Top 5 spin bowling all-rounders of all time

Cricket is a sport of bat against ball. But more often than not, the art of spin bowling gets relegated to secondary status when compared to fast bowling.

Fortunately, stats don't lie and the fact the top three wicket-takers in Test cricket history are all spin bowlers lends credibility to the impact created by them.

Spinners can generally be classified as off spin and leg spin bowlers but the underlying subtle variations mean that there are many further sub-classifications that in turn adds to their mystery and importance in the squad.

The leading wicket-taker in the world in both Tests and ODIs, Muttiah Muralitharan was an off-spinner - a genius at that. However, he could do little with the bat.

There have been many good spinners who could bat well too and let us now take a look at the top 5 spin bowling all-rounders in the history of the game across all formats.

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#5 Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

Ravichandran Ashwin started off as a bowler but the way he has worked on his batting and improved to the tune of scoring 4 Test centuries is simply amazing.

The Indian off-spinner may be out of contention from the shorter versions of the game as of now. However, his tally of 150 wickets from 111 ODIs and 52 wickets from 46 T20Is at an economy rate of under seven are figures any bowler would be proud of.

Undoubtedly, Ashwin has been the backbone of the Indian Test bowling attack for a number of years now. He is rapidly proving to be one of their biggest ever match-winners with the ball whilst also making meaningful contributions with the bat.

The 31-year-old has an astounding seven Man-of-the-Series awards in Tests from just 52 matches and is a serious threat to Muralitharan's record tally of 11.

Batting record

Bowling record

#4 Daniel Vettori (New Zealand)

Vettori is New Zealand's most capped player in both Tests and ODIs

Like Ravichandran Ashwin, Daniel Vettori was someone who started out purely as a batsman before honing his batting skills to such an extent that he was considered a serious threat by the opposition bowlers.

Vettori is most capped player for New Zealand in both Tests and ODIs. He is their leading wicket-taker in ODIs with 305 wickets and is only behind the legendary Sir Richard Hadlee amongst Test wicket-takers for the Black Caps.

He also led the national side since Stephen Fleming's retirement and carried out the responsibility in a calm and composed manner much like his predecessor.

Vettori has six Test centuries to his name and an average of 30 in the longest format of the game. In T20Is, he is the most economical bowler in history upon possessing an economy-rate of 5.70.

Batting record

Bowling record

#3 Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)

Jayasuriya revolutionised ODI cricket with his explosive batting

The destructive style of Sanath Jayasuriya's batting often overshadows the fact that he was brilliant with the ball as well, especially in the 50-over format.

Opening the batting along with Romesh Kaluwitharana, his explosive approach in the early overs revolutionized the way ODI cricket was played during the mid 90s. He was also instrumental in Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup triumph.

He ranks at number ten in the list of leading wicket-takers in ODIs with 323 scalps to his name and is fourth in the table of all-time run-makers.

An ODI legend in his own right, Jayasuriya fared well in the Test arena as well. A batting average of above 40 as well as 98 wickets with the ball are proof enough of his value in the traditional format.

Batting record

Bowling record

#2 Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

Shakib has blossomed in a team which he has often had to fight a lone battle

Arguably the best all-rounder in world cricket today, Shakib Al Hasan is undoubtedly the greatest cricketer in Bangladesh history. With consistent contributions with both bat and ball, he has been instrumental in Bangladesh's rise from humble beginnings to their newfound successes.

He was the star in two of Bangladesh's most iconic victories till date in Test cricket. During their first overseas win which came against the West Indies, Shakib took 8 wickets and scored a gutsy 96 as well. In their maiden win against Australia, he picked up 10 wickets and scored 89 runs.

In a team which has often lacked the star players who can deliver on a regular basis, Shakib has managed to stand up against the best of sides and launch an one-man battle.

The left-armer has often been on top of the all-rounder rankings in all three formats. Just 30 years old, he has plenty of cricket ahead of him as Bangladesh aim to take their progress to the next level.

Batting record

Bowling record

#1 Sir Garry Sobers (West Indies)

Sir Garry Sobers is arguably the greatest all-rounder in the game's history

Sir Garfield Sobers is arguably the greatest all-rounder to have played the game. He was someone who could literally do almost everything. Apart from being a dynamic batsman, he could also bowl fast-medium and chinaman along with orthodox left-arm spin.

Sobers scored 8032 runs from 93 matches at an average of 57.78 - the fourth highest among Test players with more than 5000 runs to their name. He also picked up 235 wickets with the ball at an average of just above 34.

He started out as a bowler but quickly established himself as a great batsman as well who played with elan. His first Test hundred ending up as the highest individual Test score (365) at the time - a record that stood for 36 years before being broken by Brian Lara in 1994.

Extra Cover: Sir Garry Sobers, the five-in-one cricketer

Although he was not a prolific wicket-taker, Sobers was a constant threat with the ball and managed to pick up vital scalps. He also captained the West Indies team from 1965 to 1972.

Having played a lone ODI in his career, it is a shame that we didn't get to see more of Sobers in limited-overs cricket. But one can bet for certain that he would have emerged as a champion in the limited-overs format too.

Batting record

Bowling record