Nathan Hauritz role in the Australian test side. Should he really be playing?

[Owzat]

current Test spinners

Graeme Swann : 113 wkts @ 26.56
Harbhajan Singh : 362 wkts @ 31.61
Nathan Hauritz : 60 wkts @ 32.92
Daniel Vettori : 325 wkts @ 33.86
Danish Kaneria : 261 wkts @ 34.80
Ajantha Mendis : 50 wkts @ 32.88

vs IND/SAF/AUS/ENG/SRI

Ajantha Mendis : 34 wkts @ 29.00
Harbhajan Singh : 222 wkts @ 31.99
Graeme Swann : 43 wkts @ 35.86
Nathan Hauritz : 23 wkts @ 36.48
Danish Kaneria : 177 wkts @ 38.97
Daniel Vettori : 200 wkts @ 39.31

Ajantha Mendis has played India in half of his Tests and Pakistan (6 wkts @ 65.83) in a third of his Tests, his figures of 34 wkts @ 29.00 are against India.

70 of Swann's wickets aren't against top sides and so his average is somewhat artificial. In truth a lot of spinners look very ordinary against the better sides, except Harbhajan but he takes his wickets in India @ 27.71 and away from home @ 39.48 with twice as many wickets in India as elsewhere.

 

[TumTum]

Vettori what a legend :sarcasm

 

[Chewie]

Vettori what a legend :sarcasm

Oh don't get started on this again

 

[aussie1st]

Could learn to live with him in the side when he was keeping it tight but when hes being spanked at 4 and 5 an over then we got problems. 4 seamers might not be a bad idea considering how good our depth is there of late, if George gets a game and goes well then he can play the tight role. So Bollinger, Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Harris/Siddle/George + Smith, Katich and Clarke for the spin. But my first person I want out is North, don't want him batting at 6 anymore.

 

[TumTum]

Yes North should go first, then we can start thinking about Hauritz. I still don't like the idea of a 4-man pace attack, even if it looks so appealing now.

 

[Symptom_Control]

Yep its been a while since a 4 prong pace attack worked for Australia, I don't think there's been one to write home about since Lillee/Thomson/Walker/Gilmour in 75/6
Hauritz is the best option at present, Siddle and Bollinger will vie for a place, no real bowling stars on the horizon (unless Johnson finds a way to deliver his best form consistently :crying) Basically Aussie cricket at a pretty average state at the moment.

 

[SciD]

Do not judge Hauritz by showing in India. He has been doing alright till now and to be honest best of spinners have failed to perform in India.

 

[War]

Could learn to live with him in the side when he was keeping it tight but when hes being spanked at 4 and 5 an over then we got problems. 4 seamers might not be a bad idea considering how good our depth is there of late, if George gets a game and goes well then he can play the tight role. So Bollinger, Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Harris/Siddle/George + Smith, Katich and Clarke for the spin. But my first person I want out is North, don't want him batting at 6 anymore.

Sense is ariving.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

Yes, that match now showed how much Ponting trust him. May be 4 Men Pace Attack is what we will see for the second test

 

[aussie1st]

Well right now we are basically playing with a 3 man bowling attack with the part timers of Hauritz as that is how he was used in the 2nd innings. So add another seamer and get some part timers from the guys mentioned above and essentially it is no different on the spin front but you have another fresh seamer. Smith is pretty much considered a spinner by the selectors so we still have sort of frontline spinner like Hauritz.

 

[lethalhughes]

I would certainly not drop Hauritz.He has done pretty well since wearing the baggy green.The player i would drop is North and i would replace him with Hughes.Its not wise playing in India with no front line spinner.George wont cut it in india.People are forgetting this is Hauritz first test match after recovering from injury, against the best batting line up against spin.Its way too early to be calling for the chop.I know the ashes is coming along and we dont wanna have too much changes ,but seriously Hussey looks like a walking wicket in test.Doesn't look assured at the crease.Surely Ferguson, Hughes or Khawaja worth a shot.

 

[War]

I wouldn't drop him. He's done well so far and certainly hasn't done his reputation any harm. He was always expected to struggle in India vs India as most spinners are. Sure, he had a bad test but even Warne and Murali didn't fare too well in India. He's not in the same league as those two but it just goes to show what an intimidating place India can be to tour for spinners. He's a useful bowler to have outside the subcontinent and he hasn't done much wrong as of yet.

Firstly as an Indian with all due respect i dont know how much of Hauritz you have seen in tests since his recall vs SA 08/09.

But long before he failed to be effective on the final day of the recent Mohali test, in the past two years he has consistently failed to bowl other good batting opposition when has gotten similar conditons. Such as NZ @ Wellington earlier this year, Windies twice last summer in AUS & in ENG in the Cardiff Ashes test. Which proves conclusively he consistently failed to do the main job of test spinner worth any degree of credibilty as test bowler - wich is bowl his team to victory/take 5 wicket hauls on a turner/4th or 5th day wearing wicket againts solid/good/very good opposition.

Many decent/average spinners in recent times who aren't of the calibre of Murali & Warne such a Boje, Giles, Paul Harris & Adams, Croft, Greg Matthews Krejza, Kaneria for example have either gone to the India (or SRI or PAK) bowled on wearing 5th day wickkets & have bowled their sides to victory by taking 5 wicket hauls.

Hauritz has consistenly failed to do either, so no in his career to date he has clealry been useless everywhere & should be dropped.

 

[angryangy]

Smith would go better than North as the part-timer, but much worse than Hauritz as the main one.

 

[sami ullah khan]

Hauritz is an average bowler. He might hold one end up but that is not what a spinner is supposed to do on a fifth day pitch in India. Granted Indians are good players of spin but even North was looking more threatening that Nothing Hauritz. He will play in second but his expected ineffectiveness may shut the door of further selection for him in future matches.

 

[shravi]

Firstly as an Indian with all due respect i dont know how much of Hauritz you have seen in tests since his recall vs SA 08/09.

But long before he failed to be effective on the final day of the recent Mohali test, in the past two years he has consistently failed to bowl other good batting opposition when has gotten similar conditons. Such as NZ @ Wellington earlier this year, Windies twice last summer in AUS & in ENG in the Cardiff Ashes test. Which proves conclusively he consistently failed to do the main job of test spinner worth any degree of credibilty as test bowler - wich is bowl his team to victory/take 5 wicket hauls on a turner/4th or 5th day wearing wicket againts solid/good/very good opposition.

Many decent/average spinners in recent times who aren't of the calibre of Murali & Warne such a Boje, Giles, Paul Harris & Adams, Croft, Greg Matthews Krejza, Kaneria for example have either gone to the India (or SRI or PAK) bowled on wearing 5th day wickkets & have bowled their sides to victory by taking 5 wicket hauls.

Hauritz has consistenly failed to do either, so no in his career to date he has clealry been useless everywhere & should be dropped.

I watch all cricket series except those involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh (I just sort of pay attention in those matches, unless they involve India) so that argument doesn't hold. He wasn't very impressive against West Indies but I thought he really came into his own vs Pakistan. That is when Ponting really began to have confidence in him. Hauritz himself has admitted that self esteem has been an issue for him in the past so I think that that Pakistan series was a real defining moment. I don't think Ponting or the selectors expect him to run through batting line ups anyways. They obviously feel as though they need a spinner in the line up which is why they have Smith waiting on the sidelines in case Hauritz starts to fail miserably. However, I think they feel he's too raw at the moment and for some reason, they refuse to try him out as a batting all rounder in place of North. I don't think that they are confident with the 4 prong pace attack unless they get a Leeds type pitch again, especially after The Oval. I'm not a huge Hauritz fan by any means but he has been sufficiently consistent without being spectacular. I don't think there are any other options that Australia could pursue and I'm not a big fan of the 4 man pace attack so for now, Hauritz will have to do.