Left has been right this year

Ajaz and Axar have led the re-emergence of left-arm slow bowlers in 2021

A highlight in Tests this year has been the prominent role of left-arm slow bowlers. New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel became the third in Test history to take all 10 wickets of an innings when he got 10/119 against India in Mumbai earlier this month. In November, Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam took 7/116 against Pakistan in Chattogram. India’s Axar Patel had 36 wickets in five Tests, averaging a whopping 11.86 runs per wicket—the lowest this year—and striking every 33.6 balls, second only to Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali’s 31 so far. Close on Axar’s heels is Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya who aggregates 32 wickets in just six Tests. Even Jack Leach, despite missing an England berth on several occasions, has 29 wickets in seven Tests.

Indian bowler Axar Patel (PTI)

And these are just the ones who have topped the year’s list. Anyone among Nauman Ali (Pakistan), Praveen Jayawickrama (Sri Lanka) and Jomel Warrican (West Indies) are just as capable of having a breakout year, making this a really exciting time for left-arm slow bowlers. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Ravindra Jadeja (India) and Keshav Maharaj (South Africa) are the current veterans who took over from the likes of Rangana Herath or Monty Panesar; Jadeja leading the tally among current left-arm slow bowlers with 232 Test wickets. But this year has also been outstanding because for the first time in this century, left-arm slow bowlers have averaged seven wickets per Test (280 wickets in 40 completed Tests).

Between 2011 and 2020, the average was hovered around the five-wicket mark, slipping to four once (4.15 in 2019), around three twice (3.14 in 2020 and 3.6 in 2013) and rising to 6.65 in 2017. That was the year both Jadeja (54) and Herath (52) aggregated over 50 wickets and Maharaj and Shakib finished with 48 and 29 wickets respectively. Australian Steve O’Keefe also had a memorable outing, taking 25 wickets in six Tests (including 19 in India) in a year that proved to be the last of his brief career.

Edge against right-hand bats

An oft-mentioned reason behind Murali Kartik playing so few Tests (he played 8 overall) under Sourav Ganguly was that the former India captain could play him comfortably at nets. However, with batting orders still being dominated by right-handers who are naturally more vulnerable to the ball turning away, left-arm slow bowlers stay relevant.

Axar underlined his utility this year, dismissing 28 right-handed batters every 32.3 balls this year with an economy of 1.92 and a false shot percentage of 21.3%, the highest among left-arm slow bowlers. Of the 280 wickets taken by them in 2021, 223 have come against right-handed batters (economy of 2.66, average of 26 and a strike rate of 58.5). Apart from being dismissed fewer times (57), left-handed batters have also fared marginally better in terms of economy (3.18). But their false shot percentage (14) is surprisingly more than that of right-handed batters. That said, there is no doubt left-arm slow bowlers are a better bet against right-handers.

Another reason left-arm spinners have been so successful this year is the surface. All of Axar’s scalps have come in India. Of the 21 wickets Ajaz took this year, 14 came in Mumbai. Islam hasn’t bowled outside the subcontinent in 2021. And out of Embuldeniya’s 32 wickets, 28 have come in Galle. This isn’t a recent trend though. Since 2011, left-arm slow bowlers have aggregated 2040 wickets in 400 completed Tests. But 1460 wickets among them (around 71.5%) have come in the subcontinent and the UAE. This simply means that left-arm slow bowlers are better with arm balls but become much more threatening when they can land the ball in the rough and turn it away from the right-hander. A glance at Jadeja (162 out of 232 wickets have come at home) or Herath’s (278 out of 433 wickets have come at home) career will reconfirm that.

Off-spinners are more versatile in this aspect. Of the 3402 wickets they have aggregated in 453 Tests since 2011, 1890 (or around 55.5%) have come in the subcontinent and the UAE. It shows why Nathan Lyon is one of the best off-spinners of all time despite not being from the subcontinent. Ravichandran Ashwin, however, has been a runaway success at home, accounting for 300 out of 427 wickets.