Where for art thou, Australian spinner?
Columnist By Brett McKay, 29 Sep 2008 Brett McKay is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Beau Casson, Brad Hogg, Bryce McGain, Cameron White, Cricket, Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill
At various points in recent columns, I’ve bought up the problem facing Australia’s cricket selectors currently, being the spin bowler, or to be brutally honest, the apparent lack thereof.
As much as we all hoped it would happen, Shane Warne wasn’t going to play forever. What’s worse, the two players who would replace him – Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill – barely lasted twelve months post-Warnie themselves.
Now I grant you, replacing Shane Warne wasn’t going to be easy. You can’t just find 700 Test wickets overnight. But in Hogg and especially MacGill, we still had a couple of pretty handy tweakers, and cricket fans around the country felt no obvious avenue for concern just yet.
Didn’t quite work out, did it? In the space of a few months, Hoggy decided a drawn home series against India would see him off, and after two fairly ordinary Tests in the Caribbean – despite taking that elusive 200th Test wicket – MacGill shocked team mates, supporters, and definitely selectors, by announcing his immediate retirement.
I don’t think it’s drawing too long a bow suggesting that the sudden wake-up call given to the selectors at that point would rank up there with the retirements of Lillee, Marsh, and Chappell. “Who would we pick if…” wasn’t so hypothetical any more…
So while I didn’t have too much problem with Beau Casson being given the ticket to the West Indies, as he was, and even getting a Test debut in the Third Test, I have to admit I’m a little bit confused and even disappointed in the selectors, with who they’ve sent to India this month.
Let me state up front that I have nothing against Bryce McGain and Jason Krezja, who I’m sure have worked very hard to earn their selection. In fact I don’t even think I’ve seen McGain bowl at all.
My confusion is caused by trying to interpret the message being sent to Australia’s young spin bowlers, which appears to be that three wickets in your first Test isn’t good enough. The disappointment is that there’s been no obvious explanation given as to why Casson was dropped, even knowing that he’s recovering from a groin injury picked up on the Australia A tour a month ago.
All this bewilderment has got me thinking though. I’m wondering if the selectors are going to start muttering the well used “rebuilding stage” notion, and that this might not be the last or fastest rotation of tweakers we’ll see this coming summer? And if Casson, Krezja and McGain were all hit by a bus tomorrow, who’s left to bring in?
Well unfortunately, and worryingly, the cupboard’s looking a touch bare. A quick rip around the state squads hasn’t filled me with a lot of confidence.
With the general lack of turn at the WACA, it’s hardly surprising to see only one spinner listed for WA (or that a couple have moved east over the years). Aaron Heal did have a reasonable season in 2007/08, but Australia generally hasn’t had a lot of time or patience with left-arm orthodox bowlers.
South Australia is still wondering what to do with leggie Cullen Bailey, and one-Test offie Dan Cullen. Both shot to prominence early in their careers, but both also spectacularly fell from grace after they lost their state spots last season. It will be interesting to see how or indeed if they bounce back. It’s hard to see SA being competitive without a half-decent spinner, so there will be plenty of pressure on their returns too.
In Tassie, it was Xavier Doherty’s lack of results and Dan Marsh’s shoulder problems that saw Krezja head to the Apple Isle to try his luck last year. It’s obviously paid off handsomely, with his selection in the Indian tour squad, and it will be very interesting to see if he gets a chance. He could well prove to be an answer to the one-day side’s problems too, as it was in the shorter game that he had reasonable success for NSW with his right arm offies and better-than-average batting.
Victoria of course, has been battling with the Warne factor for many years, and it would seem that in Bryce McGain they’ve found an answer. Cameron White’s sporadic Australian call-ups and lack of turn with his leg-break (an important commodity as a leg spinner, so I’m told) saw McGain get another chance for the Vics, and he finished last season as one of the better performers in the Pura Cup (and just quietly, how good is it that the Sheffield Shield is back this season?). Even at 36, it would seem that he’s still pretty fresh, not having played a lot of first class cricket until recent years. So while it will obviously be interesting to see how he goes in India, it’ll also be interesting to see how long he continues for Victoria.
White’s leggies are a bit of issue in themselves, as I mentioned, and if Krezja suddenly starts making runs AND taking wickets, White’s some-time ODI appearances could well be in doubt.
NSW have always been reasonably well-served with tweakers, and that would still appear to the case with Casson, former Queenslander and another one-Test wonder Nathan Hauritz, and the rapidly rising Steven Smith. Hauritz finished the season well enough to bump Casson out of the Pura Cup final, but Casson would seem to be the first choice spinner still, so it should make an interesting season.
Of course they both could get overtaken by the 19 year-old leggie Smith, who on sheer weight of first grade runs was thrust into the NSW T20 team last season, and then finished the competition’s leading wicket-taker (and at some ridiculous average for that form of the game). Who knows, maybe the water will get turned off at the SCG and NSW will play three spinners this season!
Queensland is the conundrum. Warne and MacGill both rated the ‘Gabba amongst their favourite grounds on which to bowl, yet Queensland haven’t produced a decent spinner since… um… oh dear, Trevor Hohns?!? Daniel Doran and Aaron Nye have been battling it out up there for years, and while ever they’re both looking over their shoulders, it’s hard to see them going much further.
So who’s next in line, if that bus comes along? White and Hauritz would seem the obvious choices, although I wouldn’t mind a lazy Fiver on young Steven Smith. Even if he takes a few seasons to cement his place for NSW, I wouldn’t think it would be too long before he was being measured up for a Baggy Green. If a young guy can take limited over wickets at a single-figure average, and be good enough to bat in the top six aged 19, he would seem destined for a long and distinguished career.
To wrap this up, I think my concern is well-founded. Australia has a long history of top class batsmen and quicks, but we’ve really only seen great spinners emerge in shortish bursts over time (think Grimmett, O’Reilly, Benaud). Before Warnie took his 7-fa against the Windies in Melbourne all those years ago, we’d seen a fair procession of tweakers of all varieties for the best part of twenty years.
Hopefully, one of these young bowlers around the country can step up to the crease in the coming seasons, and it doesn’t take another twenty years of “rebuilding” before we have our next champion spinner.
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- Explore:
- Beau Casson, Brad Hogg, Bryce McGain, Cameron White, Cricket, Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill
September 29th 2008 @ 8:28am
sheek said | September 29th 2008 @ 8:28am | Report comment
Guess who Australia’s greatest ever OFF-spin bowler is?
Give up? I’m not surprised, because it’s Hugh Trumble. And when did Trumble play his last test match? Early 1904, after the 1903-04 series against England in Australia. Ashley Mallett & Ian Johnson were good, but Trumble remains the best offie we’ve produced, even after 104 years.
Cricket’s infatuation with shorter & shorter versions of the game, now we have Twenty20, is killing spinners, who are seen as expendable in the abridged versions of the game, Warne, Murali & Kumble aside.
Cricket NEEDS its variety – right & left handed batsmen; fast bowlers & swing bowlers; off & leg spin bowlers. Homogeny will kill the game.
I don’t know what the answer is, except that authorities will have to forgo short-term gain, & aim to make inclusive all elements that make up cricket, & that includes the spinner.
September 29th 2008 @ 10:45am
Midfielder said | September 29th 2008 @ 10:45am | Report comment
Brett
I wrote on a football thread the biggest problem facing football was the lack of coaching ability at park level football. Even knowing the difference between a full back back and a wing back is beyond most. Never mind why in a game you may play a right footed player on the left.
I see this as a similar problem I have coached cricket teams and won three grand finals as a coach …….. yey I known nothing about spining a ball or more IMPORTANTLY how to teach a child how to spin a ball or be able to demonstrate the action. What is needed is ……… (have no idead how this would be done mind you) ……. TEACH the park ciaches how to do it so they can pass it on. My only suggestion is have a number of weekends where coaches are invited to learn the skill and how to pass it on.
Good article but Bret and well written
September 29th 2008 @ 10:58am
Brett McKay said | September 29th 2008 @ 10:58am | Report comment
Thanks for the comments and feedback Midfielder, and I think you’re somewhat on the mark about coaching of young players, but I’ll throw in another spanner: lower grade captains that either don’t know how to support a young spinner, or who expect too much of them.
In this regard, Warnie’s brilliance was possibly the worst thing to happen, because straight away young spinners were expected to be able to tie batsmen down and concede 2-3 runs an over tops. Now in lower gardes that just doesn’t happen as you well know, and almost always, as soon as Young Leggie cops a bit of stick, he gets pulled.
I’m seeing it at my club currently, there’s plenty of kids coming through who want to, and who can give the ball a rip, but their captains – especially in the short term – are going to be vital to their success.
September 29th 2008 @ 12:48pm
Midfielder said | September 29th 2008 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
Bret
Young captians get guidence from there park coaches in junior years. Its a chicken and egg position. But as I see it at that park level in the U 10 to U 15 many, if not most coaches, have no idea how to teach spin or can they demostrate it …….. nor can they explain to a captian how to guide / support a spinner.
Your point is well made about a spinner being pulled when it even looks like someone is going to have a go at them. But it caomes back to the coach and manager …… holding firm and maybe loosing a game maybe even coming last for a couple of years ………….. I won grand finals at cricket not because I was any good in fact I was at the other end, the team won because I involved every player in batting and boweling and at key times when needed the lessor players could stand up.
My experience of most cricket coaches is they play with five or six players who do most of the batting and boweling the others play fatch and throw. I brought a football ethos to my team and said everybodey plays no matter how poor and we all
support each other.
I guess my point is the lack of respect for the spinner comes from the U 10 to U 15 coach who sees winning the local match as more important than showing skills ……… the coach does not have ……… nor often these days the club
September 29th 2008 @ 1:09pm
Rickety Knees said | September 29th 2008 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
Agree with Midfielder – In comparison to most sports Cricket is a contrary game with it’s own very unique skill set. The most contrary skill being the dark and mysterious art of leg spin, which when performed at its peak is a lethal asset as witnessed by the results achieved by Warne and MacGill. Who will ever forget “that ball” that cleaned up Gatting!
Warne and/or MacGill should be engaged in producing a highly instructive DVD on leg spin bowling. Sadly if you search http://www.cricket.com.au with a “leg spin” enquiry you come up with a blank. This reflects the level of interest the Cricket Australia has on this matter.
My heart goes out to Beau Casson – who was intrumental in helping NSW win the shield and Australia winning the 3rd Test in the West Indies. CA’s poor man management (including Simon Katich and Nathan Bracken) never ceases to amaze me. It would seem that public rejection has become a rite-of-passage into the Australian Team. Then depending on how deeply you publicly grovel will be directly indexed to your chances of playing for Australia again.
September 29th 2008 @ 1:29pm
Midfielder said | September 29th 2008 @ 1:29pm | Report comment
RK
Good point you make but extent further ……… Bobby Holland, Terry Jennier, Ashely Mallet and other test spinners should be engaged in teaching a large number of coaches in each if the cricket districts over a five year period. The districit coaches could pass on this knowledge to the park / club coaches otherwise the time lag between great spinners could be a long long time. Even bring over some Indian spinners but train loccal coaches.
Without trying to be overly critical of cricket ………. but you get the impression because we always win they ignore the training and simply assume alls well as we are winning. Ignoring all the time that cricket is now a contest between Australia & India / Pak / SL. Most other cricket playing nations are moving away from cricket 20 20 may put some life back into it, but its boreing watching midium fast all day the spinner gives you the ……….. not sure of the right word …….. but that feeling of who is going to win bat or ball and here is a contest. If cricket authories fail to understand this basic point then cricket in time will struggle as it will become to much same old same old. Sorry off topic a bit RK.
But back to my point spinning is a skill that like touch in football needs lots of practice and good coaches provideing advise and guidemce. Invest some money CA is my opinion.
September 29th 2008 @ 1:33pm
Rich_daddy said | September 29th 2008 @ 1:33pm | Report comment
When you look at the overall history of cricket, there have not been many leg spinners. It is a fine art leg spin bowling, and finding a quality leg spinner, let alone replacing one of Shane Warne’s quality is just about impossible. Just look at world cricket today, the only real quality leg spinner is Danish Kanieria from Paskistan. A few others are up and coming but it is rare to see leg spinners playing for their respective countries in the same era.
Off spinners have it harder, because they cannot spin the ball as much. They rely more heavily on the pitch to get tickets. Since they cover the pitches overnight now, the off spinner is really only going to be damaging in the 2nd innings of a match. But the Australian selectors attitude may be this is simply unviable, because the outcome of most test matches are determined at the end of the first innings.
Good luck to whoever fills the spinner position in the Australian side
September 30th 2008 @ 1:19pm
Greg Russell said | September 30th 2008 @ 1:19pm | Report comment
Brett,
I agree that Casson has been treated poorly by the selectors, but I believe you provide the explanation yourself when you write that MacGill’s retirement was a shock even to the selectors. I suspect that Casson was never regarded as being as good as McGain. However, with MacGill available the selectors saw no need for McGain, given his identical age and similar style. Thus Casson was picked for the WI as an investment for the future. When MacGill unexpectedly retired, the role earmarked for him logically had to be given to McGain. The only criticism that can really be made of the selectors here is that they might have foreseen the MacGill’s future was dodgy given his injuries, his age and his state of mind. But I guess MacGill convinced the selectors otherwise with his confident display in the Pura Cup final.
As for Krejza, I believe his surprising selection for the Indian tour is owed to him being the closest thing to Harbhajan Singh in Australian cricket. Of course he’s no Harbhajan, but at least he can give the Australian batsman net practice against a tall offspinner. For Ponting in particular this is needed given his horrible record in India against Harbhajan. It might sound crass to choose someone for a tour purely to be a net bowler, but in this case I think one can argue it’s a very sensible idea, because obviously Harbhajan versus the Australian batsmen will be one of the key battles in deciding this series.
September 30th 2008 @ 5:17pm
LeftArmSpinner said | September 30th 2008 @ 5:17pm | Report comment
Spinners can prosper at junior level until they get to rep and then they are really tested.
Unless tough and with a repeatable stock ball and rat cunning to be able to mix it up. Leggies are better, generally because they turn the ball away from the right hander.
The sooner they get onto Turf and turning turf, the better. The kids and the parents dont understand the basic principles of bowling.
It is only now that we will fully realise the genius bowler that Warne was!!
October 2nd 2008 @ 9:15am
Brett McKay said | October 2nd 2008 @ 9:15am | Report comment
Whilst I asked “if Casson, Krezja and McGain were all hit by a bus tomorrow, who’s left to bring in?” hypothetically on Monday, it seems we may go close to having the question answered, with news today that McGain has further strained his already injured bowling shoulder and now can’t bowl for at least 2-3 weeks. This puts McGain out of the First Test v India at least, and there’s a possibilty a replacement may be sought.
Casson seems the logical choice, but as we’ve all noted about the selection of spinners in this country, stranger things have happened…