Spin bowling

Spin bowling is a bowling technique in cricket, in which the ball is delivered relatively slowly but with rapid rotation, giving it the potential to deviate sharply after bouncing. A bowler who uses this technique is called a spinner,^[1]^[2] a spin bowler,^[1] or a slow bowler.^[3]

It is one of the two main approaches to bowling, the other being fast bowling.

A spinner may bowl with their right-arm or left-arm, and with a finger spin or wrist spin action. Therefore, there are four types of spin bowling: off spin, leg spin, left-arm orthodox spin and left-arm unorthodox spin.

The bowlers with the highest, second-highest and fourth-highest number of wickets in the history of Test cricket, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble, respectively, were spinners.^[4]

^ ^a ^b Marks, Vic (4 March 2022). "Warne was the greatest spinner I've seen and an incredibly generous cricketer". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2024. He started under Marsh's wing at the Adelaide academy before graduating in spectacular fashion to become the greatest spin bowler I've ever seen
^ Thomas, Richard (30 March 2020). "The Ten: Mystery Spinners". Wisden. Retrieved 8 November 2024. The art of spin-bowling in cricket probably demands more precision than any other area of expertise in the game. Despite bowling attacks being primarily loaded by quicks, the spinners, since the game's inception have been the much sought after weapons for fielding captains.
^ Brearley, Mike (23 October 2023). "Bishan Singh Bedi: 'The most beautiful of slow bowlers' – Mike Brearley, Almanack". Wisden. Retrieved 12 December 2024. The first epithet that comes to mind for Bishan Singh Bedi's bowling is "beautiful". More than with any other slow bowler, this is the word that stays.
^ "Records / Test matches / Bowling records / Most wickets in career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 November 2024.

[Marks-1] Marks, Vic (4 March 2022). "Warne was the greatest spinner I've seen and an incredibly generous cricketer". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2024. He started under Marsh's wing at the Adelaide academy before graduating in spectacular fashion to become the greatest spin bowler I've ever seen

[2] Thomas, Richard (30 March 2020). "The Ten: Mystery Spinners". Wisden. Retrieved 8 November 2024. The art of spin-bowling in cricket probably demands more precision than any other area of expertise in the game. Despite bowling attacks being primarily loaded by quicks, the spinners, since the game's inception have been the much sought after weapons for fielding captains.

[3] Brearley, Mike (23 October 2023). "Bishan Singh Bedi: 'The most beautiful of slow bowlers' – Mike Brearley, Almanack". Wisden. Retrieved 12 December 2024. The first epithet that comes to mind for Bishan Singh Bedi's bowling is "beautiful". More than with any other slow bowler, this is the word that stays.

[4] "Records / Test matches / Bowling records / Most wickets in career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 November 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]