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Australias Spinner for Pakistan

Burgey

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Yeah, but so many spinners' stats in Australia don't stack up at domestic level. I think HJ's point that maybe some of these younger guys will do ok if given a chance could well be right.
 

Top_Cat

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Yeah, but so many spinners' stats in Australia don't stack up at domestic level. I think HJ's point that maybe some of these younger guys will do ok if given a chance could well be right.
Heal is a decent pick I reckon. I saw him live when he played in the ACB Chairman's XI match against SL and he was the only threatening bowler all day. The Aussie selectors seem to have a pathological aversion to picking left-arm finger spinners, though. When was the last one we had, Ray Bright or Tom Hogan perhaps? I don't think we've ever had a 'great' one. Either that or ones who could have been good just weren't picked.....
 

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
You got to love the state of Australian spin bowling stocks when guys like Heal, Doherty, Haurtiz, Bailey and Smith all can't get FC games.

If McGain doesn't get selected it would be complete joke, as he really is the only FC standard spinner in Australia ATM.
 

irfan

State Captain
You got to love the state of Australian spin bowling stocks when guys like Heal, Doherty, Haurtiz, Bailey and Smith all can't get FC games.

If McGain doesn't get selected it would be complete joke, as he really is the only FC standard spinner in Australia ATM.
AWTA. ATM none of the other domestic spinners are fit to lace McGain's boots. I reckon Bracken should get another crack in the test team, his FC stats are very good this season (the last time I checked) and is basically a left-arm spinner who can swing and seam it.:happy:
 

iamdavid

International Debutant
Two spinners is pretty much a sure thing and taking into account a few quotes from Andrew Hilditch I think there'll be one frontliner whose there on merit and one development player picked with an eye to the future who will play a tour game (if there are any) and a test if conditions are ridiculously spin-friendly.
If MacGill is fit and bowling half-decent then he will obviously be the frontline spinner, and if he is not then Bryce McGain will fairly obviously be the frontliner.

The younger development player could concievably be any of Dan Cullen, Aaron Heal, Doherty, Hauritz or at a real stretch I spose you could consider Beau Casson (I noticed some half decent figures a Pura Cup match or two ago), Cullen Bailey (although he's been a flop this season, hype and all), Stve Smith (although ridiculously undercooked he is young, had great 20/20 figures and theres his batting) or even Cameron White (dont laugh, he has been picked to tour primarily as a spin bowler before).
Personally if I had to chose from that crop I'd take Heal as he's the only one who has really convinced me to any degree that he could take the wickets of test match batsman on a regular basis and even in his case I doubt he's going to trouble too many players without laughably helpful surfaces. I have a bad feeling the selectors will pick Dan Cullen though.

Personally I wouldnt bring a young guy over just for the sake of development, MacGill has been pretty erratic over the last couple of years (even compared to the rest of his career) and he's fat, 37, and just coming back from a three month layoff after surgery to his bowling hand. I'd certainly want a replacement who I know is capable of doing the job if he were to go injured again or just start bowling tripe. So I'd bring MacGill and McGain.
 
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sideshowtim

Banned
My squad would be:

Jaques
Hayden
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Symonds
Haddin
Lee
Johnson
Clark
McGain
-----------
Noffke
Katich
MacGill
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Two spinners is pretty much a sure thing and taking into account a few quotes from Andrew Hilditch I think there'll be one frontliner whose there on merit and one development player picked with an eye to the future who will play a tour game (if there are any) and a test if conditions are ridiculously spin-friendly.
If MacGill is fit and bowling half-decent then he will obviously be the frontline spinner, and if he is not then Bryce McGain will fairly obviously be the frontliner.

The younger development player could concievably be any of Dan Cullen, Aaron Heal, Doherty, Hauritz or at a real stretch I spose you could consider Beau Casson (I noticed some half decent figures a Pura Cup match or two ago), Cullen Bailey (although he's been a flop this season, hype and all), Stve Smith (although ridiculously undercooked he is young, had great 20/20 figures and theres his batting) or even Cameron White (dont laugh, he has been picked to tour primarily as a spin bowler before).
Personally if I had to chose from that crop I'd take Heal as he's the only one who has really convinced me to any degree that he could take the wickets of test match batsman on a regular basis and even in his case I doubt he's going to trouble too many players without laughably helpful surfaces. I have a bad feeling the selectors will pick Dan Cullen though.

Personally I wouldnt bring a young guy over just for the sake of development, MacGill has been pretty erratic over the last couple of years (even compared to the rest of his career) and he's fat, 37, and just coming back from a three month layoff after surgery to his bowling hand. I'd certainly want a replacement who I know is capable of doing the job if he were to go injured again or just start bowling tripe. So I'd bring MacGill and McGain.
Completely agree with that TBH. Taking a player as the second spinner for "developmental" purposes can go horribly wrong with just one injury. Or even a seamer: see Shaun Tait in 2005.
 

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
Meh you do realise Tait was the leading wicket taker in domestic cricket that season before the Ashes tour and he broke Grimmett's SA record for most wickets in season, which stood for over 50 years. He wasn't selected as development players, he was seen as realistic selection option. Yeah he flopped that series, but that was due to fact he was under cooked due to no tour matches.

Seriously how can anyone justify a selection of anyone other then McGain and MacGill. Cullen can't get FC wickets. Heal isn't a first choice player for WA, any pitch with even the slightest extra bounce and seam, he gets dropped. The rest only play one form and the ones that play FC aren't even dominate, let alone consistent.
 

JBMAC

State Captain
You would have to take McGain and McGill (if fit)...if not Mcgain goes and second spinners duties performed using Clarke and Symmonds
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Meh you do realise Tait was the leading wicket taker in domestic cricket that season before the Ashes tour and he broke Grimmett's SA record for most wickets in season, which stood for over 50 years. He wasn't selected as development players, he was seen as realistic selection option. Yeah he flopped that series, but that was due to fact he was under cooked due to no tour matches.
Most comments from most people, record-breaking previous season or not, suggested he'd been selected with developmental thoughts in mind. Heck, even that great champion of Australian cricketers and the spontaneous Sean Fuller said so (at least, I'm fairly sure he did).
 

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