Top 7 wicket-taking spinners since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan

#5 Saeed Ajmal – 160 wickets

Saeed Ajmal took the art of doosra to a whole new level

Yet another Pakistani spinner finds his name on this list. Saeed Ajmal was the one who had taken the art of doosra to a whole new level. However, the ICC imposed a ban on him over his bowling action and cut his career short.

The off-spinner had mastered the one that spins the other way and had used it to good effect in international cricket. Yes, he was late to arrive on the scene – debuting at 31, when he was fielded against Sri Lanka back in 2009. However, he was quick to get off the blocks and claimed his first 100 dismissals in just 19 Tests.

Until his ban, Ajmal picked up a total of 169 wickets in 33 Test matches, out of which 160 came after Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement in July 2010. Had it not been for the problems with his action, he could have gone down as one of the best off-spinners in the history of the game.