They are typically conventional and not too appealing in style. And yet they boast a significant impact in world of cricket. They are the left-arm orthodox spinners, often seen out-foxing batsmen with their repertoire and guile with the leather.

Few will dispute the fact that spin wizardry of Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Graeme Swann and Saeed Ajmal have kept the best of the batsmen guessing and they have continued to hit the headlines due to the bulk of wickets grabbed by them in international cricket.

However, in recent years left-arm finger spinners — with their niggling, away-spinning deliveries to the right-handers — have emerged as a force to reckon with for the batters.

Owing to their special finger grip, a majority of them succeed in giving timely breakthroughs at crucial junctures during matches besides slowing down the scoring rate on most occasions. Their variety comprising well-disguised top-spinners and arm balls make them more lethal, particularly on the Sub-continental tracks.

The greats Derek Underwood and Bishen Singh Bedi, undoubtedly, remain at the top of the shelf among all the left-arm spinners.

In contemporary cricket, though, almost every major team in world cricket have a left-arm tweaker in their line-up who gives lot of strength and a definite advantage to them in matches.

England’s Monty Panesar, Pakistan’s Abdur Rehman, New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori, Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath, India’s Pragyan Ojha and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan — all have had valuable contributions in their respective team’s successes in international cricket in recent years.

The Indian batsmen are generally considered the masters at blunting the best of spin bowlers, particularly on their home turf.

However, Panesar proved this notion wrong by running through MS Dhoni’s side on a number of occasions in the ongoing series.

Playing alongside his more experienced and prolific partner Swann, Panesar strongly brought back England from 0-1 down into the series by bamboozling India’s star-studded batting line-up with a magnificent 11-wicket haul in Mumbai that levelled the four-match series. The display in Mumbai by Panesar clearly had a stamp of class and earned praise from the critics and fans alike.

His overall record in Tests virtually makes him an automatic selection in the game’s traditional five-day format now, specially on surfaces offering turn and bounce.

Another fine exponent of finger-spin is our own 32-year-old Rehman. Although he is not a regular member of the limited-overs squad, he has certainly raised his profile in Test cricket ever since he combined with Saeed to torment the top-ranked England outfit on spin-friendly UAE tracks.

For the first ever time, Pakistan inflicted a 3-0 whitewash over the high-flying English team that stunned the cricketing world.

With as many as 81 wickets already in his bag in a mere 17 Tests at an impressive average of 28.40, Rehman by maintaining a very nagging line and length in long spells causes serious problems for the batsmen.

More importantly, he never gets overawed by the occasions, a clear sign of spirit and dedication which gives a lot of heart to his captains as well.

Mahela Jayawardene’s description of Herath as a major spin weapon after Muralitharan’s exit, explicitly suggests the stocky left-armer’s position in the current Sri Lankan set-up. Though making his mark quite late since making his Test debut way back in 1999, the 34-year-old Herath has shouldered the burden well in both Tests as well as ODIs after Murali’s departure.

His 174 scalps in 42 Tests at 29.67 makes him a certainty for the Sri Lankan side for a few more years to come. A glut of 54 wickets in just seven Tests (against England, Pakistan and New Zealand) in 2012 has propelled him into the top league of spinners.

Vettori, also a highly useful all-rounder, is the odd one out among contemporary slow left-arm spinners. He is clearly a heavyweight with his impressive record in both Tests (112 Test matches, 360 wickets, average 34.42) and ODIs (272 ODIs, 282 wickets, average 31.48).

The former Black Caps skipper has been a devoted workhorse for New Zealand ever since his emergence at world scene in 1997. And though New Zealand have never been a dominant force in international cricket, Vettori’s performance has been instrumental in keeping the Kiwis afloat.

No sensible cricket follower will argue about the significant impact Bangladesh’s Shakib has had on his side since bursting onto the international stage at a tender age of 19 in 2006.

Without Shakib’s impressive bowling in all the three formats against world-class opponents, the wobbly Bangladesh side would have found it more cumbersome to survive in world cricket. Bangladesh due to their very frail bowling resources rely heavily on Shakib who within six years has achieved several personal landmarks including the 150-wicket mark in ODIs with an impressive 4.29 economy rate.

How could India, possessing a rich legacy of high-class spinners, miss out here! While workhorse Harbhajan nears career twilight, left-arm Pragyan Ojha has silently surfaced as their new spinning spearhead with an amazing 94 wickets in 19 Tests at 30.45.

Even South Africa — generally considered aliens to quality spin merchants — have a left-arm slow bowler like Robin Peterson in their ranks. His recent six-wicket haul in the series-winning Test against the Aussies on a pace-friendly WACA track denotes the player’s calibre.

And while all these left-arm tweakers continue to make their mark in world cricket, Pakistan’s Raza Hasan became the latest left-arm campaigner to impress in international arena when he made a noteworthy debut at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

The 20-year-old greenhorn, if he maintains his art, is surely expected to beguile the best in business.

Even left-arm part-time spinners like Michael Clarke and Yuvraj Singh pose a threat to the batsmen and are often seen breaking valuable partnerships when in their elements.