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Australian cricket
Australian cricket in a spin?
If Australia's lucky, Nathan Lyon will continue to blossom in Test cricket and also become a strong contributor in limited-overs formats
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If Australia's recent limited-overs troubles in the UAE are anything to go by, a good spin bowler is once again rapidly becoming an invaluable commodity. One has only to look to the advantage that Saeed Ajmal, R Ashwin and Sunil Narine have brought their sides to understand how quickly the art has developed over a short period of time, as well as the difficulty those nations not-so-well-versed in spin (read: respectively, England, New Zealand and Australia) have had in keeping up.
There are a number of reasons that may have contributed to this - including the perfection of the doosra, the changing role of spin with Twenty20, and the nature of Asian pitches - but these are unimportant. What matters is how countries such as Australia will look to counter the problem.
There are three foreseeable ways we in Australia might go about this. The first, and arguably least desirable, is that Australia may go the way of England and New Zealand, and opposite to India, choosing to prepare fast pitches favouring and fostering only our young pace talent. One can dream of a four-pronged pace attack (Cummins-Pattinson-Starc-McDermott) to rival the great West Indies sides, but that dream is becoming a less-and-less reasonable one as the importance of spin in the shorter forms grows more evident. We certainly don't want to be caught out, as the Indian side looked against pace in unfamiliar conditions last summer.
More likely is that Australia will continue on its current path, developing traditional spinners like Nathan Lyon, who will most likely go on to have regular (if not entirely impressive) success at Test level. If we're lucky, Lyon will continue to blossom and also become a strong contributor in limited-overs formats. Meanwhile our captains will continue to treat our required spin overs as necessary evils, and our batting in the subcontinent will continue to be pulled along by Michael Clarke and the occasional Hussey or Marsh.
Ideally, something or somebody will come along to pull the Australians out of their spin stupor. Perhaps Cameron Boyce or young Ashton Turner will develop to rock the foundations. In the meantime, we already seem to be taking a proactive step in turning a weakness into a strength: playing allrounders to fill the spin overs. This solution - sacrificing the spin attack for batting depth - is decent in theory. The only problem lies in that our allrounders belong mostly to the up-and-coming generation, and lack experience and confidence.
Personally, I like the idea of Michael Clarke coming out of T20 retirement to play as a bowling allrounder. His experience, confidence, accuracy and wide point of delivery from around the wicket make him one of the strongest spinners in Australia right now. Played alongside another spinning allrounder, such as Stephen O'Keefe or Steve Smith, it is not unreasonable to think that any lack in bowling strength would be made up for in batting talent. Although not the ideal fix, this is just one way in which the problem could be addressed proactively.
The less high-pressure Test arena, as well as the more experienced line-up Australia boasts in the format, has meant that the spin issue is a less urgent problem in the longer game. But if Australia should ever want to become No. 1 again, and outside of home turf, particularly in the short formats, it is an area of development to which we will definitely need to devote some real resources and brainpower.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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Given the resources, I feel that Australian Cricket Board have not given opportunity to the spinners so they have to gain confidence. They persisted with Lyon, who was reasonably economical but failed to pick wickets. But is Jason Kreza who bagged 8 wkt in his debut match against India in India who is one of the best teams playing spin. When playing a fast bowling all rounder, that slot suits Steven Smith the best , given his outing with Pune Warriors in IPL. If Hogg who is one of the best spinners aus have at the moment and at his age he can play that while selection age should not be a factor against the players who are picked. Probably in India they could play 2 seam (Cummins / Siddle / Hilfenaus/ Starc/ Bollinger/ Harris / Jhonson) and 2 spin (Kreza and Dorethy) with 2 all rounders (1 in pace (Watson) and 1 in spin (smith) along with Clark himself). This could make their team a formidable one who can give a run for their money to the Indian squad with Dravid and Laxman retired.
Posted by Claudette Wildman on (September 18, 2012, 0:32 GMT)My name is Claudette Wildman. Back in 1970-72, i was a member of the Grace Kennedy Cricket team. I would like to get intouch with Elaine. I do hoe thatyou remember me. Mrs Kennedy was our captin in the days..Please face book me....
Posted by Cricketalk on (September 14, 2012, 4:53 GMT)a four-pronged pace attack makes me drool - but then, given the amount of cricket being played now, it will be very difficult for four pacemen to shoulder the workload of bowling out a batting team twice in five days. spinners, therefore, play a dual role in test matches - attacking wicket-takers and when the wicket isn't helping, their overs block runs and give the pacemen a breather.
Hauritz, Krejga, Beer, Doherty, Robertson, Cullen - have all fallen by the wayside. Surely, the Aussies do know that it doesn't make sense to include a mediocre spinner just to make up the numbers.
What then? Dibbly-Dobbly as stock bowlers?
Due Disclosure: I don't give a damn about T20s or ODIs. The above is in the context of test cricket only.
Posted by Duff Duff on (September 13, 2012, 20:33 GMT)People who slag off MacGill as a bowler don't really have much of an understanding of leg spin bowling. Unfortunately people's expectations of leg spinners have been made ridiculously unrealistic because of Warne. Warne was, in a good way, a freak. Not only was he an attacking bowler he was also Australia's main stock bowler. His accuracy was so good that he could hold an end for under 3 an over for a whole session something that 99.9% of other leg spinners, even if they are really good, can't do. MacGill couldn't do it but he was still an exceptional attacking bowler.
Leg spinners should be used as attacking weapons as part of a 5 man attack with other stock bowlers in support. If you want a spinner who is a stock bowler who can hold down an end you should pick a left arm spinner like Paul Harris or Ashley Giles.
Australia's real spin bowling problem is that they have a wrist spin rather than finger spin culture. Unfortunately World class wrist spinners are as rare as hen's teeth.
Posted by Simoc on (September 13, 2012, 11:45 GMT)You can always pick a NSW comment. They pick O'Keefe who isn't rated at all outside NSW. In fact the next in line and closer to the team is Michael Beer who hasn't received a mention. The not so well versed in spin idea is not real. NZ had/have Vettori, England have Swan, Panasar and until recently Australia had Warne. These guys all performed well overseas while Ashwin was marginally better than Lyon in Australia recently. Ajmal and Narine are the current in form spinners but these things go in cycles.
Posted by Duff Duff on (September 13, 2012, 10:57 GMT)You're right Stu. England are well stocked in the spin department. Apart from Swann and Panesar you have in the left arm department you have Kerrigan, Briggs, Dawson and Wainwright. In off spinners you have Tredwell and Azeem Rafiq. In leg spinners you have Borthwick, Rashid, Craddock, Waller and Beer. Out of that lot the best youngsters will probably be Kerrigan and Briggs. Craddock seems to show the most promise in terms of leg spin.
Also contrary to popular opinion England is quite a good place to bowl spin. Old Trafford, the Rose Bowl, Northampton, The Oval, Cardiff and Brighton take spin. As do many of the out grounds.
To develop young spinners you need to play on pitches that take spin and give them a lot of bowling to do in competitive matches. It is not by chance that Northampton, renowned for its turning tracks, produced both Panesar and Swann.
Posted by Kirk on (September 13, 2012, 10:30 GMT)Easy fix Dutchy Holland best figures for a spinner in domestic ODI out bowled lyon in the A tour of England
Posted by Shadab Raza on (September 13, 2012, 5:15 GMT)Australia just need a quality spinner and one down specialist like dean jones, ponting or clark standard and they will again become unbeatable.
Posted by Meety on (September 13, 2012, 5:04 GMT)@Stu at September 12, 2012 1:40 PM - hmmm "...Any body who believes Macgill was a worldy is setting their sights remarkably low..." - I am am assuming you meant to say world class lggy instead of a "..worldy..." - I assume you are a Pom by your obsession with obscure Pommy spinners, but I had to laugh about the MacGill comment. To bag MacGill - a bowler who at times was PREFERRED by Oz selectors over Warne, is to bag Swann as he has played 2 more tests then MacGill for 16 LESS wickets. Swann's S/R & average is INFERIOR to MacGill. Nice try, stick to Baseball!
Posted by Meety on (September 13, 2012, 4:55 GMT)@ryan at September 9, 2012 2:30 AM - actually Clarke playing @ #7 as a spin bowling allrounder makes plenty of sense in the T20 format. You may not realise it, but Doherty has a T20 average of 130! That's right, ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY! His economy is only marginally better than Pup's. I like O'Keefe, & want to him have more opportunities.