Top 5 ODI spinners of all time

Saqlain Mushtaq

Pakistani ace bowler Saqlain Mushtaq is widely and unequivocally considered among the best spin bowlers of all time.

He was a revolutionary in the field, and is widely considered the man to have pioneered the 'doosra', which is a leg break delivery bowled like an off-break; it aims to confuse the batsman facing it.

Interestingly, it was Pakistan's wicketkeeper at the time, Moin Khan, who was indirectly responsible for the name. The word 'doosra' means 'the other' in Urdu (and Hindi), and Moin would often ask Saqlain to bowl "the other delivery" to the batsman. Iconic former cricketer - and then commentator, Tony Grieg made the connection, and since then a number of bowlers among them Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh, have used the delivery. One key difference, however, is that Mushtaq's action was not contentious - while most bowlers since have faced controversy for their deliveries.

Saqlain took 288 wickets in 165 innings, with an average of 4.29 and six 5-wicket hauls.

His best figures in One-day internationals was a 5/20 haul against England during the side's tour of Pakistan in 2000.

He became the first Pakistani to take a hat-trick at a World Cup, playing against Zimbabwe at the 1999 edition of the tournament.