With neither Australia nor England selecting a frontline spinner for the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG, former Australia batter Simon Katich sees this as a significant change in the approach towards spin bowlers in Australia.
Despite having full-time spinners available, Australia’s Todd Murphy and England’s Shoaib Bashir were both left out of their starting lineups. Murphy’s absence is particularly noteworthy, marking the first time since 1888 that Australia did not field a spinner at the SCG.
This marks the fourth occasion in the past six Test matches, and the first since 1888 in the history of SCG Tests, that the hosts have excluded a full-time spinner. Katich expressed concern about how this trend may affect the development of future spin bowlers in Australia.
“It’s amazing to think that both teams are without a front-line spinner (for a Sydney Test). I know in my time that would have been absolutely unheard of. But you can’t blame the selectors or Steve Smith for going down the track they have,” Katich shared with SEN Cricket.
“Because you look at the conditions and you think, ‘Well, unless this deteriorates significantly in the next day or so, because this Test might only last three and a bit days’. So, it’s a really worrying sign in terms of how we are going to develop the next generation of spinners to play Test Cricket for Australia if we keep playing in conditions around the country where none of them are suitable to bowl for any length of time. It’s a worrying trend,” he added.
The action from the SCG will continue on Monday, with England finishing Day 1 on 211/3, thanks to an unbeaten 154-run fourth-wicket partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook. The former remained not out with 72 runs, while the latter contributed an unbeaten 78, helping the visitors recover from an early collapse.