Who are the greatest left-handed bowlers in cricket history? Left-handed people have always been intriguing. In sports, especially cricket, they bring a unique challenge. Left-handed bowlers and batsmen offer a different angle to the game. From my experience, left-handed bowlers are tough to face. They are valuable to their teams because they bring something different.
Let’s look at some of the greatest left-handed bowlers, both fast and spin, in modern cricket history.
10. Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies)
Born on July 28, 1936, in Chelsea Road, Bay Land, St Michael, Barbados
Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers is considered the greatest all-rounder in cricket history. He was excellent in every part of the game.
As a batsman, he was amazing, but he was also good enough to be on the West Indian team just as a bowler.
Sobers could bowl in two different ways. He was a left-arm wrist spinner and also a skilled left-arm fast-medium bowler. He was especially good as a fast bowler, able to curve the ball at high speeds.
As a spinner, he changed his style based on the pitch. He could bowl both orthodox off-spin and chinaman.
In 93 Test matches, Sobers took 235 wickets and scored 8032 runs, showing his great skill in both batting and bowling.
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9. Hedley Verity (England)
Born on May 18, 1905, in Headingley, Leeds, Yorkshire, England, Hedley Verity was a famous cricketer who played in 40 Test matches and took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37 runs each. He took 100 wickets in Test cricket faster than any other English bowler.
Verity is the only cricketer to take 14 wickets in a day in a Test match, which he did against Australia at Lord’s in 1934. He bowled at a slow-medium pace and was known for his effective in-swinging yorker.
He also troubled the great Sir Don Bradman, who said, “I think I know all about Clarrie Grimmett, but with Hedley I am never sure. You see, there’s no breaking point with him.”
Besides being a top-class cricketer, Verity was a brave soldier during World War II. He served as a captain in The Green Howards and died of wounds as a prisoner of war in Italy on July 31, 1943, at the age of 38.
8. Derek Underwood (England)
Born on June 8, 1945, in Bromley, Kent, England, Derek Underwood was known as ‘Deadly’. He earned this nickname because he was very effective on wet pitches in England.
Underwood had a run-up similar to a medium pace bowler and bowled with great accuracy and spin. In his career, he took 297 wickets in 86 Test matches for England, with each wicket costing less than 20 runs.
He was famous for his in-swinging arm ball, which moved in towards the batsman instead of spinning away. His patience and accuracy made him a valuable player for any captain.
At 17, in his first season for Kent, Underwood became the youngest bowler to take 100 wickets in a season.
On July 16, 2009, the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame inducted Underwood alongside Neil Harvey, David Gower, and Allan Border.
7. Zaheer Khan (India)
Zaheer Khan was born on October 7, 1978, in Shrirampur, Maharashtra, India. He became India’s top fast bowler in the last decade. Zaheer started as a pure fast bowler and made his debut against Australia in the 2000 Champions Trophy in Kenya, quickly impressing everyone with his speed and swing.
He took over from Javagal Srinath as the leader of India’s pace attack and did well until injuries affected him. Zaheer knew how to bowl on flat subcontinent pitches and exploit batsmen’s weaknesses, as seen with Graeme Smith.
Zaheer’s performance made him the joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup, helping India to a memorable win. Although his form and fitness declined afterward, he made a comeback in 2013/14 for the tours of South Africa and New Zealand.
6. Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
Mitchell Johnson, born on November 2, 1981, in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, earns renown as a fast bowler for his incredible speed and skill.
Johnson became a legend in Australian cricket with his performance in the 2013 Ashes against England. He is one of the fastest bowlers in the world, often bowling at speeds of over 140 km/h. His sharp in-swing and deadly yorker make him a formidable opponent.
His 2013 Ashes performance in Australia is considered one of the best fast bowling displays in modern cricket. He continued to impress by dominating the South African batting line-up during Australia’s tour in early 2014, solidifying his fearsome reputation.
5. Daniel Vettori (New Zealand)
Daniel Vettori was born on January 27, 1979, in Auckland, New Zealand. He started playing Test cricket for New Zealand when he was only 18 years old, facing England in 1997.
Known for his skills as an off-spinner who could trick batsmen with his flight and bounce, Vettori has been a key player for the New Zealand team for many years. Later in his career, he also became a valuable batsman for the team.
Vettori served as the captain of the New Zealand team from 2007 to 2011. One of his standout bowling performances was against Australia in 2000, where he took 12 wickets for 149 runs.
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4. Bishan Singh Bedi (India)
Bishan Singh Bedi was born on September 25, 1946, in Amritsar, Punjab, India.
He is widely known as one of the best left-arm spinners in the Indian subcontinent and possibly the world. Until Anil Kumble surpassed him, Bedi held the record for the most wickets taken by an Indian spinner.
Bedi had a graceful bowling style, finishing with a pivot on his right foot that sent the ball towards the batsman smoothly. He captained India in 22 Test matches.
His strength lay in using flight and trickery more than spin itself. He was particularly successful in countries like Australia, England, and the West Indies. In the 1977-78 series in Australia, Bedi set the Indian record for the most wickets taken by a spinner in a Test series, with 31 wickets.
Bedi, alongside Chandrasekhar, Venkatraghavan, and Prasanna, formed India’s renowned spin quartet during the 1970s. He also holds the world record for the most economical bowling figures in a 60-over ODI match, conceding only 6 runs in 12 overs while taking 1 wicket.
3. Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka)
Chaminda Vaas, born on January 27, 1974 in Mattumagala, Sri Lanka, earned fame for possessing one of the longest names in international cricket. Cricket enthusiasts consider him one of Sri Lanka’s greatest bowlers, alongside Mutthiah Muralidaran, during the 1990s and 2000s.
Vaas was a fast-medium bowler known for his skillful variations. He could swing and seam the ball effectively and had a deceptive off-cutter. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he is Sri Lanka’s most successful fast bowler, taking over 400 wickets. His best bowling performance of 8-19 remains a world record.
2. Alan Davidson (Australia)
Alan Davidson was born on June 14, 1929, in Lisarow, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia. He was a famous left-handed fast bowler known for his short run-up and natural speed. He could swing the ball sharply into right-handed batsmen.
One of his memorable performances was in the tied Test against the West Indies during the 1960-61 series. In that match, Davidson scored his career-best 80 runs while batting and also took 5 wickets for 135 runs and 6 wickets for 87 runs in the two innings.
Davidson is one of the few bowlers to have taken more than 100 Test wickets with an average of less than 20. During his tour of the Indian subcontinent in 1959, he took 30 wickets in 6 Tests against India at an impressive average of just 15.77.
In 2011, the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame honored Alan Davidson for his significant contribution to cricket by inducting him.
1. Wasim Akram (Pakistan)
Wasim Akram was born on June 3, 1966, in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Many consider him one of the best bowlers ever, particularly noting his left-arm skills that revolutionized fast bowling.
Akram bowled with amazing swing and speed, often surprising batsmen with bouncers and yorkers. His unique shoulder action and short run-up made him hard to predict. In one-day cricket, he made thrilling final overs with accurate yorkers and tricky slower balls.
In ODIs, Akram was the first bowler to reach 500 wickets. He formed a deadly partnership with Waqar Younis in the 1990s. His mastery of reverse swing made him even more dangerous.
When he retired in 2003, Akram had taken 502 wickets in ODIs and 414 wickets in Test matches. He remains one of cricket’s greatest players of all time.
Here is a table summarizing the bowling statistics for each player:
| Player | Matches (Tests) | Innings (Tests) | Balls (Tests) | Runs (Tests) | Wickets (Tests) | Best Bowling Innings (Tests) | Best Bowling Match (Tests) | Average (Tests) | Economy (Tests) | Strike Rate (Tests) | 4W (Tests) | 5W (Tests) | 10W (Tests) | Matches (ODIs) | Innings (ODIs) | Balls (ODIs) | Runs (ODIs) | Wickets (ODIs) | Best Bowling (ODIs) | Average (ODIs) | Economy (ODIs) | Strike Rate (ODIs) | 4W (ODIs) | 5W (ODIs) | 10W (ODIs) | Matches (T20Is) | Innings (T20Is) | Balls (T20Is) | Runs (T20Is) | Wickets (T20Is) | Best Bowling (T20Is) | Average (T20Is) | Economy (T20Is) | Strike Rate (T20Is) | 4W (T20Is) | 5W (T20Is) | 10W (T20Is) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Garfield Sobers | 93 | 159 | 21599 | 7999 | 235 | 6/73 | 8/80 | 34.03 | 2.22 | 91.98 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 63 | 31 | 1 | 1/31 | 31.00 | 2.95 | 63.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hedley Verity | 40 | 73 | 11733 | 3510 | 144 | 8/43 | 15/104 | 24.37 | 1.88 | 77.59 | 9 | 5 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Derek Underwood | 86 | 151 | 21862 | 7674 | 297 | 8/51 | 13/71 | 25.83 | 2.10 | 73.61 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 24 | 1787 | 343 | 32 | 4/44 | 22.93 | 3.44 | 39.91 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Zaheer Khan | 92 | 165 | 18785 | 10247 | 311 | 7/87 | 10/149 | 32.94 | 3.27 | 60.41 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 200 | 197 | 10098 | 8301 | 282 | 5/42 | 29.43 | 4.93 | 35.87 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 354 | 481 | 17 | 4/19 | 26.35 | 7.63 | 20.71 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mitchell Johnson | 59 | 113 | 13272 | 7402 | 264 | 8/61 | 12/127 | 27.42 | 3.28 | 50.15 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 136 | 133 | 6647 | 5384 | 239 | 6/31 | 25.84 | 4.85 | 31.98 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 30 | 567 | 737 | 38 | 3/15 | 20.97 | 7.28 | 17.20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Vettori | 112 | 185 | 28670 | 12393 | 362 | 7/87 | 12/149 | 34.42 | 2.59 | 79.61 | 19 | 20 | 3 | 275 | 258 | 13029 | 9462 | 284 | 5/7 | 31.50 | 4.11 | 45.87 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 33 | 769 | 720 | 38 | 4/20 | 19.45 | 5.61 | 20.71 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bishan Singh Bedi | 67 | 118 | 21364 | 7637 | 266 | 7/98 | 10/194 | 28.71 | 2.14 | 80.31 | 14 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 590 | 340 | 7 | 2/44 | 48.57 | 3.45 | 84.20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chaminda Vaas | 111 | 194 | 23438 | 10501 | 355 | 7/71 | 14/191 | 29.58 | 2.68 | 66.02 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 322 | 320 | 15775 | 11014 | 400 | 8/19 | 27.53 | 4.18 | 39.49 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 120 | 62 | 2 | 2/14 | 21.33 | 5.81 | 22.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alan Davidson | 44 | 82 | 15878 | 3819 | 186 | 7/93 | 12/124 | 20.53 | 1.97 | 62.26 | 4 | 14 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wasim Akram | 104 | 181 | 22627 | 9779 | 414 | 7/119 | 11/110 | 23.62 | 2.59 | 54.64 | 17 | 25 | 5 | 356 | 351 | 18186 | 11812 | 502 | 5/15 | 23.52 | 3.89 | 36.16 | 17 | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
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