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After starting the summer under pressure to retain his place in the side, off spinner Nathan Lyon responded by bowling Australia to victory in Adelaide last week.
This unexpected display of dominance by an Aussie spinner has me convinced we should play two spinners at least once this summer.
When engaging in guerrilla warfare, one should aim to identify their opponent’s strengths, then seek to use them to their advantage. This strategy was employed brilliantly by the Australian side in the first Test.
With the Indian team expecting a pace onslaught, our quicks instead lulled the visitors into a false sense of security. Lyon then proceeded to feast on their entrails, in a gladiatorial display rarely associated with male pattern baldness.
As there is a strong chance English curators will serve up more sub-continental dustbowls for next year’s Ashes, the selectors should reconsider our one spinner policy this summer.
While ill-advised in Brisbane, subsequent Tests in Melbourne and Sydney provide the perfect opportunity to pair Lyon with a spin twin.
This would ideally be a leggie, with Fawad Ahmed again featuring prominently on the wicket takers list this season. If he is deemed too old, a younger spinner like Cameron Boyce or Adam Zampa could be considered.
While neither man had dazzled at Sheffield Shield level, Boyce demonstrated his ability to perform on the big stage against South Africa earlier this season. A debut in Australian conditions, with the crowd behind them, is certainly preferable to blooding a spinner in an Ashes series.
Of course, Rod Marsh and company could also do worse than giving Stephen O’Keefe another run, after a solid debut against Pakistan in October. His batting ability would also add depth to the line-up.
Fortunately, the selectors’ current preference for two medium-fast bowling all-rounders also provides the flexibility for the side to drop back to two specialist quicks on occasion.
The dearth of wily part-time spinners in the side also limits bowling variety. Long gone are the days of Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Michael Bevan or Darren Lehmann presenting their skipper with a viable spin alternative.
This ultimately leaves our attack with a distinct ‘pace or bust’ appearance, with the notable exception of the domineering Lyon. Unless Peter Siddle ups his banana intake to dangerous levels, he appears to lack penetration and is ultimately replaceable.
This leaves Ryan Harris’ ghost knee and Mitch Johnson’s gunslinger mo to fight the good fight on the fast bowling front. Rather than throwing in another quick and hoping for the best, let’s continue the guerrilla warfare tactics.
The pen is mightier than the sword, and this summer, perhaps our spinners will trump their pace bowling teammates. Let’s hope our selectors have the nerve to mess with the heads of the Indian side by serving up an entree of spin, and see if their batsmen choke.
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