ODI teams with best spin attacks ahead of ICC 2019 World Cup
The 2019 Cricket World is just under a year away and the ten One Day International teams which have qualified for the showpiece event are in the process of fine-tuning their squads.
With the English pitches being conducive to swing and seam, the teams shall definitely stack up their seam attacks to bombard the opposition with a heavy pace artillery. However, they shall also bolster their spin reserves so as to have variety in their bowling attack. Spinners, off late, have been strike weapons for teams in ODI cricket and hence teams would leave no stone unturned to have their frontline spinners in top gear to bamboozle their opponents.
So let us have a look at the sides which have the best spin attacks in ODIs heading into the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England.
For selecting my top 5 ODI teams with best spinners, I have taken the ODI records of frontline spinners of all teams over the last three years (June 2015- June 2018).
For ranking my teams from 1 to 5, I have considered wicket-taking ability, depth in the spin attack, and the economy rate of the spinners as the main parameters.
#1 INDIA
Spinners have always been India’s strength and it is no less different at present. The 'Men in Blue' have a deadly spin duo in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal who have turned out some match winning spells for their team in ODIs. The spin twins have bamboozled the best of batting line-ups with their bagful of tricks. While Chahal rips his leg spinners and bowls the odd googly to cast a web, Yadav brings in variety with his left arm Chinaman.
The Chahal-Yadav duo has been successful in choking the opposition's runs in the middle overs and denting them. Such has been their impact on India’s ODI success that the think-tank can afford to rest seasoned spinners like R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who have proven their mantle in the limited overs arena.
Indians also have Axar Patel who bowls his left arm spin with a lot of control and guile. Axar is more on the Jadeja mode and bowls with a flat trajectory, cramping batsman for room. He has been quite economical in ODIs and lends depth to the Indian spin attack. Meanwhile, Washington Sundar could be a very promising spinner for the Indians in the future.
Virat Kohli's Blue Brigade also has Kedhar Jadhav and Suresh Raina, both who can fill in as handy part-time spinners.
Indian spinners in ODIs (June 2015- June 2018)
Yuzvendra Chahal - Matches - 23 Wickets - 43 Avg - 21.83 Eco - 4.76
Kuldeep Yadav - Matches - 20 Wickets - 39 Avg - 20.02 Eco - 4.80
Axar Patel - Matches - 25 Wickets - 29 Avg - 34.79 Eco - 4.43