Bracken puts a new spin on bid for Test selection.

[pup11]

Bracken turning to spin!!!

I almost laughed when i read this, i always joked that he was almost as efective as a spinner with his cutters on slow and turning tracks, but for him to seriously turn himself into a spinner is hilariuous, i can understand where he is coming from, because its pretty ridiculous that he has not been even in contention to be picked for the test side despite him being one of the best ODI bowlers going around for a few years now and his strong FC performances for sometime, so i guess this is his last throw of the dice to break into the test team, but i am not to sure how good an idea this really is.

 

[Precambrian]

Lol!

 

[social]

If Colin Miller can do it, Bracken can as well as he is starting from a much more solid base

 

[Top_Cat]

If Colin Miller can do it, Bracken can as well as he is starting from a much more solid base

Yeah but left-arm spinner? Name me the last really successful Test left-arm spinner. Bedi is as close as I get.

 

[chaminda_00]

OMG we have a million spinners in the squad Bracks. Who cares about Australia, winning matches for NSW is all that counts. Get your priorities right FFS.

 

[Sanz]

Yeah but left-arm spinner? Name me the last really successful Test left-arm spinner. Bedi is as close as I get.

Dilip Doshi, Iqbal Qasim

 

[four_or_six]

I reckon given the age of the current test team, players of Bracken's age will only come in as injury replacements. Unlucky, but that's life.

 

[Precambrian]

Yeah but left-arm spinner? Name me the last really successful Test left-arm spinner. Bedi is as close as I get.

Apart from Dilip Doshi and Iqbal Qasim,

Venkatapathy Raju comes to mind (93 wickets @ 30)

Shakib al Hasan of Bangladesh looks a decent prospect.

Monty Panesar has taken 100+ wickets @ 31, whether that qualifies as successful I dont know.

Interestingly Micheal Bevan has 29 wickets at a Warnly average of 24.

 

[pup11]

If Colin Miller can do it, Bracken can as well as he is starting from a much more solid base

IMO Bracks is just making a laughing stock out of himself, he is a fantastic bowler even with the way he is atm, its not as if he is not picking wickets (in FC cricket) with his swing bowling, he just needs to consider himself unlucky that he is not anywhere near the test side atm, but this whole idea to reinvent his bowling all of sudden is not a great one in my book, he risks neglecting his swing bowling and hence he could even end up screwing his terrific ODI career.

 

[JimmyGS]

This strikes me as something that's been blown way out of proportion. He hasn't even bowled them for his club side yet.

 

[NZTailender]

Will he keep bowling pace for ODIs, where he's arguably the best in the world?

 

[Richard]

If Colin Miller can do it, Bracken can as well as he is starting from a much more solid base

There is absolutely no way Colin Miller is a precedent for anything. The man was a complete freak - wholly average seamer (as opposed to Bracken who's actually a reasonably good one) who happened to manage to turn himself into reasonable fingerspinner (not as good as his Test average suggested, there's no way he'd have had that sort of average if he'd had a long career) at the age of 33-34. Miller had nothing to lose as he was a journeyman cricketer who'd had little real success anywhere. Bracken on the other hand is a one-state player whose credentials at ODI level and for NSW in both forms are well established and if he's going to abandon seam completely or even to an extent he's just chucking something valuable away in the vain pursuit of something he has virtually no hope of achieving. The reason he can't get in Australia's Test team is his age, not his style of bowling.

 

[analyst]

How dare you omit the legendary dobblers Lehmann dished out at batsmen with his noncholant run up, clearly the most graceful sight that surpassed anything else at the time.

 

[Goughy]

I think it is a great idea.

More strings to his bow. It makes him more selectable if he can offer swing bowling, cutters and slow left arm.

I think it is admirable that a guy that has no current chance of Test selection is trying to reinvent himself to help himself and his country.

I have no idea if it will work but as long as he doesnt give up his day job of swing bowling then I see nothing but positives and some potentially big gains.

 

[sanga1337]

yeah AWTA. I don't see whats wrong with Bracken developing as a spinner as long he also keeps bowling pace. Its always useful to have someone in the team who can bowl pace and spin like sobers was able to do.

 

[Uppercut]

I think it is a great idea.

More strings to his bow. It makes him more selectable if he can offer swing bowling, cutters and slow left arm.

I think it is admirable that a guy that has no current chance of Test selection is trying to reinvent himself to help himself and his country.

I have no idea if it will work but as long as he doesnt give up his day job of swing bowling then I see nothing but positives and some potentially big gains.

AWTA. I would have had him in the side for the India tour. Two bowlers in one, and they haven't exactly got an alternative quality spin option.

 

[Hoggy31]

How dare you omit the legendary dobblers Lehmann dished out at batsmen with his noncholant run up, clearly the most graceful sight that surpassed anything else at the time.

How dare you...

Rated Lehmann as a spinner, think if he hadn't been the batsman he was he could've developed himself into at least a first-class standard specialist spinner. Got good flight, drift and turn for a part-time spinner, has a more than handy bowling record.

 

[Richard]

^^ For once, I think Bo***ch speaks the truth.

 

[analyst]

How dare you...

Rated Lehmann as a spinner, think if he hadn't been the batsman he was he could've developed himself into at least a first-class standard specialist spinner. Got good flight, drift and turn for a part-time spinner, has a more than handy bowling record.

Ah so is the story for Tendulkar and countless others, its all bollocks if you ask me. A few batsmen who can bowl one or two decent balls, not bad but hardly means they are brilliant either, good for one day stuff, not for the longer version of cricket.

 

[morgieb]

. Just because Colin Miller could do it, doesn't mean Bracks can.