Here are the top leg spinners who have dominated the wicket chart in Test cricket.
Most Test Wickets by Leg Spinners
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Best Bowling (Innings) | Average | 5W/10W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Warne (AUS) | 273 | 708 | 8/71 | 25.41 | 37/10 |
| Anil Kumble (IND) | 236 | 619 | 10/74 | 29.65 | 35/8 |
| Danish Kaneria (PAK) | 112 | 261 | 7/77 | 34.79 | 15/2 |
| Richie Benaud (AUS) | 116 | 248 | 7/72 | 27.03 | 16/1 |
| Yasir Shah (PAK) | 89 | 244 | 8/41 | 31.38 | 16/3 |
| Bhagwath Chandrasekhar (IND) | 97 | 242 | 8/79 | 29.74 | 16/2 |
| Abdul Qadir (PAK) | 111 | 236 | 9/56 | 32.80 | 15/5 |
| Clarrie Grimmett (AUS) | 67 | 216 | 7/40 | 24.21 | 21/7 |
| Stuart MacGill (AUS) | 85 | 208 | 8/108 | 29.02 | 12/2 |
| Mushtaq Ahmed (PAK) | 89 | 185 | 7/56 | 32.97 | 10/3 |
Key Insights on Dominant Bowling Records by Leg Spinners in Test Cricket
Most Career Wickets and Five-Wicket Hauls by Leg Spinners
Shane Warne has taken the most wickets as a leg spinner in Test cricket, with 708 scalps in 273 innings to his name.
Warne’s wicket tally is overall the second-highest by any bowler in Tests.
Warne has also bagged the most five-wicket hauls and ten-wicket hauls as a leg spinner in Tests. His tally included 37 five-fors and 10 ten-fors.
Kumble is the only other leg spinner with more than 30 five-wicket hauls, bagging 35 for India in 236 innings.
Significant Leg Spin Records in Specific Conditions and Against Opposition
Kumble has picked up the most wickets at home as a leg spinner in Tests. He took 350 of his 619 wickets in India in 115 innings. Warne follows him with 319 scalps in Australia.
Warne took his other 389 wickets outside Australia in 144 innings, the most by any bowler in away Tests.
129 of Warne’s 389 scalps came in England, the most by any bowler at the home of the opposition in Tests. He is in fact the only visiting bowler to pick 100+ wickets on England soil.
Warne also picked up 195 of his 708 wickets against England, the most by a bowler against a Test team.
Kumble has clinched the most wickets among Asian spinners in non-Asian conditions in Tests. He took 200 wickets in 92 innings outside the Asian continent.
141 of Kumble’s 200 non-Asian wickets came in SENA – South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia – countries, the most by an Asian spinner in Tests.
Kumble has taken the most wickets among Asian leg spinners against SENA Test teams. He picked up 337 scalps in 132 innings against the four teams.
Warne is the only non-Asian leg spinner to claim more than 100 wickets in Asia in Tests, having taken 127 scalps in 46 innings.
Warne is also the only non-Asian leg spinner with more than 100 wickets against Asian teams in Tests. He collected 203 wickets in 80 innings against Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka combined.
Calendar Year and Series Performance Highlights
Clarrie Grimmett has taken the most wickets as a leg spinner in a bilateral Test series. He claimed 44 wickets in 10 innings on Australia’s tour of South Africa in 1935/36.
Warne has collected the most wickets in a calendar year in Tests. He bagged 96 wickets at an average of 22.02 in 30 innings (15 Tests) in 2005.
Warne is the only leg spinner to take 50 or more wickets in eight different calendar years in Tests. He went past the mark in 1993 (72), 1994 (70), 1995 (52), 1997 (68), 2001 (58), 2002 (67), 2004 (70), and 2005 (96).
Unique Records and Best Bowling Figures
Warne is the only leg spinner to take 50-plus wickets at four different grounds in Tests. He had 68 wickets in Brisbane, 64 in Sydney,
Kumble has delivered the best bowling figures as a leg spinner in a Test innings. He picked up all 10 wickets for 74 runs against Pakistan in the fourth innings of the 1999 Delhi Test.