Stuart MacGill says that Marcus North must be Australia’s frontline spinner for the Ashes so that Ricky Ponting can unleash the nation’s most versatile pace attack of all time.
The retired 44-Test legspinner said that North’s ability to bat at No.6 handed him the nod over specialist spinners Nathan Hauritz and Bryce McGain and crucially allowed Australia to play a four-man pace attack.
“I feel really, really bad for suggesting this but I have always been a loud advocate for picking your best bowlers,” MacGill told AAP.
“The bowling side have to get 20 wickets, full stop.
“And you pick the four or five, five hopefully that you believe will do the best job and most likely to get the 20 wickets.”
“I think our bowling stocks in terms of quicks, seamers and swing bowlers at the moment are possibly depth-wise … best of all time.
“I can’t think of another time when we had that depth and that variety available to us.
“That being the case I think it is really fortunate for Australia that we have Marcus North because what he allows us to do is to maybe play another four bowlers on top of him.”
MacGill, one of the finest spin bowlers the nation has produced, said it was time that North was considered a genuine allrounder and not just as a batsman and part-time tweaker.
The West Australian off-spinner, who collected two wickets in his two Tests in South Africa, has impressed MacGill with his patience with the ball ahead of the Ashes opener on July 8 in Cardiff.
MacGill was also bullish about Australia’s prospects of retaining the Ashes in England because of the pacemen at Ponting’s disposal.
Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Stuart Clark, Brett Lee and Ben Hilfenhaus are all certainties for selection.
“I think someone like Brett Lee will be incredibly successful in England if his role is as a strike fast bowler,” he said.
“Stuey Clark who is a top seamer, you have a left-armer in Mitch who is going be moving the ball around a lot in the air.
“Pete Siddle is an amazing workhorse and I would love to have him in the side.
“With those four plus you have Dougy Bollinger, Hilfy (Ben Hilfenhaus).
“We have an amazing array not to mention Steve Magoffin and Dirk Nannes – who is an incredible handful.”
MacGill said that former NSW teammate Hauritz just tipped out McGain for the other spin gig in the touring party.
“You can’t fault Nathan Hauritz really,” he said.
“He has proven to not only our selectors but to Rick that he might not do as much with the ball as Jason Krejza or have as much variety as a Bryce McGain but he has proven to everyone including himself that he can fill a variety of roles.
“He can bowl a right-handed batsman through the gate. He can tie down and keep the run rate down.”
Australia’s Ashes squad is set to be named next week before the players head to a pre-tour camp on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
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