Shane Warne fears for future of leg-spinners

Six years after he quit international cricket with 1,000 wickets to his name and a reputation for reviving a moribund craft, Shane Warne is concerned about the current lack of a high-class leg-spinner in cricket.

Five slow bowlers feature in the top ten Test bowlers list, but none are leg-spinners, who seem to be being overshadowed by their left-arm and off-spinning cousins.

Warne blamed the defensive mindset of captains as the primary reason for the decline of the craft which he mastered and glamorised during his illustrious 15-year career.

“Without trying to be arrogant about it, it’s hard,” the 43-year-old Australian told reporters yesterday. “That’s why we are not seeing a lot of leg-spinners around the world. It’s difficult in this age of cricket. So much Twenty20 and so much relying on economy rate.”

He added: “I want to see the ball spin. They are great to have in the team as another option, but the main spinner, I want him to spin the ball.”