The art of bowling leg spin is considered to be one of the most difficult skills in the game of cricket. Many great leg spinners have graced the history of cricket, but they have all belonged to different time periods. Even if more than one leg spinner co-existed in the same era, one has always overshadowed the other.
However, there are the exceptions of Anil Kumble and Shane Warne, who existed in the same time-period but never were outclassed by each other. Both of them retired from the game after shattering many records. Kumble is still the highest wicket-taker for India in Tests (619) and ODIs (337) while Shane Warne was the first bowler to reach the magical figure of 700 wickets in Tests.
End of an Era
Warne and Kumble were the last of the legendary era of leg spinners to retire from the game. After their retirements, the world of cricket experienced a lack of quality leg spinners. None of the countries could produce a bowler who could emulate the likes of Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Richie Benaud, Abdul Qadir and others.
There was Danish Kaneria, who was growing in leaps and bounds after starting his career for Pakistan in the early 2000s. But his career came to an unfortunate end when he was accused of match fixing in English county cricket and was thereafter banned from playing international cricket. He had picked up 261 wickets in 61 Test matches for Pakistan by then and would have gone on to take many more.
Stuart MacGill was another nearly man. He played 44 Tests for Australia alongside Warne, picking up an impressive 208 wickets. But, he could not play as many matches as he would have in any other era as he remained in the shadows of Warne throughout his career.
Promises Undelivered
However, three leg spinners: Amit Mishra from India, Imran Tahir from South Africa, and Samuel Badree from West Indies, emerged in the post-Warne-Kumble era who promised a lot in the beginning but have not yet settled to their sides in all formats. Tahir is a regular member of the South African limited overs team but not considered a complete Test bowler. Mishra, on the other hand is a regular member of the Indian Test team but lacks the skill to be a weapon in the limited overs formats. Badree is considered to be a complete T20 bowler and played a crucial part in both of West Indies’ World T20 victories in 2012 and 2016.
The Revival of The Art
The past one year or so has seen a bunch of young leg spinners who have announced their arrival to international cricket with some sensational performances. Ish Sodhi of New Zealand, Adam Zampa of Australia, Yuzvendra Chahal of India, Yasir Shah of Pakistan and Adil Rashid of England have all put up their names in the list of promising leggies for the future.
Yasir Shah
Yasir Shah has already proved his skills as a Test bowler as he has claimed 86 wickets in his 13 Test matches for Pakistan so far. His recent match-winning 10-wicket haul at Lord’s in the first Test against England was testimony to his skills and prowess with the ball. He troubled the batsman on a pitch which had little assistance for spinners. He has even won accolades from the legendary Shane Warne for the quality of wrist spin he puts into display.
His brief Test career has been a great success. He became the number one bowler in the world after his display against England. Yasir even holds the record for being the fastest Pakistani bowler to take 50 Test wickets. Although he is 30 years of age now, he has a bright future ahead for the coming five or six years if used properly. At the moment he already looks like a legend in the making.
Ish Sodhi
Ish Sodhi, the Kiwi leggie of Indian origin, took the World T20 2016 by storm with his leg spin. He turned it square on a venomous pitch at Nagpur, India, as he claimed three wickets in the match. Although New Zealand lost in the semi-final to England, he threatened the batsmen with his wrist spin a lot as he claimed a further two wickets. He has got everything: the height of Kumble; the strong wrists of Warne and the in-drift in his googlies that MacGill used to generate. He looks like the most promising leggie for the future.
Adam Zampa
Adam Zampa has made the world sit up and down with his recent performances; be it in the World T20 2016, IPL 2016 or the recently concluded Tri-Nation series in which Australia emerged victorious. He claimed wickets in each and every match in the World T20, which ended on a disappointing note after Virat Kohli snatched victory away from Australia in the do-or-die clash of the Super-10 stage.
Then came the IPL. He claimed a six-wicket haul in a league stage match, making the world notice that another star for the future had arrived. He has got good variations of pace, a strong googly and a fairly turning leg break which makes him a complete package.
Yuzvendra Chahal and Adil Rashid
Yuzvendra Chahal is fairly new to the international fold as he has played only three T20s against Zimbabwe so far. He was rewarded with a national call-up after three good seasons with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. He is a skinny guy who has got a big turning leg-break and a good googly. But it is his pace variations which makes him dangerous in T20 cricket.
Adil Rashid, on the other hand, has been on the big stage for quite some time now, but his inconsistency with the ball has seen him in and out of the Test squad. However, he is a regular member of the limited overs squad. His googlies turn more than his leg break and that is what makes him deceptive.
A Promising Future Awaits
These bowlers are nowhere near the records or class of the game’s legends, but time is on their side. They can become legends if they can continue on the same trajectory as they are now. The cricket fraternity has never seen so many leg spinners playing in the same era and it is fascinating to see how these bowlers have come up. A few years back leg spin was considered a dying art. But, these bowlers have again revived it and surely look likely to deliver a lot in the near future.
