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Generous praise was heaped on the Australian cricket selectors when they named Fawad Ahmed in the touring side for the West Indies and the Ashes.
But since the 33-year-old leggie was overlooked for the first Test against the Windies at Dominica before Australia romped to victory by nine wickets inside three days, Fawad’s future has become very cloudy.
This is especially so, considering how important spin was on the pitch. Windies’ leggie Devendra Bishoo claimed a career-best 6-80 off 33 with the wickets of Steve Smith, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and his own version of Shane Warne’s ‘Ball of the Century’ – 22 years to the day – bowling Brad Haddin.
Having painted themselves into a corner, there’s no way the two Australian selectors on duty in the Caribbean – Mark Waugh and Darren Lehmann – can make any changes for the second and final Test at Sabina Park starting Thursday, even though there were downsides in Dominica.
The Australian spinners – Nathan Lyon, Smith, Clarke and Adam Voges could only manage match figures of 3-128 between them, averaging 42.67.
It was the pace atack that ripped the Windies batting apart with Johnson, Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Watson’s match figures of 17-215, averaging 12.65.
And the brittle Australian batting was again exposed with the six most experienced batsmen David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Smith, Clarke, Watson and Haddin scoring only 135 between them.
But debutant Voges, with his man of the match 130*, Johnson, Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood handsomely took the run-getting honours with 211 between them.
A strange set of stats.
So if Fawad Ahmed doesn’t get a start at Sabina Park – and the only one he could replace at a pinch is Watson – then he’ll arrive in England as a tourist, not as a cricketer.
And he’ll face the same set of circumstances in the Ashes series as he’s facing in the Caribbean.
But what about that old wives’ tale of England’s batting being vulnerable to leg spin?
That’s all it is – a tale.
Of nine Australian leggies over the years, only four had better figures against England than their career averages.
Jack Iverson (1950-51) only played five Tests, all against England, yet he totally mesmerised Freddie Brown’s team with 21 wickets at 15.23.
Shane Warne (1992-2007) played 36 Tests against England, taking 195 wickets at 23.25. Career stats – 145 Tests with 708 wickets at 26.41.
Stuart MacGill (1998-2008) played only six Ashes Tests taking 39 wickets at 24.71. Career stats – 44 Tests with 208 wickets at 29.02
And Trevor Hohns (1989) with five Tests against England for 11 wickets at 27.27. Career stats – seven Tests for 17 wickets at 34.11.
The other five had better career figures.
Clarrie Grimmett (1925-1936) played 22 Tests against England claiming 106 wickets at 32.44. Career stats – 37 Tests with 216 wickets at 24.21.
Bill O’Reilly (1932-1946) played 19 Ashes Tests with 102 wickets at 25.36. Career stats – 27 Tests with 144 wickets at 22.59.
Richie Benaud (1952-1964) played 27 Tests against England for 83 wickets at 31.81. Career stats – 63 Tests with 248 at 27.03.
Johnny Gleeson (1967-1972) played 13 Ashes Tests with 29 wickets at 40.65. Career stats – 29 Tests with 93 at 36.20
And Kerry O’Keeffe (1971-1977) who played six AshesTests for 12 wickets at 56.41. Career stats – 24 Tests with 53 at 38.07.
The Fawad Ahmed case could well be the talking point of the two tours.