Art of Spin !! - Contemporary Greats

If there is anything Magical or Mystical in Cricket it is the "Art Of Spin". I have always enjoyed watching a the bemused face of a batsman bowled around his legs by slow turning seemingly innocuous ball. Spin is all about fooling a batsman, manipulating his mind and playing a prank on him, And believe me this is no easy art to master especially when there is a chance that you will be thrashed like any other swindler on failing in your act. You need a brave heart, shrewd brain and confidence to back it up all. No wonder all great spinners turn out to be great captains if ever handed Captaincy. My article today is a tribute to the contemporary greats of Spin.

Shane Warne :
God of Leg-Spin burst into the public eye with the Ball of the Century which turned a mile to disturb the peace of Gattings stumps. The baffled look on Gatting and Dickie Bird tells it all.



Warne had controversies surrounding his personal life and I am no one to comment on it. People talked about drugs scandal during WorldCup. Well I am no supporter of drug culture but truth is drugs can not help a spinner. In the end Warne turned out to be Maradonna of Cricket.
Australian captaincy is one thing that Warne deserved but never got. To be true Ricky Ponting is not even half the tactician as Warne as IPL proved. Warne won the Tourney with a bunch of Rookies whereas in international cricket Ponting continues to flounder with strong teams after retirement of Warne and Mcgrath. The greatest spin bowler from Australia deserved the honour to lead his team. His retirement left a void in Australian team that would take a century to fill.


Muthiah Muralitharan:
They called him a freak and a chucker, he was subject to many tests and taunts, Yet today he stands tall with highest no. of wickets in both Tests and ODIs. Murali, a tamilian in Sinahalese dominated Srilanka is an icon. In contrast to Warne, Murali is shy and humble being. However as aggresive with the bowl in his hand. The look in his eyes as he is about to deliver a ball can give one nightmares. Though Offspinner by trade Murali perfected Doosra (legspin with off spin action) and tormented batsmen all over the world.
Murali until the emergence of Mendis was the lone strike spinner in the side and SL depended heavily on him for wickets. Murali continues to weave the ball around and is the Last man standing of the Golden era of spin after retirements of Warne and Kumble.




Anil Kumble:

The bespectacled genius of Indian spin. When Kumble entered the cricket scene no one thought he would take 619 wickets in Tests and become the 3rd highest wicket taker in the world.
Kumble remained the most potent force in most of Indian Test victories. Kumble never spun the ball a long in comparison to Warne or Murali. However, Kumble used his fast spearing deliveries and flippers to capture most of his wickets. Kumble was better known as a Medium pacer in a Spinners body.
Kumble was devastating on final day pitches that wear and deteriorate. Kumble is poster boy for persistence, dedication and toil. The steely look in his eyes spoke volumes about the hidden agression in the softspoken Engineer.
The highlight of his career was 10 wickets in an innings againgst Pakistan at Kotla.
My Favorite however is the picture of his reaching his maiden century at the Oval in 118 Test matches. He managed to do what Shane and Murali missed. He became the Indian Captain and scored a century.



In my Next post I will talk about other spinners bhajji, saqlain, vettori and new Mendis.
Make sure to view my next post for my own video on How to bowl a carrom ball.