When you think about the great fast-bowling all-rounders of Test cricket, a litany of charismatic players spring to mind such as Ian Botham and Kapil Dev. However, if you were to turn your mind to the great slow-bowling all-rounders, you would struggle to come up with a comparable list of names. Apart from perhaps Wilfred Rhodes, a dominant figure in early 20th century English cricket, there is not one who has been able to rise to the level of greatness.
Indeed, among the players with 1000 runs, 100 wickets and a positive average differential – the mark of a strong all-round cricketer is one with a higher batting average than bowling – just three are spin bowlers. Given that being a fast-bowling all-rounder places such a tremendous strain on the body, it is surprising that this number is not higher. But, even more surprisingly, the one with the best average differential is Ravichandran Ashwin of India with a batting average of 34 and a bowling average of 25.
Genuine Half-Volley 