Shane Warne was a talent so rare that it may be generations before another of his ilk is found. Yet Australia’s blind hope that the national selectors will blithely stumble upon another Warne to carry the torch for spin bowling has never been more evident than in the selection of Steven Smith.
By choosing the cherubic, 20-year-old as back-up to a sore Nathan Hauritz ahead of the third Test against the West Indies at the WACA ground, Andrew Hilditch and his panel were being either exceptionally bold or wilfully reckless, depending on one’s perspective.
As a legspinner, Smith is not so much a baby as an embryo, something attested to by his first-class bowling return of 11 wickets at 75.18 from nine matches.
For the selectors to consider Smith ready to play a Test match, which he would have done had Hauritz not made a rapid recovery from his tender right spinning finger, was asking far too much.
As the nation’s slow bowling elder statesman Terry Jenner put it: “In my view he’s just not ready for this level of cricket, he’s just not ready.
“He’s a really good talent, but he’s got a first-class average of 75.
“It doesn’t seem logical for me (to have him around the Australian team yet).
“It is just a bewildering decision, but I guess it puts an end to that speculation about ‘Spin Idol’, I guess it lays that to rest, because they’ve shown their hand.
“When he gets everything right, he has a magnificent leg break, and he’s still working through that.
“He can’t be consistent yet because he’s only a kid.”
As worrying as the assumption that a player with Smith’s modest background could hold his own at cricket’s highest level is the fact that his selection made him the eighth slow bowler to hover around the Test team since Warne’s retirement.
Apart from the conscientious but limited Hauritz, none were given an extended run of opportunities – certainly nothing like the one afforded to Warne in his earliest days.
It took Warne until his fifth Test, 11 months after his first, to signal his arrival by spinning out 7-52 against the West Indies to win the 1992 Boxing Day match.
Warne’s early appearances against India in Sydney and Adelaide were only vaguely promising, and it is possible to speculate that the current selection panel might have missed him.
On the evidence of those matches it is hard to imagine them choosing him for the subsequent tour of Sri Lanka, where Warne developed further.
Instead he might have languished in state cricket with Victoria, where his record was never as stellar as it became at international level.
Bunratty c
Roar Rookie
you may be right but in other sports, major revenue comes from television. Actual attendance (viz. 5 days play) in such instances become 'irrelevant'. 5 days provides cream on the cake?
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
The flat tracks are called "CEO Specials" ie making sure the game goes for 5 days and thus maximising revenue
Brett McKay
Guest
in the same way Australia's batting order became mediocre after Bradman retired.....
Bunratty c
Roar Rookie
Blind search for another Glenn McGrath more importantly. Ponting showed his 'disgust' with both oz opening bowlers. The bowling 'attac k' has become mediocre since both McGrath and Warne departed. In other posts on this site, bloggers have spoken about the number of new caps....esp. bowlers through the various forms of the game. IMO, it will take oz several years before restoring 'service' in Test cricket. As an aside, is it just me becoming fed up with the current crop of commentators? Mundane, boring, predictable ("lot of batting to come") etc. I find Ian Chappell the worse. His bluntness borders on arrogance and rudeness. He is such an egoist ...every statement focuses on his past 'prowess'. The line describing James Joyce's father as a "praiser of his own past" certainly applies to Mr. Chappell. One final thought.....what in the world is happening to the australian pitches...they all seem to play the same predictable manner.....has there been an active effort to create these flatties??
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
Keep an eye out for a young fella by the name of Adam Zampa (NSW) who has been playing in the u/19 Youth Side. He recently picked up a 7/140 odd off 35 overs bowling leggies.
MrKistic
Guest
Maybe next time they could just drop him an email to let him know and select a real back up spinning option. You're right about the states, though at least Warne has been working with them and especially the captains in how to properly use spin bowlers, which may go some way to alleviating the problems you mention there. As we've seen with Hauritz this year, who don't forget could barely get a state game a while back, knowing your captain has your back and is prepared to bowl you for an extended period is obviously a massive part of improving your game. Hmmm, did I just praise Ponting as a captain? Surely not.
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
It was Hilditch who said of Ponting losing the Ashes the second time, that it was just a "hiccup".
Brett McKay
Guest
I think it's fairly safe to assume now that Smith will be spinner for the one-dayers and T20 this summer. Obviously his ability to bomb over mid-wicket and long-on is seen as a bigger plus than Hauritz's general containment...
Sportsmouth
Roar Rookie
I don't really think Hauritz was in any doubt and they included Smith as a show of confidence in him to say, "work hard get it right and your a real chance". As with Warne and many promising spinners to come through they do it tough at state level because of the general attitude of Aust. batsmen is to be aggressive to spin bowling especially on our pitches, so if they get a pasting early the captain is reluctant to bring them on again and the flow on is they can be dropped from the team. We just about need a selection policy across all states of playing the best geniune spinner in the state!
Mark
Guest
So true, Warne would not have made it under the current regime. If anyone still had any lingering doubt about Hilditch not having a clue that must surely have left them now. This is not selection policy, this is random. And yes, what has Krezja done? Given that he was the incumbent before Hauritz got his break, and has continued to perform at state level, he is the logical replacement. But as we've seen time & time again, logic is not part of the NSPs process. They may as well have picked White again, he rolled out 17 overs for bugger all last week - and scored 86 not out. All that could have happened here is that Smith played, had his confidence shattered and his development set back years. How does that help anyone?
Jameswm
Guest
What has Krejza done?