After Australia wrapped up the first trans-Tasman Test in Perth and attention turned towards the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests, discussion began about the possibility of playing a second spinner.
But when you think about other spin options, particularly for the Sydney Test, you quickly realise why Nathan Lyon has enjoyed a mortgage on the position as Australia’s premier spin bowler.
Plenty of young talent has come and gone over time, and plenty of that young talent was expected to go on a lot further than they have to date. None have come close to dethroning the off-spinner known as the Goat.
Nathan Lyon is by no means over the hill. Not yet 33 years of age, Lyon has 376 Test wickets and could easily play for another five years. Even just 30 wickets a year from here would see him go well past 500 Test wickets, and closing in on Glenn McGrath’s 563 in second place on the list of Australia’s leading Test wicket-takers.
But when he made his debut as a 23-year-old on the Sri Lankan tour of 2011, there wasn’t a lot of confidence that the one-time Adelaide Oval groundsman was going to be the player to stop the flood of tweakers tried and discarded since the retirement of one SK Warne.
Over time, Lyon became more and more confident. The wickets flowed, and his standing in the Australian team was solidified. Over the last two years, including the last three Australian summers, he’s taken 107 wickets.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
When Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the Boxing Day Test with a hamstring complaint, discussion around back-up bowling options began.
Justin Langer made his quip about playing five bowlers if the MCG wicket was anything like it has been the last few years, which in itself put Travis Head and his propensity to throw an innings away in the crosshairs.
But it also opened up the idea of again playing two spinners in Sydney if need be. The fact the national selectors only named a squad for the Melbourne Test suggests that idea is still very much in play.
The problem being, who is the second spinner?
Last summer it was Marnus Labuschagne. For a few years, it was Steve O’Keefe. Jon Holland’s name always seems to get thrown up, but he had a hard time of it in Abu Dhabi in his last outing as a second Test spinner, and didn’t make the Ashes squad this year after touring England with Australia A.
It might still be O’Keefe. The NSW left-armer is again the leading domestic spin bowler in Sheffield Shield cricket this summer, with an economy rate and average that trails only a couple of rivals.
Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa appear to be the preferred options in the white-ball formats, but neither have shown much on the first-class scene this season.
This makes me wonder if something Warne said about a spin option might actually hold water for a change.
Typically, whenever the master leggie drops a name, it’s some obscure player who’s toiling away at state level, but whose performance simply doesn’t live up to the hype.
Warne jumped on Langer’s comments, curiously claiming that five bowlers wasn’t the “Australian way”, whatever that means.
“Marnus Labuschagne is bowling some very good part-time leg spin. Travis Head can bowl some off-spin. If you need to Matty Wade can bowl a couple of overs of rubbish,” Warne said at a Foxtel launch.
“In the end, basically it’s ten overs. It’s a 90-over day and your four main bowlers bowl around 20 overs each. Some bowl 18. So it’s ten to 12 overs per day. Head and Labuschagne can make those overs up. You don’t need a fifth bowler.
“To me it’s the Australian way: you pick the top six batsmen, your wicketkeeper and then four bowlers.”
But then the great man managed the break away from this nonsense that had taken over his body and threw up a name that has been around for a while, even if expectations perhaps haven’t quite been lived up to.
“I think Mitch Swepson has elevated himself already this year. If something happened to Nathan Lyon, Swepson would come into the side,” Warne said.
“Agar and these other finger spinners can play a role when we need them. It’s worth playing a leg-spinner.
“Swepson is the best of the leg-spinners that we have and he’s starting to find form.
“He could even play in the Sydney Test as a second spinner if Australia looks at that option.”
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The 26-year-old Queenslander was called into Australia’s Test squad for the tour of India in early 2017 after just 14 first-class games, and this season he happens to be the only spinner other than O’Keefe in the top 20 wicket-takers.
Swepson’s 12 wickets have come at a slightly higher average than O’Keefe’s 14, but their economy is comparable. His seven wickets at the MCG against Victoria a month ago certainly got people interested.
Agar doesn’t have the wickets to build his case, but is making runs. And that will probably be enough to see him discussed.
But while there are a couple of options, if you’re prepared to be open-minded and maybe even lower some standards, it’s clear that Lyon remains a long way from being under threat from a state tweaker. He’s obviously among the first five or six certainties named whenever the selectors sit down to name a Test squad.
And so he should be.
But it would be nice if his understudy was a bit more obvious.
Brett McKay
Expert
CONFIRMED: Mitchell Swepson has been added to the Australian squad for Sydney. So that answers that...
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
They missed a big trick with him. They thought he was too Mark Jackson.
Micko
Roar Rookie
It was a personality thing was it? I didn't know that.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I really felt for the bloke but they hate people who speak their mind. He had to deal with people who've never had an original thought.
Micko
Roar Rookie
I'm convinced if someone significant worked intensely with Jason Krejza he could've been a major success for Australia.
Kaushik
Roar Rookie
I've no idea why O'keefe isn't rated as highly as he should be, given he has bowled credibly whenever he played and actually won Australia a test in India with his bowling, something which has proven incredibly difficult in the past 20-30 years, especially during Kohli's reign. Even Lyon despite bowling superbly during that same series was not able to emulate the same.
Micko
Roar Rookie
I think I'm a Starc convert now. The re-modeled action seems to have fixed his wayward trajectory which leaked runs. He looks a deadset, proper Test bowler now!
Capt Jack
Roar Rookie
I absolutely agree.
Paul
Roar Guru
I agree he shouldn't be completely dismissed Dave, but I equally don't think right now he's Test ready. As you suggest, 3 or 4 more Shield seasons and maybe some tours to the sub-continent for development, might see him turn into a good Test prospect.
The captaincy of Smith actually hurt Lyon, a lot. He regressed under Smith, Clarke was absolutely a much better tactical/strategic captain.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Paul I think you’re right he might be a bit of a gamble, but I wouldn’t dismiss him because of his average - doesn’t suggest he’ll be a world beater, but not the worst if you consider Lyon has a Shield average of 35. I suspect Swepson gets limited opportunities the way Shield is played these days, and he’s still fairly young. Might be the best prospect by the time Lyon retires.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Great points JB but when talking selection an all rounder can really only be defined as a top six batsman who his picked for his bowling skills as opposed to pure batting skills (or maybe top 7 like de Grandhomme if your keeper can bat at 6). I wouldn’t put bowlers like Benaud, Davidson or Gilmour in the same category in that they would have been picked purely for their bowling and their batting was a bonus.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Swepson is having a good summer and a lot of the decks are not giving him assistance . If the pitch isn’t proving enough bounce at mcg id actually play swepson there in front of lyon personally but it will never happen with our selectors and the obsession with lyon, there have been some tests more recently where he could have been rotated/rested . Lyon has been mediocre to poor at mcg and scg more recently . pitches haven’t always helped but note jadeja did well at mcg last year when lyon failed and swepson got 7 wickets there recently . I think swepson is a test bowler not so much a short form bowler either. Lyon would be my go to at perth/adelaide/brisbane though. Selectors won’t change though
Graham
Roar Rookie
O'Keefe never gets a serious mention but really his record is outstanding. He has 35 test wickets in 9 tests at 29.4 and overall first class bowling average of 24.49. Add to that the fact he can also bat a bit and on paper at least you have a player that should go down as one of Australia's all time greats. He should have played a lot more tests than he has.
JohnB
Guest
Sitting around Christmas morning waiting for the adult children to wake up - how times change. If you've got a "true" allrounder worthy of being picked, that's gold and pick him every day of the week. Australia over the years has had very few of them. Keith Miller. Maybe Jack Gregory. Monty Noble, George Giffen. Maybe others in the distant past. Apart from that handful, they've all been more one or the other - batsman or bowler - and not likely to be picked, certainly long term, for the weaker skill. But if you've got someone worth his place as a batsman or as a bowler and also good at the other skill great - which selector isn't going to pick someone like that, if he exists? There's no argument Australia has been prepared to try allrounders and I don't think Warne's general principle (you don't need 5 bowlers - 4 and a half is enough) should be treated as inconsistent with that - while he might not think of it in that way, I'd interpret it as meaning don't pick an allrounder for the sake of it. I think the history of selections over the years backs that up - there have been a lot of players who might be labelled as allrounders picked in recent times (I'd say none of whom were "true" allrounders, not that that is a problem) and few who've had distinguished careers. There were quite a few allrounders picked in the 40s and 50s - most of whom were stronger bowling. Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson became all-time greats. Since then the players picked who might be considered allrounders were Tom Veivers, Peter Philpott and Graham Watson in the 60s, Kerry O'Keefe, David Colley, Gary Gilmour, Tony Mann, Trevor Laughlin, Phil Carlson and Peter Sleep in the 70s (some of whom were picked during WSC and wouldn't have been otherwise); Trevor Chappell, Greg Matthews, Simon O'Donnell, Steve Waugh, Peter Taylor, Tony Dodemaide, Trevor Hohns and Tom Moody in the 80s; Brendon Julien, Michael Bevan, Shaun Young and Gavin Robertson in the 90s; Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, Cameron White and Andrew McDonald in the 2000s; and John Hastings, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar, James Faulkner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve O'Keefe and Hilton Cartwright. Marnus Labuschagne perhaps. Frankly, you can look at that list and be garble the bible a bit by thinking many were chosen but few called for distinguished careers.
Lawrence
Roar Rookie
Agar will likely get dropped WA, 3 wickets @136 average. His brother looks promising as a quick bowler though.
Parkside Darren
Roar Rookie
Lyon plays Tests, O’Keefe plays Shield. Avg comparisons are irrelevant
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Agreed. O’Keefe has been the best domestic spinner for a decade. If Lyon goes down I play him for sure.
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Merry Christmas Brett and all the Roarers! Thanks once again for another thoughtful article mate. It's always "second spinner for Sydney" even though honestly fast bowling does very well there...!
Brett McKay
Expert
Oh, right, of course!