Beau Casson, Cameron White, Bryce McGain, Steve Smith; Australia’s search for a frontline Test wrist spinner since Shane Warne’s retirement in 2007 hasn’t reaped the rewards it had hoped.
The first three debuted within 12 months of each other, thrown onto the scrap quicker than you can say ‘next big thing’.
Soon after, the selectors tried Smith and eventually realised his skillset might lie in other aspects of the game.
Since then? Nothing. Almost a decade of wrist-spin drought at Test level, in a country that celebrated the art for years – perhaps even took it for granted. Oh how we wish Stuart MacGill was conceived ten years after Warne.
Nathan Lyon’s exceptional career has made the longing less intense. While the previous generation grew up on googlies, flippers and zooters, this generational has learnt to appreciate the nuance of pace variations, overspin and relentless accuracy from a bowler who continues to improve.
Nathan Lyon (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
But there’s something about wrist spinners that garners more excitement than any finger spinner can create. Arguably, the sense of excitement is even bigger than that of batsmen, perhaps because it is the game’s most difficult art.
This week we’ve seen another leg-spin prospect, 18-year-old Tanveer Sangha, display his prodigious skill at the Under-19 World Cup. Just as Lloyd Pope did two years ago, Sangha’s nine wickets in his first two performances has drawn praise as fans start to believe he could be the next great leggie.
As tabloid subeditors rushed to push the ‘next Warne’ headline, closer followers will know his emergence – despite his age – has not been so immediate.
Late last year, one of the game’s best analysts in this country (and perhaps the best assessor of spin bowling) Kerry O’Keeffe detailed his rise through the tough initiation of Sydney grade cricket, where he took 6-33 in just his second first-grade game.
“He fizzes it, bowls it into the shoebox five or six out of six and he’s temperamentally strong,” O’Keeffe told the Daily Telegraph.
“Batsmen, former first-class players, have told me he’s the best spinner in club cricket. I don’t want to burden a (then) 17-year-old. We’ve been waiting for a long time and there’s been a few false dawns – and I’m not saying this won’t be – but I’ve watched Tanveer bowl and I think he’s the real deal.”
After his 5-14 against Nigeria, Sangha’s assessment of his bowling style was music to the ears of Australian fans.
“I don’t like being a defensive spinner because leg spinners aren’t meant to be defensive,” he said.
“I like to set aggressive fields, allow the batsman to make moves instead of wanting them to defend. I’m always searching to get him out instead of letting him take a single.”
In Mitch Swepson and particularly Sangha and Pope, Australia has three bowlers who will, in all likelihood, push each other for the number one spinner’s role when Lyon eventually departs.
Lloyd Pope (Photo by Kai Schwoerer-IDI/IDI via Getty Images)
On Thursday, it was two years to the day since Pope took 8-35 against England in the Under-19 World Cup quarter-final. And while the hype has naturally cooled on the flame-haired South Australian, his prospects are still strong despite not playing yet in this season’s Sheffield Shield.
Pope has been brilliant in this year’s Big Bash, with the best economy rate of any bowler for the Sydney Sixers (minimum ten overs), plus ten wickets in eight games. He’s shown he can adapt in the game’s shortest format and remains a prospect for future Test selection given he has only just turned 20.
Some may have already written Swepson off but, at just 26, he has time on his side. And while Warne’s endorsement of wrist spinners in this country is par for the course, his recent comments about the Queenslander’s improvement – in particular slowing down his approach and speed – were telling.
Prior to the Boxing Day Test, former Australian captain Mark Taylor said Australia’s missing ingredient to becoming the world’s number one side was a wrist spinner.
“Don’t get me wrong, I think Australian cricket is in good shape,” Taylor wrote in the Fairfax papers.
“But if this is to be the next great Australian team they need a spinner to turn the ball the other way to Lyon so that you can compete no matter where you go.”
With the young talent coming through, there’s every chance this missing piece of the puzzle will be eventually discovered. Patience, as always, will be the key.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
That's a ridiculous statement Don. The fantastic thing about Grumm & Tiger was their averages. 24 & 22 were extraordinary seeing as about a third of their matches were played on the ultra batting-friendly marled pitches of England.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
O'Keefe is "long in the tooth" because he's big in the mouth...
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Always look at the opposition...and peers. Numbers are for those that don't know much about players. Cricket is about the competition and the playing. O'Reilly didn't have much to contend with.
elvis
Roar Rookie
Do you need to talk yourself up with a test average of 22.59? Better than Grimmett's 24.21....
Paul
Roar Guru
That's a very fair comment, Greg. I feel sorry for curators these days. In years gone by,they only had to get pitches ready for red ball cricket,but now have to try and get decent T20 wickets as well as pitches for ODI's and red ball games as well, each demanding something slightly different. I'm guessing they err on the side of making pitches that are batting friendly,then try and spice them up a little, but that helps the quicks and does little for the spinners. It's be great to see say the SCG and Adelaide wickets more spin friendly as they were a few decades ago, but I suspect that's only wishful thinking on my part.
Greg
Roar Pro
I don't disagree but the problem with "let them have a few decent Shield seasons" is that there is no shield pitches that offer anything for the spinners (and a few that offer plenty for the quicks). As such the spinners just don't get given enough overs to develop their game in the shield or have a few decent season. I think this is the main attribute as to why we haven't developed any topline spinners since Warne and MacGill, with the exception of Lyon who had played bugger all shield games and improved his bowling remarkably whilst in the test team.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
We need the Aussie IPL coaches pushing franchises to include Aussie spinners then, to hone their craft in match conditions on the surfaces where most of their cricket will end up being played for Australia. Why was our ODI team in India for 2 weeks during our summer again? May as well try to get Ponting, Hodge and the other IPL staff to get our guys some experience, even if they’re only training with the squads, it’s better than a training camp. Or better still have Warney & Murali start a spin academy in Sri Lanka.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
The more the merrier, certainly smarter for new nations to be competing at under age comps, developing players and hopefully starting their own comp, rather than having a minnow in the open World Cup get smashed and disappear altogether. What did happen to Kenya? Hopefully one day Nigeria and Japan will be vying for membership, so the schedule is fresher and the game stronger.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
By the way, Grimmett was quite a bit better than O'Reilly. He had the X-Factor. O'Reilly was a Benaud-type plodder who talked himself up...big time. He instigated self-promotion in sport.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Around at the same time too. The article seems to be discussing lack of quality Leggies now, as we should see a gun inspired by Warne, but the current crop hasn't set the world on fire. My comment was that guns don't come along every couple of years. Grimmett and O'Reilly, were around together, just as Warne and Macgill.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Sadly for Macgill, he'll always be tied with Warne, just as Clarrie Grimmett is with O'Reilly, even though Grimmett is widely believed to be the inventor of the flipper.
Rob Peters
Guest
In between that it was Matthews who was the senior spinner in Sri Lanka in 1992. Matthews last test was the first test v the WI late 1992.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Indeedy Brian. Swepson is an improver who has played regular Shield for years. Pope took 8/35 in an U19 WC final and 7/87 in a Shield innings in his 2nd game. Sangha took 9 cheap wickets against those well-known masters of spin, Nigeria & the WI. So I'd opine as well that Sangha isn't currently on the same page as the other two, and yet there are articles about like David's mentioning him as a Future Messiah [Nod to Terry Jones. RIP]. Maybe all the gushing that Tanveer is getting is because of his name? I recall Jason Sangha getting the same treatment last season after his first (and only) Shield hundred. Jason (no relation) has since been dropped from the NSW team having not reached 40 in his subsequent 14 innings.
Paul
Roar Rookie
Was going to mention Boyce. He runs a bit hot and cold, but he showed a willingness throw the ball up. He had good drift and variation. Boyce could be a decent option.
Big Daddy
Guest
Whoever they pick when Lyon is done will have to learn to bowl on those slow wickets in India. So far the only guy with any success is O'Keefe and he's getting a bit long in the tooth.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
A few Shield games would be handy. Can't imagine Swepson, Pope, D'Arcy Short can work on that craft with long stints at the crease in December and January which, strangely, is the bulk of our test season.
Micko
Roar Rookie
I'm getting suspicious about these age cricket tournaments: also heard Japan as an opponent the other day???!! :stoked:
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
@JamesH re Swepson's SS stats... A point of reference would be the career Shield average of 34.7 which belongs to a retired blonde Victorian leggie.
Tom
Can’t agree that Swepson is more suited to white ball cricket. Not even close, he isn’t even Queensland’s first choice 50 over spinner. His bowling is absolutely more suited to red ball cricket, he doesn’t bowl like he does in the BBL when he has the red ball in hand. He’s looked excellent in the shield so far this season.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
In his last test at mcg Taylor had only one victim, sachin in the 2nd innings. His joy however was short lived as kapil came to the wicket and hit him for two sxes, his only scoring shots in a 7 ball innings.