May 3, 1999

Once considered unsuited to one-day cricket, spinners hold the key to their team's fortunes in the World Cup.

By Bishen Singh Bedi

The art of spin bowling has been part and parcel of the game ever since its inception. Many new tricks have evolved in the spinner's armoury as the game itself has changed. And there were many types of spinners. The classifications could be made thus: the canny, thinking bowlers, scheming and mean; the extravagant spinner caring little for accuracy but much for the big bend to beat the batsman as well as the keeper in befooling as also demonstrating the power of the wrist.

The seventh edition of the World Cup will either see the resurgence of Shane Warne or a complete black out of this wizard. During the last Australian tour of India, I had three Aussie spinners -- Warne, Stuart McGill and Gavin Robertson in my hotel room in Bangalore. As we chatted about spin, both McGill and Robertson were taking notes, much to my amazement. "Nobody has ever talked 'spin' with us in Australia like this," Warne remarked.

Warne's biggest asset is his big leg-break. More than a hundred of his Test victims have been dismissed with the help of Mark Taylor in the slips and Ian Healy behind the stumps. But Warne has a tendency to create problems for himself when he indulges in variations like the flipper, the floater and the zooter. He should concentrate solely on one delivery, both for stock and shock purposes. Apart from the leg-break, Warne's exuberance and the joy he derives from his craft should turn on any follower of the game. Another plus point in Warne's overall strength is the outstanding Aussie fielding. Taylor got the best out of Warne, which may not happen with Steve Waugh at the helm. We should not forget that Warne's elevation to vice-captaincy may be a threat to Waugh. But this fear could well be an illusion considering the Aussie national pride.

Among Indians, Anil Kumble comes closest to Warne so far as dividends from both types of cricket are concerned. Kumble's strike rate is phenomenal, especially on tracks which hold the ball before it bends. I like Kumble's quietly efficient mannerisms. His humility is not to be confused with a silent aggression, which is more noticeable now than ever before. "Kumbels" as I fondly call him is my kind of an international sportsman. Within his limitations, this tall and handsome Karnataka gem gives more than a hundred per cent and is always conscientiously pulling his weight in the side. A lot depends on his early form for India to contain any opposition. Whenever Kumble has bowled well, his body-language has rubbed off on his colleagues from Bangalore -- Srinath and Prasad -- and India has prospered. This could well happen at the World Cup. My only advice to Kumble in England would be to bowl slower -- he also has a nice loop and needn't bowl as flat as he usually does.

Zimbabwe boasts of another wrist-spinner. Paul Strang, a very genuine leg-spinner, has won many games for his country and is pretty familiar with English conditions. Unlike Warne, he concentrates primarily on his leg-breaks, which to my mind is a great plus point. Strang may even have an edge over Kumble as he is backed by a superb fielding side. Zimbabwe's recent successes against India and Pakistan should help them push for the Super Six.

Saqlain Mushtaq is the best of the finger-spinners, followed closely by India's Sunil Joshi. But the Indian left-hander is not even in the squad. How preposterous! Saqlain is in the prime of his career. I don't see any shortcoming in his bowling methods. Maybe, he should cool down a bit. This is where his captain Wasim Akram, who is doing a fine job, can come in handy. Saqlain's leg-cutter has already confused many top batsmen of the world including Tendulkar. I would use that mystery ball more sparingly just to keep the opposition guessing. Of late, Saqlain's aggro has been a double-edged weapon. In sheer enthusiasm he expects a wicket every ball, which never really happens. That extra bit of excitement only results in overstepping or bowling a wide -- and that is criminal in limited-overs cricket. His recent touch with English conditions ought to give Pakistan an edge in tight finishes.

Now, let us compare Saqlain's strike rate with that of Robert Croft. The Pakistani off-spinner is miles ahead of the English off-spinner. Croft in 1990 was the best in the business. But then the mean professional streak seems to have taken its toll. The lovely loop and turn has given way to a flatter more negative trajectory. Not a healthy sign. Yet Croft will be a regular for England, for better or for worse. The Welshman seems to lack the heart to take stick. Well, if you don't have the gumption to toss it up occasionally, you are not worth your salt as a spinner.

New Zealand has thrown in the two left arm-spinners -- Daniel Vettori and Matt Horne. Like opening their attack with Deepak Patel, the Kiwis may have something up their sleeve. If any element of surprise proves successful, what more can a team ask for. And as far as South Africa and the West Indies are concerned, both relish the pace formula. So spin must suffer. Any bowler who claims to be a spinner has to be an outstanding batsman and fielder. Carl Hooper is likely to help catch up with the over-rate and the same can be said of a couple of tweakers from South Africa. Nothing more, nothing less.

Finally, I would like to add that slow bowlers have brought to cricket a certain charm and mystery for excitement that does not belong to other departments of the game. In the golden guile or crafty courage or of course, the occasional heartbreak of the spinner, lies a tale of gripping continuity and everlasting impact which cricket can ill-afford to ignore.

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