Two leg-spin combinations which defied the tradition that kindred spirits can't fire in the baggy green

For over a century Australian cricket selectors have point-blank refused to pick kindred spirit spinners from playing together in a Test, but the Clarrie Grimmett-Bill O’Reilly and Shane Warne-Stuart MacGill combinations defied that old wives’ tale.

Grimmett was 14 years older than O’Reilly in the 1930s, making them the oddest pairing of the two – Warne just two years MacGill’s senior in the naughties.

Grimmett was entrenched as Australia’s top leggie until O’Reilly came on the scene. They combined in O’Reilly’s first Test in 1932 up to Grimmett’s last in 1936.

In their debut, they sent England packing in Adelaide by grabbing nine wickets in both innings with the master Grimmett taking 7-116 off 47, and 7-83 off 49.2, while the pupil O’Reilly managed 2-74 off 39.4 and 2-89 off 42.

But they went one better against South Africa at Durban in 1934 with all ten between them. O’Reilly led the way with 7-41 off 41.4 – Grimmett 3-39 of 47.

Grimmett reversed the honours at Trent Bridge in 1936 with 6-73 off 48 to O’Reilly’s 4-47 off 40.3.

Just to keep proving the point, Grimmett took 5-56 off 36, and O’Reilly 4-35 off 25 against South Africa in Cape Town in 1936.

They were a wonderful combination, but totally different in nature.

Grimmett was very quiet and humble, O’Reilly earned his nick-names of “Tiger” and “Snarler” – but both were world class leg-spinners.

Their careers at a glance:

Clarrie Grimmett was born December 25, 1891, died May 2, 1980.
Bill O’Reilly born December 20, 1905, died October 6, 1992.

Grimmett career stats;
Tests 37, innings 67.
Overs 2419, wickets 216, average 24.21.

O’Reilly’s career stats:
Tests 27, innings 48.
Overs 1671, wickets 144 at 22.59.

Grimmett in tandem with O’Reilly:
Tests 14, innings 25.
Overs 948, wickets 86, average 21.10.

O’Reilly in tandem with Grimmett:
Overs 742, wickets 71, average 22.68.

Remarkable figures in an amateur era, where Test players had to get time off work to wear the baggy green.

It was a vastly different era for Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill six decades later as full-time professionals with a far more hectic schedule.

They teamed up for the first time in 1998, and during their 17-Test career as a combination, they twice claimed nine wickets in an innings between them.

The first was against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2004, with Warne capturing 5-43 off 43 and MacGill 4-74 off 16.

The second came at Chittagong in 2006 with Warne’s 5-113 off 36, and MacGill’s 4-95 off 22.

The biggest disparity was MacGill’s career best 8-108 off 33 to Warne’s 0-112 off 20 at Fatullah against Bangladesh.

But throughout their 17-Tests in tandem, MacGill came out sightly ahead.

At a glance:
Shane Warne was born September 13, 1969.
Stuart MacGill – February 25, 1971.

Warne’s career stats:
Tests 144, innings 273.
Overs 2999, wickets 708, average 25.41.

MacGill’s career stats:
Tests 44, innings 85.
Overs 1872, wickets 208, average 29.02.

Warne in tandem with MacGill:
Tests 17, innings 32.
Overs 722, wickets 82, average 28.63.

MacGill in tandem in Warne:
Overs 615, wickets 89, average 22.

To finalise an interesting series of stats, how do Clarrie Grimmett, Bill O’Reilly, Shane Warne, and Stuart MacGill compare with the world’s leading Test wicket-taker, the controversial Sri Lankan offie-doosra bowler Muttiah Muralitharan?

Wickets per Test innings:
Murali – 3.478.
Grimmett – 3-223.
O’Reilly – 3.00
Warne – 2.993.
MacGill – 1.932.

Wickets per Test:
Murali – 6.015.
Grimmett – 5.837.
O’Reilly – 5.333.
Warne – 4.882.
MacGill- 4.737.