10 of World Cricket's Most Miserly Bowlers
In this era of rapid scoring, it's considered something of a feat for a bowler to deliver six dot balls in a row. Imagine, then, bowling 137 of them in succession. The miserly South African spinner Hugh Tayfield managed to do just that in a Test match against England, 58 years ago today.
Sending down 23 consecutive dot balls would be difficult these days, let alone bowling that many overs without conceding a run. There are still some bowlers who pride themselves on their miserly tendencies though.
Here are 10 cricketing Scrooges plying their trade today.
Selection Criteria
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Economy rates were the main basis for picking the final 10. The fewer runs conceded per over, the better the chance of being selected.
We've also taken into consideration pitch conditions. It's easier for bowlers to keep the runs down on slow, turning pitches than it is on fast and bouncy tracks.
Included are metronomes who can tie up an end in a Test match, as well as bowlers who try and prevent carnage at the start and end of an innings in limited-overs games.
The stats of the death-bowlers may not be as impressive as those who bowl the bulk of their deliveries in the quieter middle overs. In this instance, we've picked bowlers who we'd least like to face at the business end of an innings.
Bowlers have to have sent down at least 500 overs in Tests, 250 overs in ODIs or 50 overs in T20Is to be eligible.
Honourable Mentions
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The two most obvious absentees from our list are the Pakistani duo of Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez. Both were omitted given their troubles trying to get their actions cleared. At the time of writing, both players are awaiting the green light from the ICC testers. Both would be certainties for this list with a clean bill of bowling health.
English bowlers are notable by their absence. Shane Warne famously said, (via The Telegraph) that “Monty Panesar hasn't played 33 Tests, he's played one Test 33 times." He's bowled the same, flat, straight delivery for most of those games, resulting in a career economy rate of 2.79 in Tests. Panesar and fellow spinner James Tredwell were the closest to making the final 10.
Other notable omissions included Darren Sammy, Peter Siddle and Zimbabwe's Ray Price.
10. Vernon Philander
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Vernon Philander's metronomic line and length has helped him to 121 Test wickets. In seamer-friendly conditions, the 29-year-old is one of the most difficult bowlers to score off.
The South African hasn't quite taken that form into the one-day game, picking up 35 wickets in 24 appearances. He has been tidy, though, with an economy rate of 4.61 runs per over.
Philander will have the power to add this total, after being selected in the Proteas' World Cup squad. He'll be hoping for a repeat performance of his efforts against Australia in Perth in November, where his nine overs cost just 17 runs.
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9. Ryan Harris
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He may not be quite up there with Glenn McGrath in the economy stakes, but Ryan Harris isn't far off. When fit, Harris is one of the most dangerous bowlers in the Test game.
Much of that danger comes from his nagging accuracy, which gives opposition batsmen so few scoring opportunities.
The 35-year-old's overs go at just 2.78 runs per over in the five-day game. After being rested for the World Cup, we fully expect Harris to have a major impact on the Ashes series that follows later this year.
8. Dale Steyn
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Dale Steyn can often be found operating when the going gets really tough at the end of a one-day innings.
The South African quickie is, of course, a hugely dangerous, wicket-taking bowler. He can rein it in and be miserly when required, too.
There was no better example than Steyn's final over masterclass against New Zealand at the 2014 World T20.
With the Black Caps needing just seven from the final over, Steyn conjured up two wickets and two dot balls before running out Ross Taylor with the last ball as South Africa sneaked home.
7. Shakib Al Hasan
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The one bright light among the prevailing gloom that has surrounded Bangladeshi cricket has been the form of Shakib Al Hasan.
The 27-year-old has shown himself to be a versatile and skilful performer with both bat and ball in all forms of the game.
As well as being a wicket-taker, Hasan is also highly economical. The left-arm spinner has an economy rate of 2.91 in Tests, 4.26 in ODIs and 6.49 in T20Is.
It's no surprise that he's proved a big hit for the Melbourne Renegades in this year's Big Bash.
6. Shane Watson
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At the start of his career, Shane Watson was a seriously slippery bowler, capable of topping 90mph on the speed gun. A succession of back injuries have forced the Australian all-rounder to reinvent himself as a bowler.
Instead of striving for pace, Watson has settled for accuracy and is a highly useful member of the Aussie attack as a result.
The 33-year-old's thrifty spells enable Australia's pace battery to operate in short bursts. His economy rate of 2.76 is the best by a contemporary seam-bowler in Test cricket.
5. Ravindra Jadeja
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The list of the most economical bowlers in Test cricket is dominated by spinners. The most miserly of the contemporary twirlers is Ravindra Jadeja.
It's probably a push to describe Jadeja as a twirler given the way he fires in his left-arm spinners. Whatever the method, it's proved successful, especially when trying to slow the run-rate.
In the five-day game, Jadeja's overs go at a miserly rate of just 2.39 runs per over. The 26-year-old's record in the shorter forms is pretty good, too. He has an economy rate of 4.79 runs per over in ODIs and at 7.27 in T20Is.
4. Sunil Narine
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Any bowler who can send his overs down at less than a run a ball in T20 cricket is a valuable commodity. Sunil Narine is one such operator.
The West Indian spinner's T20I economy rate of 5.70 is bettered only by Daniel Vettori of bowlers with 100 overs to their name. It's a similar story in 50-over cricket, where Narine's overs for just 4.10 runs on average.
There are question marks about Narine heading into the World Cup, though. The 26-year-old has had to remodel his action after falling foul of the “chucking police” and incurring a suspension.
If he can be as tidy with the new technique as he was with the old, he'll give the West Indies a big boost at this year's competition.
3. Rangana Herath
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Rangana Herath doesn't have the massive turn of a Shane Warne, or the flight and guile of a Muttiah Muralitharan.
The Sri Lankan spinner relies on metronomic accuracy combined with just enough spin to keep the batsmen honest for his wickets.
That simple recipe proved hugely effective for Herath, who was comfortably the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in 2014.
His career economy rates of 2.75 runs per over in Tests, 4.36 in ODIs and 5.89 in T20Is put him in elite company.
Herath is capable of bowling incredibly tight spells. Against South Africa in July 2014, his 45 overs in the second innings cost him just 40 runs. A spell of three overs and three balls, five wickets for just three runs against New Zealand in March 2014 showed he is just as capable in the T20 game.
If Sri Lanka are to mount a serious World Cup challenge, Herath's form will be crucial.
2. Lasith Malinga
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An economy rate of 3.85 in Tests, 5.21 in ODIs and 7.25 in T20Is wouldn't immediately suggest that Lasith Malinga is one of the most miserly bowlers in the game.
The Sri Lankan slinger usually operates at the business end of the innings, though, when the run chase is usually on.
With a perfectly crafted selection of yorkers and slower balls, Malinga is one of the most difficult bowlers to hit to the boundary.
If we had to pick one bowler to defend 10 from the final over of an ODI or T20I, we'd probably chuck the ball in the direction of the crafty Sri Lankan.
1. Daniel Vettori
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The only current bowler to appear in the top five in the economy rate tables in Tests, ODIs and T20Is is Daniel Vettori.
New Zealand's leading ODI wicket-taker has been a supremely canny operator in all forms of the game.
Going at just 2.59 RPO in Tests, 4.12 in ODIs and 5.70 in T20Is, Vettori has been one of the global game's most consistent performers.
Throw in almost 700 international wickets and it adds up to a mightily impressive career.
Stats are accurate up to 24 January 2015 and come courtesy of ESPNcricinfo.com and Howstat.com.
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