Is it fair that every spin bowler in Australia is being turned into a trivia question? Soon it will be “Who were the 104-thousand tweakers tried and turfed by the Australian selectors since Shane Warne retired?” Okay, the number is more like 9, but how much longer can this continue?
How much longer can another spinner be handed a baggy green and then a month later have it sitting on his mantle piece instead of in his kit-bag?
In 20-years we’ll still be calling for Warnie to pull on the whites once again and roll the arm over!
Xavier Doherty, poor chap, is the latest spinner under pressure to keep his place in the Australian side. He has played just two tests!
I know his figures weren’t flattering, his ability to tie up an end went missing and that most deliveries had less flight than an emu, but doesn’t he deserve time to settle in?
It’s about time the selection panel picked one spinner and stuck with him for a while. It’s not an easy art and far harder to master than your average grunting paceman.
Some days it’s magic and on others it’s murder.
What happens if Steve Smith is given the nod on the back of his 4 for 57 in the first innings of South Australia’s Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales at the SCG?
Say, for example, he is belted all over the WACA in the third test and leaves the MCG battered and bruised following the Boxing Day clash.
What happens then?
Do we move on to Stephen O’Keefe? After that? Who knows! It takes time to settle in at international level. It takes time to adjust from state cricket. It, one more time, takes time!
But time is a luxury no-one seems to have anymore.
These spinners are probably so petrified about being dropped before their career has even started that they bowl more half trackers than John Howard (if you haven’t seen the video, check this out).
It’s time we stop looking for the next Shane Warne. He isn’t out there and the sooner Australia’s selectors realise that the better.
Rhys
Guest
If you take Warne and MacGill out of the equation (and it was freakishly bad luck in a way that their careers coincided) Australia's spin stocks over the last 45 years (post Benaud) have been modest at best. Ashley Mallett would be best of the rest (132@29), followed by Bruce Yardley (126@31). You're then looking at the legbreaks of John Gleeson (93@36), followed by Tim May (75@34). Meaning no disrespect to the players on that list (all fine campaigners), but my point is we've adopted unrealistic expectations for anyone taking on the role of Australian Test spinner in the future. If we can unearth anyone in the next 5-10 years who can achieve 100-150 wickets at close to 30, I reckon it'll be a good result.
TJ
Guest
Jameswm - Paine and Ferguson - you clearly have an anti-NSW bias there? I think from the list you have plus a couple of changes: Hughes Jacques Khawaja Watson Henriques S.Smith Nevill O'Keefe Copeland Starc Cameron
Fisher Price
Guest
The Hilditch/Punter regime has a fear of youth. Much better to introduce the odd journeyman - you, 'good blokes'. Players under 25? Can't trust 'em!
djsinnema
Roar Rookie
What can i say, Hauretz and Doherty are both lucky to of appeared just after Warne and McGill. These two are clearly just journeymen who might deserve a 15 Minutes of fame, and disposed of like a chinese takeaway container. Like several other posters have said, Smith and O'Keefe should be allowed in the team, under there batting form, possible replacing North, and you may be able to get a decent spinner out of those two.
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
I agree that you need to show some patience with spinners. I have a belief that Smith is the answer as a all rounder he is a good batsman a brilliant fielder and is learning as a bowler. So put him in the side for his batting and fielding and let him learn how to bowl at test level. He should replace North. The selectors should never have dropped Hauritz, Doherty is not and never was the answer, he is just Ponting's mate, and while you're at it remove the captaincy from Ponting so he can regain some form.
Adam
Guest
If the modern spin bowler selection carousel was in place in the early 90's, a certain S.K.Warne would have been dropped after his first test in Sydney when the Indians pasted him around for 150 odd and his only wicket was Ravi Shastri for almost 200. More patience is required with all players, and we can't expect instant results. There was only ever 1 Warne in the first 130 years of test cricket and all future bowlers shouldn't be compared to him because it might be another 130 years before another comparitable one comes along.
jameswm
Guest
On the spinners - they got it wrong when they picked Doherty. He has been round a while, has improved and is serviceable. But O'Keefe is the equal as a bowler. He is young and new to 1st class cricket, but is the only spinner who has come in and averaged low (25). He'll be round for ages, will improve, and is also a very good batsman (averages over 50). I just don't get that one - he is your long term finger spinner, so breed him into the team now. He's Doherty's equal as a spinner anyway, and you add on the youth (ie potential for further improvement) and batting. Smith can work his way into the side as a no.6 anyway, so you'll end up with two spinners and room for 3 front line quicks, plus Watson. Watson and Smith can bat at 5 and 6, and with Paine at 7 and SOK at 8 you have deep batting. For a bit of fun... What do you guys think of this Aussie team in say 2-3 years' time - say, to play a test on the sub-continent? Marsh/Hughes Khawaja Ferguson Clarke Watson Smith Paine Henriques O'Keefe Two of Harris, Copeland, Starc, Hilfy BOWLERS Harris Copeland Henriques Watson O'Keefe Smith 2 frontline quicks. Two good all round medium pacers. Two good young spinners O'Keefe 9, Henriques 8, Paine 7, Smith 6 - an awful lot of batting. This is on the basis there is little between Henriques and other specialists as a bowler. The guy takes a lot of wickets.
Brett McKay
Guest
love it Luke, "..less flight than an emu." But you're right about needing to stop looking for the next Warne. In fact we need to stop looking at the last Warne too, that's just as stupid...
Elbow
Guest
There is no time available to blood spinners. There is only so much time available and obviously that has all been given to the batsmen.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Luke,spinning is indeed a difficult art. Warne was a once in a lifetime or even a century. Ditto guys like Murali,Prasanna,O Rielly and Laker.But even these bowlers had to work hard and spin blood and tears.Take Swann. He has worked hard for five years and the results are showing. We still have not seen the best from him. More than having a sympathetic captain the good spinners have an amazing self-belief. This is what young Smith has in abundance. He may go for a few but he will challenge the batters. We pick him for his batting and fielding and his bowling is a bonus. Haurtiz has to keep at it because he has time on his side and will probably come back a better bowler. There is a lot of cricket over the next two years and there will be injuries. So the message for spinners is to work their backsides off. Even Warne bowled thousands of balls perfecting his leg break.
mickh
Guest
We must have learnt a lot from England's selection policy over the years.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
This is getting daft. It's like Captain Mainwaring has been made Chairman of Selectors. Let's recap: (1) The selectors picked a serviceable enough spinner in Nathan Hauritz (2) Hauritz - shock! - turned out not to be Shane Warne (3) Worse still, Hauritz - shock! - turned out not to fit his captain's ideal of the Aussie alpha male template (4) So the captain panicked and ordered his selectors to pick a bloke who averages 50 in first class cricket (5) And this bloke - shock! - turned out not to be very good (6) And now everyone realises that this bloke isn't very good, and they are all feeling a bit embarrassed and casting sideways glances at each other and wondering what to do because, after all, we've panicked once and we can't be seen to panic again, so...er....er....I suppose we prove how unpanicked we are by continuing to play the bloke who averages 50 in first class cricket....er... is that right, chaps? Cue Dad's Army music.