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Mallett hammers Australian spin, but backs Hauritz

The elite spin of Graeme Swann could be the difference between England and Australia in the upcoming Ashes series, according to one of Australia's most successful Test offspinners, Ashley Mallett

Brydon Coverdale
Brydon Coverdale
14-Oct-2010
It wasn't a happy tour of India for Nathan Hauritz, but he should have a better time bowling in the Ashes  •  Getty Images

It wasn't a happy tour of India for Nathan Hauritz, but he should have a better time bowling in the Ashes  •  Getty Images

The elite spin of Graeme Swann could be the difference between England and Australia in the upcoming Ashes series, according to one of Australia's most successful Test offspinners, Ashley Mallett. He believes the selectors should throw Steven Smith in to the side to help Nathan Hauritz, who took six wickets at 65.00 during his disappointing tour of India.
Hauritz was barely a threat against India's strong batting line-up and on the final day of the series, he bowled to a field so defensive that Shane Warne aired his frustration via Twitter. There were also reports of conflict between Hauritz and the captain Ricky Ponting over the line he should bowl, and in the second innings in Bangalore he conceded more than a run a ball.
In Hauritz's defence, few Australian spinners have thrived in India, where even Warne battled for 34 Test wickets at an average of 43.11. One of the best performers was Mallett, who, in five Tests in India claimed 28 victims, and he said the presence of Swann in England's attack was one of the factors that would go against Australia in the Ashes.
"The way it's shaping I reckon England are going to win the series pretty easily," Mallett told ESPNcricinfo. "They've got a genuine No. 1 spinner, a pretty good attack and they've got a pretty good balance in their batting. They've got to be favourites.
"[Hauritz] has always had a very good temperament, but whether he's world-class, that's another thing. They're crying out for a spinner that's genuine Test class at the moment. Steve Smith has got to play. I'd play him as a batsman anyway, in front of [Marcus] North, against England."
Mallett said using Smith as a second slow bowler would be a good way to continue his transition into Test cricket without the pressure of being the lead spinner, after he made his first two appearances against Pakistan in England in July. And Mallett believes Hauritz deserves further opportunities, especially with "not much" high-quality spin on the domestic scene.
"I think they should go with Hauritz," Mallett said. "He's bowled steadily without being an absolute world-beater. He's been a good support bowler and has kept it pretty tight. He bowled well in England and bowled well last summer in Australia. Okay, he's had a few downers in India but we're not playing India in India, we're playing England in Australia."
The difference in conditions should lift the spirits of Hauritz, who picked up his first two five-wicket hauls during last summer's home series against Pakistan. Although India is traditionally regarded as the perfect place to bowl spin due to the favourable pitches it is not always as simple as it seems, as the left-armer Ray Bright found during Australia's 1986 tour.
"It's not all that easy," Bright said. "You've got the heat and humidity, which make gripping the ball difficult. At times the lack of pace and bounce in the wicket makes your margin of error very minimal, so at times you have to bowl tighter length and lines to get through that.
"And traditionally India have been magnificent players of spin bowling. They're used to playing good quality spin bowling all the time and they're quick on their feet, whether it be going forward or back, so they make you change your length quite often. That can be a difficult part of bowling in those conditions."
Bright, who sees plenty of Australian domestic cricket in his role as a Victoria selector, described Hauritz's efforts in Test cricket over the past two years as "outstanding". However, he also believes the national selectors missed an opportunity in Bangalore to give Smith more exposure at the highest level, given that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was already lost.
"He [Smith] needs to bowl a lot more and this is the problem - they take him to India and he doesn't bowl in matches," Bright said. "He could have been playing Shield matches but they've taken him over there and sat him on the bench. For the development of a spin bowler, you don't get any better by not bowling."
Both Hauritz and Smith will remain in India over the next couple of weeks for Australia's one-day series, before they return home to acclimatise back to Australian conditions ahead of the Ashes. England will have just as much opportunity to warm up, with three tour games scheduled before the first Test.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at Cricinfo