Australia’s selectors will have the upcoming burst of subcontinent tours in the back of their minds as they mull whether to make it four debutants in as many Tests this summer at the SCG.
Alex Carey, Michael Neser and Scott Boland have started their Test careers with a bang during this summer’s Ashes, helping the hosts cruise to an unassailable 3-0 lead ahead of the Sydney match starting January 5.
Leg spinner Mitchell Swepson, who has been on selectors’ radar since being part of a Test tour of India in 2017 at age 23, will soon find out if he joins the club.
Swepson has reason to feel cautious about his optimism.
The Queenslander arrived in Sydney for the year-opening Test in 2020 and 2021, knowing the city represented his best hope of a baggy green, but was restricted to running drinks on both occasions.
Swepson was part of Australia’s Twenty20 World Cup squad, meaning a sole game for Australia A has been his only first-class match this season.
Forecast showers have also clouded the 28-year-old’s hopes of joining Nathan Lyon in an XI that has been unsettled by Travis Head’s COVID-19 diagnosis and Josh Hazlewood’s bid to prove his fitness.
But the elevation of Swepson would follow the same template Australia used in 2017, when Steve O’Keefe was promoted at the SCG to give him a chance to work alongside Lyon before they toured the subcontinent.
(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Australia are set to tour Pakistan in March, while they are also expected to play Test series in Sri Lanka and India during the next 15 months.
Chairman of selectors George Bailey and captain Pat Cummins had two bob each way when recently discussing Swepson’s chances of playing in Sydney.
Cummins’ side will train at the SCG on Sunday, giving them a chance to inspect the pitch that will play a major role in deciding whether Swepson becomes Australia’s first front-line leg spinner since Steve Smith’s debut series against Pakistan in 2010.
Bailey’s panel will be forced to make at least one change as Head continues to isolate in Melbourne, with Usman Khawaja set to get the nod.
Khawaja is hopeful of playing at the SCG, where he debuted against England in 2011, but also aware of Australia’s schedule beyond this series.
“Potentially I’ll have one game for Australia here,” the 35-year-old said.
“But I know it’s not going to be the be all, end all.
“Even if that doesn’t happen, I know there’s still a lot of cricket to come up.
“A lot of cricket on the subcontinent, which I feel I’m very suited to. I’m looking forward to hopefully being a part of (it).
“I still have the fire, spark.”
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Head’s positive test prompted selectors to add Mitch Marsh, Nic Maddinson and Josh Inglis to Australia’s enlarged squad.
Khawaja is confident he could quickly find form in Sydney, having been restricted to batting in the nets for almost a month.
“It’s always nicer when you’re coming off games,” he said.
“It does make it a little bit different. You’re sort of out of sync, but it shouldn’t take too long.
“I’ve stayed as ready as I can on the sideline.”
Pierro
Roar Rookie
standard diversion
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Neither did Cummins though. I thought Starc's first spell in the 1st innings was good. His second spell in the 1st innings and his bowling in the 2nd innings were wayward, but I don't think the pitch had much too do with that.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Paragraphs and punctuation, Pierro. Can't make sense of it otherwise.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
don you are diverting the attention away from the fact you called it wrong pre match with Lyon and starc. Lyon getting spanked for five an over first innings and starc getting one wicket for match was precisely my concern pre match and let england back in to match from 36 for 4 . last six wickets went for approx 240. I told you much the same that India got on top of the bowlers last year in middle order the same way. highly predictable . Carey’s drop wasn’t that big he caught the opener on a low score soon after . more to point you can’t play the disgrace and shameful Paine after his sexting scandal . Lyons figures weren’t bad second innings but he couldn’t remove the tail at the end either . smith got a tailender and leech took more second innings wickets . highly predictable as I told you pre match but you wouldn’t listen. and there we go we get a draw so swepson and abbot could easily have played and got valuable experience and may have got us the win from england being 36 for 4 to bowled out much much sooner
Pierro
Roar Rookie
think we missed an opp with two players , starc was especially ineffective . theyboth didn’t set the test alight as predicted before the match
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Took two very important wickets in that second dig. Your keeper, Carey, made some big mistakes, especially with that run out. You seem a bit silent on that one...absent, in fact.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
graham looks like spot on about your comment on Lyon scg and exactly what I said . Lyon went for five an over first innings and couldn't get the tail out at the death . opp missed to play swepson as we both highlighted . starc was the other obvious rotation after three tests going to his worse ground , with his average being poor at scg
Pierro
Roar Rookie
interesting reading back on this analysis you kindly researched Jeff. Hazelwood was actually a key miss for the test . when I look at the match again the first to be rotated out for the match should have been starc . he got worse last year too as series went on and one would think a match off at his worse ground was ideal to freshen him up for Hobart . Lyon just didn't quite perform well enough to say swepson shouldn't have had a match at scg in his place although his economy rate was very good second innings we needed more wickets . swepson may have got the job done with tail. we missed a healthy fit Hazelwood there but steketee or abbot may have gone through England at scg in his place given they were fresh rested and ready to go.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Lyon doesn't need a rest to be fresh for Hobart. The SCG wicket is the issue Pierro, not Lyon.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Jeff looking back on your stats above , it’s clear Im sticking to my views I had pre match and that they were pretty spot on. Lyon got hit for five an over first innings (av over 41 again) and starc one wicket at 3.5 . England were at 4 for 36 and starc and Lyon leaking runs allowed england to make near 280 and mopped up valuable time . exactly the type of outcome I feared at scg , like India last year who got on top of starc and Lyon . starc then only got one wicket for match and was expensive second innings . Leach got more wickets than Lyon second innings and Lyon couldn’t get the tail enders out . it’s exactly why I called for rotation at scg and why a valuable opportunity for swepson abbot or steketee was missed before roasting Lyon and starc back in at Hobart . scg has been like ground hog day most of the time opposition out on runs against the two of them and this time it was a weak england side. Lyons figures were good second innings but he didn’t run through England wickets and tail enders when needed and runs didn’t matter in terms of result in second innings but wickets did . all in all a prime opportunity to rotate Lyon and starc out at their poorest ground in aus was missed , giving valuable experience to swepson and abbot . we could have had starc and Lyon fresh for pink ball test in Hobart . more of the same at scg I’m afraid which was my fear we just missed out on winning the match but really swepson and abbot missing out on a key opportunity for experience pre subcontinent tour
Pierro
Roar Rookie
and Rossi was it our best xv , as I predicted Lyon and starc were not great and england got on top of them in first innings after having them at 4 for 36 . Lyon got smacked for five an over first innings and leach got more wickets than him second innings . starc one wicket for match . as I predicted it was a prime opportunity to rotate swepson and abbot or another bowler at scg and rest starc and Lyon for Hobart .
Pierro
Roar Rookie
sadly as I predicted Lyon and Starc were poor to mediocre at scg as I predicted . Lyon went for over five an over first innings and starc one wicket for match and also expensive . leach got more wickets than Lyon . once again it's a shame they were not rotated out for the match . a huge opportunity missed for swepson, abbot etc
Pierro
Roar Rookie
very happy to see khawaja put pay to the doubters too . should have been selected on form for first test . good to see green making a few more too
Paul
Roar Guru
fair enough.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Paul no I said starc and Lyon had weak averages at scg and could be rotated as bowlers get after them . we were 4 for 36 . they made close to 300 and got after Lyon and starc and that's what I predicted mate . I'm not making anything up I've spotted this over several tests when they play good opp at scg and england aren't that great either right now . there was no risk to playing swepson and abbot in a series we had won and it seems spot on prediction . of course swepson and abbot could have gone for a few runs but the same Sydney formula has struggled for aus against good opposition like India and same at mcg until we rotated Boland and Pattinson in and guess what we won both times we did that . not making anything up or making radical predictions at all . it's all bathed in facts and outcomes with evidence .
Paul
Roar Guru
and of course Swepson wouldn't have got walloped? You're fast becoming an expert in hindsight Pierro. England rode their luck and got away with it. The pitch also played far easier when the ball was old. Throw in attacking fields to take wickets and it was almost inevitable this was going to happen at some point. I'm also sure Cummins doesn't mind hugely. Australia's still well in front.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Paul sadly as predicted Lyon got walloped today which is why swepson could have played and abbot could have played for starc as well who was second most expensive . they just don't bowl as well at scg
Peter Farrar
Roar Pro
Thanks Jeff and I think you're right. Tour matches are becoming a thing of the past it would seem.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I thought you meant him but my brain is coming down off morphine and endones. ----- My posts today may or may not reflect my opinions or those of others. Hard to be dogmatic
Rossi
Roar Rookie
League joke, sorry