England's 10 Best Spin Bowlers of All Time

Despite England being a haven for seam bowlers, the country has also produced its fair amount of spinners who have caused problems for their opponents throughout the history of international cricket.

England may not produce spinners as they do on the Asian subcontinent, but the following players have earned deserved plaudits for their trickery and turn.

Read on for the best 10 spin bowlers to have played for England.

All stats courtesy of ESPNCricinfo. 

Honorable Mentions

Phil Tufnell: An honorable mention has to go to Phil Tufnell, who played 42 Tests and 20 One Day Internationals for England between 1990 and 2001.

The man known as “The Cat” took 121 wickets for his country, a fact that is obscured by video of his legendary poor batting and fielding.

Ray Illingworth: He may be remembered by more modern cricket fans for his ill-fated time as England’s chairman of selectors in the early 1990s, but Ray Illingworth was a superb spin bowler and competent batsman with a superb brain for strategy.

In 61 Tests, Illingworth took 122 wickets at an average of 31.20. Most notable was his economy rate, which was a miserly 1.91 at the end of his international career.

David Allen: Our final honorable mention goes to David Allen, a man who played just 39 Test matches but took 122 wickets.

Allen found himself behind a number of other spinners during an international career that lasted from 1960 until 1966, but acquitted himself well and deserves his place on this slide.

10: Phil Edmonds

51 Tests; 125 wickets; 34.18 average; 2.13 economy rate

The man born Philippe-Henri Edmonds comes in at No. 10 in the list, known more popularly as Phil Edmonds.

The left-arm spinner took 5-28 in his first Test against Australia in 1975, becoming England’s primary spin bowler in the 1980s.

He played his last Test in 1987, the same year he retired from all cricket after a highly successful career with Middlesex.

9: Wilfred Rhodes

58 Tests; 127 wickets; 26.96 average; 2.49 economy rate

Our next spinner is another left-armer, who holds the rare distinction of batting for England in every position from No. 1 to No. 11.

That man is Wilfred Rhodes, whose career spanned the early part of the 20th century despite the interruption to professional cricket caused by the First World War in 1914.

He ended his international career at the ripe old age of 52 against the West Indies in 1930 and was typically frugal, conceding his runs across both innings at an average economy rate of 0.86 runs per over.

8: Ashley Giles

54 Tests; 143 wickets; 40.60 average; 2.86 economy rate

Ashley Giles said in 2012 that he "never found cricket very easy," but he secures his place in this list thanks to his great consistency.

His statistics may look relatively ordinary, but this was a man who was crucial in England’s victories on the subcontinent and in that famous 2005 Ashes series.

He was England’s premier spinner during the early part of the 21st century, with injury problems forcing his career to come to an end.

7: Hedley Verity

40 Tests; 144 wickets; 24.37 average; 1.88 economy rate

Another Yorkshire native and another left-arm spinner, Hedley Verity was crucial for England in the period before the Second World War.

Regarded as the natural successor to fellow Yorkshireman Wilfred Rhodes, Verity regularly took wickets and often made match-winning contributions.

His career was cut short by the onset of the Second World War, and Verity died of wounds as a Prisoner of War in Italy.

6: John Emburey

64 Tests; 147 wickets; 38.40 average; 2.20 economy rate

Despite a colorful career, off-spinner John Emburey was a crucial wicket-taker for England during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Going on both of England’s rebel tours to South Africa did not help his relationship with the establishment, but Emburey was a good bowler in a difficult time for English cricket.

He was forced to bowl defensively by the lack of spin in many pitches during his career, but Emburey still managed to take a healthy number of wickets before his final Test against the West Indies in 1995.

5: Fred Titmus

53 Tests; 153 wickets; 32.22 average; 1.95 economy rate

A character who battled past Ray Illingworth, John Mortimore and David Allen to win 53 Test caps for England, Fred Titmus enjoyed a 20-year international career for his country.

Noted for being a bowler who used flight to deceive batsmen, Titmus toured Australia three times, ending with the traumatic 1945/75 Ashes series in which he made a brief comeback at the age of 42.

And, despite losing four toes in a boating accident in the West Indies in 1968, he managed to take over 150 wickets for England.

4: Tony Lock

49 Tests; 174 wickets; 25.58 average; 2.03 economy rate

An aggressive left-arm spinner, Surrey’s Tony Lock was the perfect foil for his spin twin Jim Laker during the 1950s and 1960s.

Lock reinvented his action twice during his career to ensure he could continue at country and international level.

He is perhaps best remembered for denying Laker the chance to take all 20 Australian wickets in 1956, which does not do justice to his superb ability as a spin bowler.

3: Jim Laker

46 Tests; 193 wickets; 21.24 average; 2.04 economy rate

He may be famous for his 19-wicket haul against Australia in 1956, but Jim Laker was about far more than that one game.

Laker was a regular contributor to the strong England side of the 1950s, helping them largely dominate as teams recovered from the Second World War.

However, his 19-wicket haul at Old Trafford continues to be his most enduring legacy.

2: Graeme Swann

57 Tests; 248 wickets; 28.55 average; 2.93 economy rate

As England’s current spin king, Graeme Swann has made a superb impact on the international game since his Test debut in 2008.

Having previously played one solitary One Day International in 2000 against South Africa, Swann has turned into one of the premier spin bowlers currently operating.

Witness his superb delivery to Pakistan’s Imran Farhat in 2010 to see just what a special bowler Swann is.

1: Derek Underwood

86 Tests; 297 wickets; 25.83 average; 2.10 economy rate

Sitting atop this list, although with his records under threat from Swann, is “Deadly” Derek Underwood.

Known for wreaking havoc on pitches that were wet, Underwood was behind many an England victory in a career that lasted from 1966 to 1982.

The Ashes Test against Australia in 1968 at The Oval was one such moment, as Underwood hustled through his overs to secure an England victory with just six minutes to spare in a game ruined by rain.

For the foreseeable future at least, Underwood is the yardstick against which all other England spinners are judged.