5 part-time spinners who can enjoy great success at the 2023 ODI World Cup ft. Glenn Maxwell
It is common knowledge that part-time spin bowling options will be key figures at the upcoming ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, which starts on October 5. The tournament will be played in India, where slower bowlers are bound to get help off the surface.
It is always a luxury for a captain to have as many bowling options available to him, especially in a 50-over game. With main bowlers sometimes having an off day and leaking runs, part-time bowlers often act as a cover for the specialist bowlers.
At a huge tournament like the ODI World Cup, teams will be better off with extra bowling options. In the usual conditions in India, part-time spinners are likely to play a key role.
The World Cup-winning Indian team in 2011 also had quite a few extra bowling options, none better than Man of the Tournament Yuvraj Singh, who took 15 wickets in the campaign with his left-arm spin.
Ahead of the upcoming mega-event, we take a look at five part-time spinners who can enjoy a great campaign at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
#1 Glenn Maxwell - Australia
![Glenn Maxwell single-handedly won Australia the third ODI with the ball against India [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/09/a86e9-16958971234316-1920.jpg?w=500)
Glenn Maxwell delivered a match-winning spell and single-handedly won Australia the recently concluded third ODI against India in Rajkot.
Chasing 353, India enjoyed a great start, with skipper Rohit Sharma scoring a wonderful 81 off only 57 balls. However, Australian captain Pat Cummins handed the ball to Maxwell in the 11th over and the off-spinner took the wicket of Washington Sundar in his very first over.
Maxwell's wily off-spins made it hard for the Indian batters to get under and hit away. To push the hosts on the back foot, he dismissed both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and stunned the Indian crowd on a deck that actually wasn't spin-friendly.
Maxwell put the game to bed when he returned for his third spell to outfox the dangerous-looking Shreyas Iyer with a slider. The Australian batting all-rounder finished the innings with figures of 4/40 and also won Player of the Match for his efforts.
Having regularly featured in the IPL, Maxwell knows how to bowl in Indian conditions and will look to be a key figure in Australia's campaign at the World Cup.
#2 Charith Asalanka - Sri Lanka
![Charith Asalanka took 4/18 vs India in the Asia Cup 2023 [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/09/00000-16958980004536-1920.jpg)
Another spinner who did really well against India and can be useful at the World Cup is Sri Lanka's Charith Asalanka.
While his hitting abilities with the bat are second to none, Asalanka enjoyed a brilliant Asia Cup 2023, where he bagged 4/18 during a Super Four clash against India. Alongside Dunith Wellalage, Asalanka spun a web around the Indian batters and ripped through them to bundle the Men in Blue for 213/10.
With his off-breaks, Asalanka accounted for the wickets of Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav.
Although he doesn't usually bowl in ODIs for Sri Lanka, Asalanka's performances against India could instill confidence and Sri Lanka could use him on spin-friendly surfaces in India.
#3 Liam Livingstone - England
England's Liam Livingstone is one of the hardest strikers in cricket. Apart from his hard-hitting exploits, however, he is also one of those rare bowlers who has the ability to offer both off-spin and leg-spin.
Since his ODI debut in 2021, England have used Livingstone as a key bowling option. In the 16 ODIs he has played, Livingstone has bowled across ten innings and has taken as many wickets at a decent economy rate of 5.42. He also has 18 T20I wickets to his name.
In fact, Livingstone's development as a spinner has been a revelation for England. It wouldn't come as a surprise if the defending champions use him as a possible second-choice spinner as well in a few games.
#4 Aiden Markram - South Africa
South Africa's captain for the first two games, Aiden Markram also features on the list. The talented top-order batter is regularly seen rolling his arm over across all three formats for the Proteas.
With 16 ODI wickets at an economy rate of 5.87, Markram is a handy off-spinner. He knows how to trouble batters with tight lines and lengths and will be largely complementing the two left-arm spinners, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj.
#5 Iftikhar Ahmed - Pakistan
![Iftikhar Ahmed during Asia Cup 2023 [Getty Images]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/09/808b0-16958997485257-1920.jpg)
Another lower-order finisher to feature on this list is Pakistan's Iftikhar Ahmed. As much as his powerful hitting will be pivotal for Pakistan, Iftikhar will look to have his say with the ball as well. His right-arm off-spin can be challenging to read on slow tracks.
Fortunately for Pakistan, Iftikhar enjoyed great success with the ball during the Asia Cup 2023.
The spinner took four wickets in the tournament, including a match-changing spell of 3/50 in a must-win game against Sri Lanka. He dismissed the two set batters, Kusal Mendis (91) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (48) before getting Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka (2) out cheaply as well.
Iftikhar has taken 12 wickets across 14 ODI innings so far, and if he performs at the ODI World Cup, he can offer his side the luxury of playing four seamers as well.