Veteran batsman Usman Khawaja has joined calls for domestic pitch preparation to change or else Australia will see a drop in the quality of its spin bowlers.
Veteran batsman Usman Khawaja has backed calls for a review of the way domestic pitches are prepared, fearing a lack of spin bowling talent behind Nathan Lyon could leave Australia exposed in future.
Khawaja echoed the concerns of recently retired former Test spinner Steve O’Keefe, who signed off from first-class cricket last month with a plea to make wickets more spin-friendly.
Khawaja, who was omitted from Cricket Australia’s latest list of central contracts, warned that a lack of tweaking options behind Lyon could leave Australia vulnerable, as it was when Shane Warne retired almost 15 years ago.
“I feel for spinners in Australia and we need to be careful here because we have an absolute genius in Nathan Lyon … but who’s coming after him?” Khawaja told Fox Sports News.
The Queensland captain rates his Bulls teammate Mitchell Swepson in high regard, rating him as the best spinner in the country behind Lyon, but says he’s reluctant to bowl the leggie at domestic level because conditions often don’t suit him.
“It’s really hard, even for me as a captain, to get (Swepson) into the game when the ball is hopping around corners and you’re playing on really green decks,” Khawaja said.
“He’s always been a part of our team and he’s always there no matter what the wicket is because he’s such a good bowler.
“But it’s really hard to get him in the game sometimes because the wickets weren’t really favouring spin.”
Khawaja lamented the seam-friendly pitches that were prepared for the Sheffield Shield immediately after Warne retired are being replicated now.
“Unless we have spinners playing day in and day out, getting involved in those match scenarios across the country, we’re going to suffer,” Khawaja said.
“These guys need to bowl so hopefully this year we’ve got wickets that are favourable for everyone.”
Greg Howe
Roar Rookie
Usman is largely correct here, but the main issue is the drop-i pitches at the MCG, Adelaide and now Perth. Because of their inherent composition they just do not break up and thereby assist spinners. They will be as good on day 10 as on day 1. Nathan Lyon was quoted a few years back as saying that he hadn't spun a ball at the MCG for about 5 years. The only way to give drop-ins any life is to leave the grass longer (as they now do in Adelaide, which then favours the quicks) or over water them (as they did at the MCG in the 2010 Boxing Day Ashes Test when we were shot out before lunch for 98 on a wet deck when it hadn't rained in Melbourne for a week, or the now infamous abandoned Shield game v WA last summer). The football lobby continues to press for drop-ins in Sydney and Brisbane and I suspect Hobart will be next. if that happens spin bowling will be in even worse shape than it is now. Tassie and Qld don't help things by deliberately rolling out pea green decks for Shield matches - they don't have to do this, as evidenced by the excellent wickets prepared for Gabba Tests which bear only a passing resemblance to Shield pitches (or else they'd be 3 day Tests!) and in Hobart last season for the Aust U19 game v England Lions when both teams made about 600 in their first innings. So they can do it if they want! The traditional strength of our cricket has been that we have played Shield cricket on pitches with differing and unique characteristics, but that is being lost, to the massive detriment both of spin bowling and the art of batsmanship. CA must fiercely resist any more drop-ins and mandate the preparation of pitches with variety and individuality. But they won't. They supinely allowed the football lobby to insist on drop-ins at Adelaide. And then one day they will wonder what happened! And it will be too late.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
"I also wonder if making pitches more spin friendly creates issues if/when bowlers graduate to Tests and the pitches don’t take as much spin?" I think is a valid point. From an Australian international competition perspective at least, what we don't want is embedding in the team a reliance on a spinner or two who we think is the goods, only to get caught short time and again because they're not as skilled as we assumed they were. We could go the other way also and just produce absolute roads and pat ourselves on the back how good our domestic batsmen are. But that would do us no favours either. Learning to adapt to and master the challenges is what makes good cricketers IMO, rather than having results handed to one on a plate.
Rellum
Roar Guru
There is only two places that have green pitches and the ball hoops around. Usman is over playing that a fair bit. There is also pink ball games and the Duke balls I suppose but those factors are not due to the pitch. All we need is for one other ground, maybe even one with a history of being a spinning deck, to look to curate a spinning pitch.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
If Swepson is good as he looks, back him Usman. Find out what makes him tick Usman. Find out what makes him mad, what excites him Usman. Buy him a beer (or coffee) Usman. That's what a captain of any bowler would do. Really hard for you as a captain? Oh, please.
Paul
Roar Guru
Fair point, Usman, but what exactly do you want and where do you want it? Rank turners, so a spinner is making the ball go sideways before lunch on day 1? Would that be possible at places like the Gabba or Perth? I also wonder if making pitches more spin friendly creates issues if/when bowlers graduate to Tests and the pitches don't take as much spin? I'd love to see some pitches, like the SCG and Adelaide break up more over the course of a game and perhaps the same with the MCG. As for the others, good spinners love bounce and if Swepson and co are good enough, they should still be effective on bouncier tracks