From hunted to hunter

It was only two years ago that Nathan Hauritz and Graeme Swann were domestic bowlers daydreaming of international appearances. If they had revealed those aims there would have been chuckles. Yet in November they will be two of the Ashes headliners, a pair of slow bowlers expecting to have a say in the series.

After decades of being launched over midwicket and nudged behind square, traditional offspinners have suddenly regained their good name. Teams need them, and rely on them. No longer are Hauritz, 28, and Swann, 31, given an over before lunch or tea, or forced to wait for the captain to exhaust all other options. Each man is part of the main plan, as important to the attack as the new-ball combination.

Naturally, Hauritz is enjoying the change to positive recognition for finger spinners. "When I first started it was that you couldn't have an offspinner replacing Shane Warne, and then Stuart MacGill," he said. "To be fair, it's probably going to be like this for the rest of my career, I don't see how it's going to change. Just now it's slowed down a little, and people are starting to respect that we can actually do a job."

It has taken a huge shift in personnel and team-management thought for both to get so far. The two have experienced similar careers, winning international recognition before they were ready, then spending years fretting, learning and waiting for the environment to change. Swann needed a change of coach, from Duncan Fletcher to Peter Moores, to win a Test cap in 2008-09, while Hauritz had to wait until almost every available first-class spinner had been tried and discarded, or had retired. Swann captured two wickets in his debut over; Hauritz had collected four victims - one for each year he'd been away - in his comeback Test two weeks earlier.

Swann, bubbly and free-speaking, adapted more quickly to international life, while the more cautious Hauritz had to battle against both a negative public perception and batsmen who wanted him smothered. Before the 2009 Ashes Hauritz was mostly a defensive operator, variously dismissed as second-rate, a no-hoper, someone who would struggle to play in England's minor counties, and worse. The stories were so bad he wouldn't read them.

Looking back, he is not surprised by the spirit he showed overcoming those dark days. "I've done a lot of work with my sports psychologist, having to deal with different things," he told Cricinfo during the Australian squad's camp this week. "He's placed me in a pretty good mental state. These obstacles are going to come around, but there's not one thing I can do about it. That's been the biggest thing I've had to learn from him.

"Just focusing on bowling - that's it. Whatever happens to everyone else has got nothing to do with me, so I've just got to learn to keep doing that. It's probably why these guys, Michael Clarke, Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting are so good. When they first started there would have been obstacles as well. Now they are some of the best players in the world."

When he turns up for the Ashes Hauritz will be a threat instead of the threatened. Ponting has already said Hauritz will be his No. 1 spinner as soon as he recovers from his foot injury, and he is on target for the India Tests in October. "It's a different feeling this year compared to last year," Hauritz said of facing England. "You've got to go through it as you grow up."

Ten wickets in the first three Ashes Tests showed Hauritz he could be a Test bowler, but there were still bouts of self doubt. He wasn't picked at Leeds or for the deciding game at The Oval, due to some insecurity, a sore foot and the selectors' preference for Stuart Clark.

Back home he was re-installed for the first Test against West Indies in Brisbane and was a fixture until forced home from England to rest his left foot, ruling him out of the Pakistan series. It was the home campaign against Pakistan that stamped him as an elite bowler. His 5 for 101 to seal the win at the MCG, his maiden first-class five-for, remains his favourite day.

A week later in Sydney, where he benefited from some sloppy batting, he delivered another victory with 5 for 53 as Pakistan surrendered for 139. A stiff thumb is a regular reminder of his caught-and-bowled of Mohammad Yousuf, a thundering shot that split a nail and forced Hauritz to the ground. The blood-spotted shirt will soon be framed. "I'll never get rid of that," he said, "and will cherish those moments forever."

He's had a lot of time for reflection lately. During a month spent with his foot in a moon boot, waiting for the cuboid bone to heal, he was restricted to upper-body fitness work, television, Xbox and a bit of reading. One of the non-cricket books was The Wolf of Wall Street, about Jordan Belfort, a former millionaire stockbroker who ended up in prison for shares fraud.

"I only read that book because it was about money," he said. "I love money. I love anything about that. It was an interesting read."

Already during the camp Clarke had teased Hauritz about no longer needing to lay-by his shopping. Hauritz responded by saying his flat is as big as Clarke's ensuite. Hauritz has held a high position on Cricket Australia's rankings over the past two years, bringing in an enviable salary, and his on-field results have added fame and distractions.

He grew up in the coastal town of Hervey Bay and retains the honest, relaxed characteristics of a country Queensland kid. "I'm very simple," he said. "My wife and family keep me pretty grounded, and I've got some really good mates. At the end of the day those guys are always around, no matter what you do. Playing for your country, there's nothing better, but all those other things are just bonuses."

One of his more recent mates is Swann. They first met during the Cardiff Test and have since shared beers and on-field banter. "He's pretty competitive, as offspinners have to be," Hauritz said. "You can't really lay down and cop it."

The strange thing about the success of Swann and Hauritz is their simplicity. Neither is a big turner, relying instead on drift away and, hopefully, some spin back in. Swann has the higher arm action, a flatter foot in delivery and the superior arm ball. "That's probably what sets me apart from him a little bit," Hauritz said. "His arm ball is quite well hidden. I don't really have a devastating arm ball, or anything like that."

It used to be that a spin bowler wasn't anything without a doosra or a zooter or a flipper. Now it doesn't matter if you haven't mastered the old-fashioned, well-disguised straight one.

Swann is the leading wicket-taker in Tests since the start of the 2009 Ashes, with 70 in 16 matches at 29.07, while Hauritz sits in seventh. He is the second most successful spinner, with 43 in 11 games at 31.67, and the next offie is the now-retired Muttiah Muralitharan (30 in six at 36.63).

Swann has far more playing experience thanks to the county structure, and his 24th Test on Thursday will be his 200th first-class game. Hauritz has appeared in 58 first-class affairs, 15 of those under a baggy green.

"Despite the fact he's got probably 300 more wickets at first-class level than me, we're similar at Test level," Hauritz said. Swann has actually got 411 more first-class victims, and in Tests leads by 104 to 57. The figures might be significantly different, but Hauritz's meaning is clear.

Two often overlooked offies will attempt to do the same job over the Australian summer. Whoever does it best is likely to have contributed to an Ashes victory. Yes, they are that important.