Top 5 ODI off-spinners of all time

When limited overs cricket first came into existence, there was widespread belief that spinners would find it difficult to hold their own in a game which is designed for batsmen to be far more attacking. Over the course of the history of one-day internationals, plenty of spinners have been pivotal in the success of their teams and among them, many of them have been off-spinners.

Almost all teams have had off-spinners as part of their bowling arsenal and while, many of them made their name for doing a superb restrictive job, the best ones were known for picking up wickets. Their quota of 10 overs was often crucial when it came to deciding the direction of the game and hence, they were the best in the business.

Here is a look at 5 of the best off-spinners to have ever played ODI cricket.

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#5 Sanath Jayasuriya

He may be better known for his astonishing power hitting at the top of the order for Sri Lanka for close to a decade and a half, but it should not be forgotten that Sanath Jayasuriya was just as effective a left-arm off-spinner in limited overs cricket. He wasn't the craftiest of spinners and did not turn the ball much, but it was mighty difficult to hit him for runs easily.

He bowled quick, flat deliveries straight into the right-handed batsman's legs and the low trajectory made it very tough for batsmen to get underneath the ball or charge down the track. Jayasuriya wasn't a particularly consistent wicket-taker but since he played 445 games, he ended up with a career haul of 323 wickets, which places him at 4th place among highest wicket-takers in ODI history among spin bowlers.

He had an average of 36.75 but more importantly, he had an economy rate of 4.78.

#4 Daniel Vettori

Daniel Vettori

The former New Zealand captain made his ODI debut back in 1997 and over the next 18 years, Daniel Vettori proved to be one of the most important members of their bowling attack. The left arm off-spinner was an extremely crafty bowler.

Vettori could turn the ball on a helpful surface, vary his length, give the ball just enough air or fire in the arm ball to an unsuspecting batsman and that is what made him a bowler against whom, some of the best batsmen thought twice before taking liberties.

A career economy rate of 4.12 is ample proof of his prowess as a bowler and the fact that he adjusted with the changing nature of the ODI game every time, is another indication of his greatness as an ODI bowler.

He picked up 305 wickets in 295 ODI games and averaged 31.71 in his career.

#3 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh

The Indian ace made his debut for the ODI side back in 1998 but it was not till 2001 that Harbhajan Singh firmly established himself as the team's number one spinner. Since then, he remained one of the world's leading spin bowlers for more than a decade and was a key member of the World Cup-winning team in 2011.

One of the most important thing about Harbhajan's bowling was that he could turn the ball a long way and in addition to that, he could bowl the doosra as well, which always kept the batsmen in two minds.

On the other hand, had the gift of both flighting the ball or pushing it fast through the air, as a result, it was often tough to go down the track against him. He played in 236 ODIs for India and picked up 269 wickets at an average of 33.35. Harbhajan had an economy rate of 4.69 and often bowled at the death for India.

#2 Saqlain Mushtaq

Saqlain Mushtaq

If there is one bowler who can be called 'the Godfather of modern off-spin bowling' then that would be former Pakistani star Saqlain Mushtaq. He turned a boring form of off-spin bowling that had lost all its glamour due to the emergence of Shane Warne and Anil Kumble, into an intriguing and exciting vocation.

Mushtaq gave off-spinners the doosra (the off-spinner's delivery that turns away from the right-handed batsman) and the straighter one, bowled from wide of the crease. The latter came in and then did not turn but straightened after pitching, often catching the batsmen plumb in front.

He had a regulation bowling action but when it came to variations, turn, bounce and accuracy, there was no one who came close. His career did not last as long as many would have expected but for those seven to eight years between 1995 to 2003, he was the world's best.

In only 169 games, he picked up 288 wickets at an average of 21.78 and an economy rate of 4.25. He was off-spin bowling's greatest ever innovator.

#1 Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan

The former Sri Lankan great is the leading wicket-taker in the history of ODI cricket and in a career that lasted around 18 years (1993-2011), Muttiah Muralitharan became one of the most dangerous bowlers in the history of the game.

He might have been an off-spinner but his action and his ability to turn the ball like a top on any surface made him an extremely tough proposition for most batsmen. On top of that, he had all the possible variations that one could imagine.

Whether it was the one that turned the other way or the one that skidded through off the surface like a leg-spinner's flipper, Muralitharan almost always kept the batsmen guessing with his variations. Needless to say, he was the backbone of the Sri Lankan bowling attack throughout one of its most successful periods in ODI cricket, when they reached two World Cup finals.

He played in 350 games and picked up an astonishing 534 wickets at an average of 23.08. Additionally, he enjoyed a career economy rate of 3.93 and that is something that clearly makes him the greatest off-spinner to have ever played ODI cricket.