Top 5 Australian Test spinners of all time

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Australia is best known for fast and bouncy pitches and, by extension, the country has produced plenty of fast bowlers throughout the course of its cricketing history. In fact, it can be safely said that Australia is known more for its fast bowlers than the spinner when it comes to that particular discipline of the game.

The pitches might not be particularly helpful for spinners, but Australia have almost always played a spinner in their side and some of them have played for the team for years. The nation has produced plenty of great spinners over the years and some of them have gone on to become greats of the game. Here is a look at 5 of the best spinners that Australia has ever had.

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5 Stuart MacGill

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There is an argument that Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill played in the wrong era - and it is a compelling one. He played for a decade between 1998 and 2008 but his career coincided with that of Shane Warne, arguably the greatest spin bowler to have played the game.

Hence, MacGill could only play in 44 Tests and got his chances when Warne wasn't available. However, his abilities as a leg-spinner were never in doubt.

MacGill could spin the ball a long way and had the standard varieties that one would expect from a quality leg-spinner, which made it possible for Australia to have a top-class back up to Warne during those years.

In 44 Tests, MacGill picked up 208 wickets at an impressive average of 29.02 and a strike rate of 3.22. He sits at number 5 in the list of highest wicket-takers among Australian spinners but it could have been higher had he played in a different era. 

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