Sulieman Benn - West Indies - Bowler

Built like a fast bowler, but bowls left-arm spin. That's the best way to describe Sulieman Benn. He has the attitude of a fast bowler and stands tall at an imposing 6'7”. Benn is no stranger to controversies either, having been involved in a fair few of them during his career. Benn was involved in a heated argument with Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson during the Adelaide Test in 2009. Then during an ODI, he was sent off the field by Chris Gayle for refusing to comply to his orders. His most notable incident came during South Africa's tour of the Caribbean in 2010 when Dale Steyn spat at him after Benn had continuously sledged him during his stay at the crease.

Despite all the controversies, Benn became the main spinner of the Caribbean outfit before his attitude cost him his place in the side. Benn was crucial to West Indies' Test victory against England in Jamaica in 2009. He became the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs in a T20I game against Zimbabwe when he took 4/6. Benn then, picked up his career-best figures of 6/81 in Test cricket against South Africa in June 2010.

With such a tall frame, Benn's arm comes in at an awkward angle, when the batsmen face up to him. He uses his height to good effect, often spearing in yorkers and getting it to slide on with the arm. Benn has a round-arm action which helps him to bowl flat most of the time. Benn is a useful lower-order bat too, who can hang around when the occasion demands.

Benn was left out of the West Indian side after the 2011 World Cup as his disciplinary problems put an end to his career for the time being. Benn, put all the controversies behind him and made a comeback to the national side in 2014. He was picked for the Test series against New Zealand, the tall bowler did not disappoint. Since his return, Benn has scalped 34 wickets in eight Tests. He has been the most dependable spin bowler for West Indies across all three formats. The board also selected him for the 2015 World Cup in Australia.

By Srivathsa and Akshay Maanay
As of January 2015