Former Australia spinner Steve O'Keefe believes that the Australia team should play three spinners in their playing XI during their upcoming Test tours of Asia next year, as he feels keeping the fast bowlers as the center of the bowling attack may not work in the subcontinent due to the heat and conditions.
Australia is due to tour Pakistan for the first time since 1998 in February-March, Sri Lanka in mid-year, and then India – to play 8 Tests overall – and O'Keefe feels his team needs to “start looking at playing three spinners” in the sub-continent while citing the example of India.
Citing the example for R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bowling in tandem for India, former spinner said Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar both are ready to support Nathan Lyon in the subcontinent.
As reported by cricket.com.au, O'Keefe said: “I think we are in as good a place as we've ever been from a bowling point of view. Outside of Nathan Lyon, there's been a question for ten years about our depth behind him, but Mitchell Swepson stepped up on every occasion last year, it was so impressive to see him win games for his state, bowl with consistency, and a lot of spin.”
He further explained, “I think we need to start looking at three spinners as well as a quick and a medium pacer. That would be my five bowling options in some of the conditions you encounter over there. Players in the sub-continent will prey on any loose deliveries ... and that's hard with leg-spin because you've got to be so accurate to build pressure.
But the beauty of playing Nathan Lyon with Ashton Agar or if you went with all three, Nathan is an attacking, over-the-top spin bowler who can be aggressive, then someone like Ashton could really control (the game) and bring the run rate down to two or three over.”
O'Keefe signed off by saying, “When you look at the Indian spinners (Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja) bowling well, that's genuinely how they work ... one will contain and one will be the wicket-taker.
So I think it's important for those guys to get some opportunities to bowl together, whether that's in some lead-up games for Aussie A or tour games over there, to get the synergy right of bowling together. I think they'll have success.”
(With ANI Inputs)
