters

According to former Australian captain Ian Chappell, his former team-mate and colossus of the team's middle-order, Doug Walters remains the finest player of spin bowling that he has ever witnessed. Considering the fact that Chappell was watched a lot of cricket owing to his career as a commentator, his assertion must be taken seriously.

Walters batted at number 5 or 6 for Australia in a career that spanned around 16 years (1965-1981) and was particularly well known for his quick feet movement against spin bowlers. Much like the best players of spin in the business, the right-hander did not let spinners settle and constantly used his superior foot movement or excellent backfoot play to offset their rhythm.

There was also the small matter of him being a superbly attacking batsman. When he toured India in 1969-70, he made a century and two fifties in 5 Test matches for Australia, against the finest spin bowling attack in the world.

#4 Damien Martyn

The former Australian batsmen had to wait a while to cement his place in the side but when he did, he became a member of one of the most successful teams in history.

Damien Martyn is perhaps best known for his silken stroke-making but when it came to playing spin he was among the best in the world and one of the best that Australia has ever had. The middle-order batsman was known for his soft hands when playing against the turning ball and more importantly, he was known to play the ball late.

He could come down the wicket or stay back and nudge the ball around for runs. Martyn was a masterful batsman of spin and that was evidenced when he made 2 centuries apiece on square turners in Sri Lanka in 2004 and later on in India in the same year.

He averaged 55.50 in both Sri Lanka and India, to make a telling contribution towards Australia winning both those Test series.

#3 Michael Clarke

The fact that former Australian middle-order great Michael Clarke is one of the country's greatest player of spin is beyond question.

It was evident in his debut Test against India in Bengaluru back in 2004, when he slammed a superb 151 to help his team go one up in the series and since then, he proved to be totally in control against spin bowlers.

Clarke's biggest strength was the speed at which he could come down the track or rock back on to his back foot to anything that was even marginally short.

He did it against some of the best spinners in the world and quite often on raging turners for more than a decade.

He scored a century in all but one of his tours to India and he was equally good in Sri Lanka, where he scored a century and fifty in his last tour back in 2011. He remains one of the best players of spin Australia has ever had.

#2 Allan Border

He is not only one of the most influential captains in Australian cricket's modern history but one of its greatest modern batsman and Allan Border was also one of his country's greatest players against spin bowling.

He was someone who rarely ever played a loose shot once he was set and against spin bowling, he possessed the technique and skill to bat for long without any alarms.

Among all the Australian batsmen, who have played in the sub-continent, Border remains one of the best and an average of 54.51 in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is ample proof of his immense prowess as a batsman of high-quality spin bowling.

In addition to that, he made 6 centuries and 8 half-centuries during the course of 20 Test matches in those three countries. One of his most memorable performances was possibly the tour of India in 1986-87 when he completely mastered India's spinners to score 230 runs in 3 Tests, at an average of 81.66.

#1 Matthew Hayden

Usually, the batsmen who play in the middle-order are supposed to be good against spin but former Australian great and opening batsman Matthew Hayden is easily the greatest player of spin bowling to have ever emerged from the country.

The left-hander nailed down a spot in the side a bit late on in his career but he took his chance when it came and started off by performing one of the greatest feats of batsmanship on the dustbowls of India in 2001.

Australia lost the series but Hayden stamped his class as the team's premier player of spin bowling with an aggregate of 549 runs in 3 Tests and an astounding series average of 109.80. Hayden's game revolved around the judicious use of the feet whenever necessary, the ability to play a killing sweep shot and cut when necessary.

Moreover, his reach made it possible for him to sometimes sweep deliveries that might not have been all that short. He attacked the spinners and was often seen charging down the wicket to launch them into the stands.