Spin at the SCG

[The Fonz]

In modern times, Australia won a bunch of games at the SCG all on the back of spin bowling.
I'm mainly referring to:

West Indies - 1984 and 1989
England - 1987

In 84 we had Murray Bennett and Bob Holland take 15 wickets between them
In 87 Peter Taylor took 6 in first, Peter Sleep took 5 in the second and in total they had 13 between them(AB also took 1). John Emburey also took 7 in the second for England.
In 89 AB famously took 11 for the match but Trevor Hohns and PT took another 7 between them.

Obviously this isn't the same SCG wicket as the halycon 80s. In 1985, we played 3 spinners against NZ!! - Greg Matthews, Ray Bright and Bob Holland.

So what is my point? How can you play a spinner at the SCG who has never even played at the ground before? It is just crazy!

If England were really aggressive, they could drop Collingwood, bat Prior at 6 and include Monty.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

It's not Beer's fault he has never played at the SCG, it is Victoria's for never picking him up

He'll do well, a much better bowler than most think. Unfortunately the premature selection has led to many people abusing him and writing him off out of sheer frustration that others, namely Hauritz and O'Keefe, haven't been selected.

Can't be any worse than Doherty, so it's a step in the right direction

 

[Doodlesweaver]

It's not Beer's fault he has never played at the SCG, it is Victoria's for never picking him up

He'll do well, a much better bowler than most think. Unfortunately the premature selection has led to many people abusing him and writing him off out of sheer frustration that others, namely Hauritz and O'Keefe, haven't been selected.

Can't be any worse than Doherty, so it's a step in the right direction

Poor sod knows he has one match to do anything. Coming into the Aus team as a spin bowler is a bit of a nightmare scenario. The just don't give them a chance to bed in at all. It's one or two strikes and you're out.

 

[The Passenger]

i only discovered this today but michael beers performances at grade level are bloody fantastic. can someone who's more in tune with the victorian set up explain to me why he wasn't given a go at some stage??

http://mycricket.cricket.com.au/com...layercareerbowling.asp&playerID=44567&eid=219

175 wickets in first grade at 18 runs per wicket. that's bloody good.

now obviously bryce mcgain was in the team around 2006ish for a few years and the victorian set up has pushed jon holland for a while.

but i found it hard to believe that someone can take 43 wickets at 20 and 39 wickets 13 the following year and not have had a look in of some description??

not saying he's gonna be a gun - i have no idea. i still haven't seen him bowl. but those numbers are fairly impressive and it is very suprising that at some stage he wasn't given a go..... anyone??

 

[Crows4Flag]

Surely by Australia playing two speculative spinners, at least one of them will be able to get it turning and trouble our batters

 

[lemon chicken]

i only discovered this today but michael beers performances at grade level are bloody fantastic. can someone who's more in tune with the victorian set up explain to me why he wasn't given a go at some stage??

http://mycricket.cricket.com.au/com...layercareerbowling.asp&playerID=44567&eid=219

175 wickets in first grade at 18 runs per wicket. that's bloody good.

now obviously bryce mcgain was in the team around 2006ish for a few years and the victorian set up has pushed jon holland for a while.

but i found it hard to believe that someone can take 43 wickets at 20 and 39 wickets 13 the following year and not have had a look in of some description??

not saying he's gonna be a gun - i have no idea. i still haven't seen him bowl. but those numbers are fairly impressive and it is very suprising that at some stage he wasn't given a go..... anyone??

The pace attack was pretty good back then as well as having Moss and McDonald. McGain wasnt getting a game until 07/08. Till then it was Warne and White. White was still bowling a lot more back then.

 

[The Passenger]

yeah true you guys did have a pretty good team.

still think they're pretty impressive numbers to have not been given a game at all. don't know what happend to him in 2004/05 and 05/06.... maybe injured or playing second grade, but those were probably key years in him going off the radar in terms of promotion through the ranks as he would've been 20 to 22 years of age at the time....

but seeing his performances for st kilda it at least gives me some confidence that he must be able to at least bowl a little bit. pushing 200 first grade wicket's in only four full seasons is nothing to sneeze at. it will all depend on his consistency. that's the big difference between bowlers at grade level and state level and once again at test level. bowlers at test level just don't bowl many bad balls (yeah mitch johnson say's hello i know!!!)..... still, it's a pretty obscure selection. it's not like he was carving up in his half season with western australia. anyway, good luck to him.