Is Mohammad Nawaz Really No. 1 Spinner? Pakistan All-Rounder's T20I Stats Decoded

Is Nawaz the best spinner? [Source: AFP Photo]

Pakistan head coach, Mike Hesson, dropped a bombshell ahead of the India vs Pakistan clash, and stated that all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz is the “best spinner” in the world. This looked like mind games before the high-octane clash vs India on September 14, as the Men in Green aim to break the India losing jinx.

Recently Nawaz was Pakistan's star performer in the tri-nation series final as he took a hat-trick and won the game for his side. But the question arises, is he really the best spinner in the world?. Let us compare his stats with India's two premium spinners - Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy.

"I guess the beauty of our side is we've got five spinners. We've got Mohammad Nawaz, who's the best spin bowler in the world at the moment, and he's been ranked that way over the last six months since he's come back on the side," Hesson said about Nawaz.

Analysing Mohammad Nawaz's stats in comparison with Indian spinners

Nawaz vs Indian spinners in home conditions

(Nawaz vs Indian spinners at home)

• As the data suggests, Nawaz has decent stats at home against the opposition, but as compared to India’s premium duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, he lags behind in terms of impact.
• While Nawaz only has 16 wickets in 18 home matches, Kuldeep has 21 scalps in 16 matches, and Chakravarthy has even better numbers - 19 wickets in eight games.
• Hence, if we purely go by stats, then Nawaz stands nowhere close, and in home conditions, he gets beaten by the Indian duo.

Nawaz vs Indian spinners in away conditions

(Nawaz vs Indian spinners away stats)

• Just like in home conditions, the Indian spinners, Kuldeep and Chakravarthy, have stellar numbers away from home. The same cannot be said about Mohammad Nawaz, who once again falls behind his Asian counterparts.
• While Kuldeep has 37 T20I wickets in 17 matches, at an average of 10, Chakravarthy has 15 in eight games, with an economy of just 6.88.
• Nawaz, even though he has a decent economy rate 7.55), but he is not as threatening as the other two spinners, be it home or away conditions.

Mohammad Nawaz T20I stats vs India

(Nawaz vs India)

• Against India, Nawaz has a decent T20I record, but the problem has been his economy rate, which is on the higher side.
• The all-rounder has 6 wickets against them, but his economy rate of 8.57 vs India is higher than his overall T20I economy of 7.26. The Indian team generally plays spin well, and Nawaz tends to find it difficult to contain the Men in Blue.

Mohammad Nawaz T20I stats in 2025

(Nawaz T20I stats in 2025)

• While the all-rounder has tremendous stats in T20Is in 2025, one has to remember that in terms of bowlers with the most wickets in 2025, Nawaz stands in 16th position.
• Also, Nawaz is yet to face a great spin-playing team in 2025, as he has scalped wickets vs West Indies, the UAE, and Bangladesh.

Final verdict

While Nawaz has improved as a spin-bowling all-rounder, it has to be noted that he falls behind in terms of impact as compared to the Indian spinners. Also, while he has 20 wickets to his name in 2025, he is yet to face a solid team who have the ability to take him down.

He certainly is one of the best spinners, but calling him the best is an exaggeration by Mike Hesson.

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