Chris Cairns: Flem had fun but never write off the spin kings

Before the three-match series against the FICA World XI was under way, I would have said the two most influential guys would be Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. To that list we must add, after an incredible display, Stephen Fleming.

Small wonder that Warne said he hadn't seen anybody hit like that, let alone any New Zealander.

I know there will be a lot of coverage elsewhere in this newspaper about Fleming's knock so I will leave that subject for now - except to say that, as someone who has a big-hitter reputation, I was privileged to have watched it.

However, even though Stephen was hard on both Warne and Murali yesterday - especially the latter - there is no doubt that these two will come back strongly. They are the two most successful spin bowlers the game has ever seen. Combining their respective test and one-day wicket tallies gives nearly 1800 international victims.

They both impart prodigious spin on the ball. How they create that spin is unique to each of them and facing either one presents its own challenges.

Most off-spin bowlers drift the ball in the air by imparting big spin and getting close to the stumps. They do this to take the ball away in the air and then spin back towards the batsman off the pitch.

Murali is different. Because he bowls from so wide on the crease, he angles the ball into you then, because of his wrist action, gets it to bounce and spin sharply. This is difficult to face in its own right but the past five years has seen him bowl the doosra. It looks like a normal off-spinner but goes straight on and at times goes the other way.

This makes hitting him difficult because when playing spinners you try to hit with the spin but Murali can move it both ways.

Warne's style of bowling is the hardest craft in cricket to master.

His biggest asset is the drift he creates. He does this by imparting big spin from wrist and fingers and gets the ball to drift into you and cramps your ability to hit it.

Combine the drift with spinning away from you off the pitch and it makes for difficult hitting. He also bowls a straight-on delivery, a bit like his famous flipper. The action is the same and it's all sleight of hand and, if you're not watching the ball closely, LBW is a certainty.

The amount of bowling he has done means Shane can't consistently give it the big rip that he used to but he's an astute thinker and the best spinner I've ever faced.

Both he and Murali will lick their wounds after Stephen's assault, but they'll be back. 

 - HERALD ON SUNDAY