The Sports Legends

They Create history

Cricket

Updated on December 28th 2022, 8:34:15 pm

Shane Warne vs Anil Kumble - Who is the greatest leg spinner of all time?

In this article, take a look at the Shane Warne vs Anil Kumble stats and comparison in both test cricket and odi cricket. Check out Who is the greatest leg spinner of all time.

We are back with yet another comparison stats article and in this one we will talk about 2 of the greatest leg spinners to ever play the sport and we will try and see who is the greatest of all time because there are no other leg spinners who are on their level. And it will be fun to see the stats of the greats.


Before we talk about these 2 best of all time , I want to say that I was very fortunate to have been able to see both of them bowl at their best and take lots of wickets every match and they would create Havoc against any opposition and they were the inspiration of so many young leg spinners that we see today. So, let’s look at their stats and compare


Shane Warne


We have talked a lot about Shane Warne and his genius but it is never enough because he was a Genius of the sport and he made leg spin bowling cool and so many young leg spinners looked at him and wanted to become like him. Shane Warne was a magician with the ball and it is so sad that we have lost him so soon.


Check here Best Bowling Performances of Shane Warne


Test Cricket


Shane Warne has played 145 Test Matches for Australia and he was a mainstay for that great team for over a decade. In that time he took a whopping 708 Test Wickets for Australia which is still the second best by a single bowler in all time. He has taken 37 Five wicket hauls and 10 times he has taken 10 wickets in a test match. These are staggering numbers and he had a bowling average of 25.42.


ODI Cricket


Shane Warne was successful in this format as well as in the 194 Matches that he played for Australia he took a total of 293 ODI Wickets. He took 1 Five wicket haul in his ODI career and he had a bowling average of 25.74 in ODIs. Shane Warne was also in the squads that won the 1999 and 2003 World Cups for Australia and he was an important part in both of those wins.


Also Read | Sachin Tendulkar vs Shane Warne Rivalry and head to head


Anil Kumble


Anil Kumble is the greatest match winner that India has ever produced and the way in which he played his cricket was an inspiration to all of his teammates and the young players from India. Anil Kumble had the knack of picking up Wickets all the time and he would always come up with a great performance for India.

Check here Best Anil Kumble bowling Performances


Test Cricket


Anil Kumble played 132 Test Matches for India and in those test matches he took a total of 619 Test Wickets for India which is still the highest by any Indian bowler and the 4th highest of all time. Anil Kumble took 35 Five wicket hauls and 8 times he took 10 Wickets in a test match. These numbers are simply amazing and he had a bowling average of 29.65.


ODI Cricket


Anil Kumble is one of those rare leg spinners that was successful In both formats of the sport as in the ODI format he played 271 matches for India and in those he took a total of 337 ODI wickets which is also the highest by an Indian bowler in this format so he is the undisputed king of Indian bowling. He took 2 Five wicket hauls and his average was 30.90.


Who was the Greatest?


In Test Cricket it is very close because Anil Kumble played 13 Test Matches less than Shane Warne but Shane Warne took 89 more test wickets than Anil Kumble and at a better average but I will say that only by a slight margin Shane Warne is the best in test cricket. In the ODI format it is also close but Anil Kumble took 45 more wickets than Shane Warne so in the ODI format Anil Kumble has a slight edge.


Also Read: Shane Warne vs Glenn McGrath and Muttiah Muralitharan vs Shane Warne