Top Five Spinners at the 2023 Cricket World Cup

Spin bowling is synonymous with Asian conditions, and we are headed into a 50 over World Cup being held in India. So let’s cut to the chase and take a look at the top 5 tweakers who will be on display in what is arguably cricket’s most coveted trophy.

1. Rashid Khan (172 wickets in 89 innings at an average of 19.53)

On first glance, when you look at Rashid Khan’s numbers, you could make an argument for him being the most potent spinner who will be gracing the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

If we look at Rashid’s stats against all the Test playing nations who will be participating in the marquee event, however, there is a considerable dip. In 28 innings, his average rises to 28.80, with 30 wickets coming against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Take those countries out, and you are looking at just 11 wickets in 10 innings, with his average ballooning up to a colossal 47.18.

That said, Rashid is quick in the air, and batters across the globe routinely struggle to pick both his googly and stock delivery. The fact that the Afghan superstar has been one of the hottest commodities in franchise T20 leagues for a good part of the last decade lays testament to his limited overs pedigree, and if Afghanistan are to spring up a surprise or three in India, it would be on the behest of their MVP bamboozling a fair few.

2. Adam Zampa (142 wickets in 85 innings at an average of 29.05)

When we think of Adam Zampa, many of us tend to underplay his value add to Australia’s ODI set-up, and the conversation often diverts to his mullet, his love for coffee, or his sparkling bromance with Marcus Stoinis.

His overall numbers don’t scream ‘Shane Keith Warne’, but what if I told you that no other bowler, pacer or spinner, has taken more ODI wickets since the 2019 World Cup than good ol’ Zorbie? That’s right, 77 scalps in 37 innings at a touch under 23 apiece. Unreal is perhaps not an apt enough adjective. Otherworldly, more like it.

At 31 years of age, Zampa has enough experience under his belt, and the last time he featured in an ICC event in Asia, he played an important role in what was a title-winning campaign for Australia. He might not have the same sort of PR that Adil Rashid does, but the flight he generates is seriously impressive, and could very well prove to be a handful for batters in the World Cup.

3. Kuldeep Yadav (152 wickets in 87 innings at an average of 25.62)

If you are looking for a ridiculous case study on left-arm wrist spin, Kuldeep Yadav might just be your guy. He broke onto the scene as an out-and-out prodigy and went on to amass 99 wickets in his first three years as an international cricketer, at a frugal average of 24.79. He took 45 wickets in 19 innings in 2018 alone and was looked upon as the next big spin wizard hailing from India.

Many left-arm wrist spinners do this, and then kind of disappear. Kuldeep’s career seemed to have fallen off a cliff in the direct aftermath of the pandemic. For two years from the start of 2020, he managed 8 wickets in 9 innings, averaging a whopping 127.5 in 2021.

Conventional wisdom suggested that Kuldeep was yesterday’s leggie, but the resurgence was just as spectacular as the drop-off, if not more. After gaining some form in 2022, the wrist spinner erupted in 2023, and has already accumulated 33 poles in the calendar year, with a satanic average of 16.03. They simply can’t read him.

On current form, Yadav is without doubt the most lethal spinner entering the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

4. Shakib Al Hasan (308 wickets in 234 innings at an average of 29.32)

It’s worth mentioning that no spinner who is set to participate in the upcoming edition of the World Cup has 200 wickets in ODI cricket. Shakib Al Hasan has 208 in Asia alone, and 308 wickets in total.

Over the course of a 17-year international career, he has evolved into a seasoned all-rounder, and while his batting is imperative towards his team’s success, his slow left-arm orthodox utility with the ball would be enough to win him a place in many squads.

To have an average and economy combination of under 30 and below 4.5 is phenomenal, and tells you that not only is the veteran good at creating breakthroughs, but can choke the flow of runs as well, bowling within the wickets, with a flatter trajectory. Furthermore, it is important to note that in Asia his average drops to under 25, with an economy of just over 4.

In what will probably be his last dance, considering he is 36 and will be appearing in this competition for a fifth time, the Bangladesh skipper will be looking to end his Cricket World Cup romance on a high.

5. Maheesh Theekshana (44 wickets in 27 innings at an average of 23.45)

The sample size may well be tiny for Maheesh Theekshana, but few will doubt the skill that he brings to the table. The right arm offie (kind of) was one of Sri Lanka’s star performers in the World Cup Qualifiers and was a vital cog in the team that won 13 ODIs on the bounce, albeit against weaker opposition, for the most part.

He opens the bowling for Sri Lanka, and does a damn good job at it, using his carrom ball to outfox batters, in addition to keeping things tight by not giving batters much room, all the while.

If we look at his numbers against sides which will be featuring in the Cricket World Cup, he has 28 wickets at an average hovering around 26 and has fared better than the likes of Adil Rashid, Shadab Khan and Tabraiz Shamsi in the last four-year cycle.

Currently nursing a hamstring injury, Sri Lanka will be pinning their hopes on Theekshana recovering in time and delivering in the Cricket World Cup, particularly after having lost Wanindu Hasaranga. The fact that he has impressed in the IPL could be a good indicator with respect to his bowling prowess on Indian surfaces.

Theekshanna can also bowl from the first over until right into the death. No bowler can do that as well in ODIs right now. With Hasaranga out, Sri Lanka will need him to literally do everything.

For more from Jarrod Kimber on top spinners, check out his YouTube channel: