Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey

Idea from and co-written by Abdushakoorcric

The great Rangana Herath will play his final Test in what has been a truly illustrious career. Tuesday’s (6th November) first Test against England will be the last time we will see this genius bamboozling batsmen with his wonderful variations.

Herath has been part of a group of left arm orthodox spinners that have helped bring it back into fashion. Left arm bowlers bring something special in the run of the play, getting plenty of wickets with those beautiful arm balls after ripping one off the pitch. They are just a joy to watch. Among these left-arm orthodox bowlers, the following five have bowling actions and skills worth giving full recognition as they are a treat to watch, especially when they come round the wicket.

Rangana Herath

Rangana Herath will finish his career as the most prolific left arm bowler in history

Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh’s finest: Shakib Al Hasan

The Bangladeshi all-rounder has been one of the finest left-arm orthodox bowlers in the last decade. His ability to bat has put him at the top of the all-rounder charts for this period, testament to his consistency.

Bangladesh’s finest ever cricketer, Shakib has the patience many modern-day bowlers are lacking. In contrast to modern bowlers who look to go fast after being hit for a boundary, he has the ultimate courage and accuracy to loop the ball more and tease the batsman with the amazing show of spherical leather projectiles. He possesses an amazing round-arm action and bowls those arm balls, in conjunction the one to go away from a right with such precision. His arm balls are just slow death for those who aren’t picking him. Many players have been clueless against him.

He is currently recovering from a finger injury on his left hand. Will we see him in Test Cricket again? Hopefully.

Daniel Vettori

The Kiwi bowler had a beautiful bowling action to projectile the ball. Over 700 international wickets was testament to Vettori, making the most of his talent. Never a big turner of the ball, Vettori used to trick batsmen with lots of flight, as well as subtle changes of pace. During his jump, his both arms would go up and the right arm would even bend behind. Then, the right arm would return making an aim. His ball-dipping ability was amazing and proved quite effective.

Daniel Vettori: Underrated and effective

Ravindra Jadeja

The Indian is famous for his quick overs, giving relief to his captain about the over-rate; his economical overs finish in a jiffy. In contrast to his overs spending less time, he possesses an amazing, repeatable action. He barely takes 4-5 steps and bowls both flighted and flat deliveries averaging 90-100 kph on good, tight lines, which is a nightmare for batsmen on turning tracks.

His action comprises of pulling back his arm towards his chest. Then, he follows it up a wide arm delivery with ball coming into right handers to puzzle them. He also unleashes his round arm delivery at times. Currently, he is an important part of the Indian ODI team.

Ravindra Jadeja: Accurate as always

Mitchell Santner

Mitchell Santner has impressed many by his beautiful bowling action and deceiving deliveries. He is also more effective from round the wicket, with his bowling action looking very controlled and smooth. He comes in running with least possible speed to focus on batsman intentions. His right hand comes up as an aim until the hidden left arm come from behind. He has a beautiful conventional delivery as well as the one with goes back into the right handers. He also unleashed his carrom ball in series against Pakistan earlier this year to become one of the very few (if not only) left arm bowler to try the mystery ball.

Mitchell Santner: A fine prospect for New Zealand