Former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed on Thursday (May 7) shared his two cents on Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Lyon and Yasir Shah’s ineffectiveness in white-ball cricket.
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As per Mushtaq, the trio – who boasts a great record in Test cricket – don't have enough variations to survive in ODIs.
"Look at Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. They have won so many (white ball) games for India in the last two years. May be the likes of Lyon, Ashwin and Yasir don't have enough variations to survive in one-day cricket," Mushtaq told PTI in an exclusive interview.
He also batted for the categorisation of Test and limited-overs spinners.
"Test cricket remains the ultimate challenge for the spinners as you get to know their true skills. The likes of Yasir Shah, Nathan Lyon, Moeen Ali, Ashwin. These are the guys I admire. Their contribution to Test cricket has been huge," Mushtaq said.
"Some of them have been successful in one day cricket also but the game has changed drastically since the five fielder rule inside the (30-yard) circle came into being. For that, mystery spinners as well as wrist spinners have become more effective. Guys like Like Adil Rashid, Adam Zampa, Yuvzendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Shadab Khan," he added.
Ashwin, who has taken 150 wickets from 111 ODIs, has not appeared in white-ball cricket for India since 2017 and his comeback in the shorter formats looks bleak.
"In one -day cricket, if the pitches are good and you don't have variations or a mystery ball, you can't survive. For example, a champion bowler like Lyon has been exposed in one day cricket. He has not been as successful as he has been in the longest format," Mushtaq remarked.
Lyon has taken 390 wickets in 96 Tests but featured only in 29 ODIs and a couple of T20Is.
"You need to have someone who can bowl leg-breaks, googlies, flippers, someone with a different (unorthodox) action. There is so much power hitting in the game, you need spinners with variations,” he continued.
And that’s why Mushtaq supports the idea of having a different set of spinners in Tests and limited-overs cricket.
"In ODIs, you can still play one good conventional spinner but in T20s you need mystery spinners as he can get a wicket even with a bad ball as the batsman doesn't have the time to read him," said the 49-year-old.
"Also, the amount of cricket being played, you need to have different spinners for different formats. You zero in on five-six spinners and use them in different formats. That way their career is prolonged also."
According to Mushtaq, skill-wise, Lyon and Ashwin are on par with greats like Saqlain Mushtaq and Muttiah Muralitharan but not best suited for the one-day game.
"We had four fielders inside the circle, there was extra protection in the deep. Now with five fielders inside, if you are consistent with your line and length, you may struggle.
"Ashwin and Lyon are as good as the spinners of the past. It is just that the limited overs game has overshadowed Test cricket," he said.
Mushtaq Ahmed further said that the art of leg-spin is here to stay as it is the best wicket-taking option in white-ball cricket.
"You will see a lot of leg-spinners in the next 10-15 years. Batsman nowadays are used to playing express pace but they still struggle against leg-spinners," he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
