Top 5 ODI off-spinners of all time

#1 Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan

The former Sri Lankan great is the leading wicket-taker in the history of ODI cricket and in a career that lasted around 18 years (1993-2011), Muttiah Muralitharan became one of the most dangerous bowlers in the history of the game.

He might have been an off-spinner but his action and his ability to turn the ball like a top on any surface made him an extremely tough proposition for most batsmen. On top of that, he had all the possible variations that one could imagine.

Whether it was the one that turned the other way or the one that skidded through off the surface like a leg-spinner's flipper, Muralitharan almost always kept the batsmen guessing with his variations. Needless to say, he was the backbone of the Sri Lankan bowling attack throughout one of its most successful periods in ODI cricket, when they reached two World Cup finals.

He played in 350 games and picked up an astonishing 534 wickets at an average of 23.08. Additionally, he enjoyed a career economy rate of 3.93 and that is something that clearly makes him the greatest off-spinner to have ever played ODI cricket.