What Sifter said.
Firstly no poor fields where set for Hauritz in India. Ponting set the best possible fields for him on every occassion.
I distinctly remember Hauritz having two men in the deep on the offside and not many saving 1 to Pujara, and none (or 1) deep on the legside. Which meant that if he bowled outside the offstump, he'd be milked away for singles, but if he strayed too straight, be picked off for a boundary. That plan and that field setting, to a young player on debut on a turning wicket, made no sense.
The basic offspinner plan is to tempt the batsmen to hit against the spin through the offside, with fielders close to catch the miscue, and men in the deep on the leg incase he slips up with his line. Starve them of runs by denying them singles on the offside, they go for the big shot against the spin, a wicket-taking opportunity is created. Captaining spin bowlers 101. Ponting didn't do that.
I also think this was about the time when Shane Warne tweeted about how Ponting's fields were rubbish.
Hardly flawless if you ask me. And Ponting has generally been poor with field settings - he didn't need to be brilliant with McGrath, Gillespie and Lee at their best, and Warne set his own fields. This could actually be a big reason why spinner after spinner is being discarded by Australia, because Ponting doesn't know how to use them.
The way Hauritz bowled in India was also how he normally bowls as well. He certainly didn't just "toss it up" - thats totally inaccurate. He bowled his normal flattish with the odd "tossed up delivery", but everything he bowled was treated with utter disdain.
I've only seen Hauritz in ODIs, and then the Tests in India. In the Tests he was tossing the ball up more than he would in the ODIs I've seen him in. If that's his regular way of bowling in Tests, then alright, but I figured he'd be a lot lot flatter and tighter than normal. I was actually a bit surprised (impressed?) by how attacking he was trying to be.
There are also reports Haurtiz was told to bowl more like Harbhajan. Whether that meant toss the ball up more, or bowl flatter, I dunnow. I'm guessing the latter, since Harbhajan doesn't really toss the ball up so much anymore.
And yes, everything was treated with disdain, because the Indian batsmen are just that good against average offspin.
Secondly i could have certainly seen Krejza doing a better job than Hauritz in IND. He did so in the 2008 series for heavens sake, you can't want more proof than than. Krejza may have been expensive, but he would have taken wickets - especially on that last day turner in the 1st test when Hauritz was an absoulte dud.
I saw Krejza, a lot of rubbish mixed in with a few beauties. Might have gone better against Laxman/Ishant, true, but overall you'd see India scoring a lot faster and possibly higher than if he was played over Haurtiz. Economy rate of 4.53 and a strike rate of 57.3 isn't hugely impressive. With those figures you'll bowl India out for 400+ runs anyways, except this time it'll take only about 100 overs to do it.
I don't understand how you figure that a spinner who bowls mostly garbage with a few good deliveries in is a better option than Hauritz. Krejza did only play 2 tests (and just the one in India), but his FC record and the match against RSA shows that if the batsmen survive the good deliveries, he's just cannon fodder.
And your whole argument about Krejza is based on the 1 test match he played. Just 1. Where he wasn't even that impressive.
He might have the potential, but I wouldn't rate him above Hauritz.
A 4-man pace attack would certainly have made a HUGE difference as well. What where you watching?. If Bollinger didn't get injured on that final day, the AUS pacers would have won that test also.
Fair enough
Plus also historical evidence in Windies win in IND 1983/84, S Africa 99/00, AUS 2004. Shows pretty that pace wins you series in IND since they became a force @ home. So rather its insane on your part to suggest that AUS would not have been better off with a 4-man attack.
Statsguru to the rescue.
In all tests in India, seamers from WI, RSA, Aus, Eng and NZ have averaged 31 with an economy of 2.73 and a strike rate of 67.9
Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo
The corresponding stats for spinners from these countries in India is an average of 37.78 with an economy 2.61 and a strike rate of 86.5
Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo
Wow, your point might actually have some weight to it. India may be more of a spinners graveyard than a fast bowler's graveyard.
No. Hauritz has peer for not just in his last 2 series. But he has been poor since his recall vs South Africa 2008/09. In every situation where he has gotten a wearing wicket/5th day turner he has failed to win AUS tests againts the good batting sides (since performances againts the PAK team in turmoil dont count):
- Cardiff 09
- Adelaide & Perth 09
- 3rd test vs NZ
Haurtiz ability to hold up an end was always in question. He was never Vettori like his in accuracy where you felt batsmen where genuienly tied down & really could score off him. It was always a situation where although he could bowl 6 balls on the same spot, batsmen just respected that. But they could have easily switched gears againts without much risk, since his bowling repotoire was always very limited.
Yes, Hauritz is limited, and like I said, he won't bowl sides out.
But you fail to mention a better option. Apart from Krejza. Who really is just as rubbish.
Any other Australian spinner would have gone just the same, if not worse.
With Krejza you have the opposite problem in that he'd be hammered in conditions where there is no spin, like the first innings of the match. Haurtiz is a far better option in such conditions.
Secondly that myth about the invicibility about India's batsmen at home againts all spin - is simply a myth.
Since spinners not named Warne/Murali in recent years such as Greg Matthews, Shaun Udal, Jason Krejza, Nicky Boje, Paul Adams, Ashley Giles, Danish Kaneria, Ray Bright for eg. Have gone to India & have been a consistent threat for their captains of wearing/turning wickets in India.
My stats above prove otherwise. The only names from that list that stand are Matthews and Boje.
Udal got wickets from a lot of bad batting, and you're basing your argument on one single spell he bowled in the country (4/14). Might as well use Clarke as an example for his 6/9 while you're at it.
Krejza was rubbish for a large part, Adams had that awkward action which made him a threat everywhere really (until he was figured out), and Bright didn't have that brilliant a record either (average of 36.4 in India) so I don't know why you brought him up. Kaneria too, he average nearly 40 in India. True he looked dangerous at parts, probably had a bit of bad luck in catching, be he never was a consistent threat. And Giles just bowled outside the legstump rubbish. This is the first time I've heard Giles being described as a 'consistent threat'. He was nothing of the sort. Never was. Was always a containing bowler - a type of bowler, according to you, that should have never played test cricket.
So quite clearly its not impossible for spinners decent/average to be a threat in IND if they get the right conditions. Hauritz was abysmal in that role.
a) Above stats show that spinners, in general, will suffer in India.
b) Haurtiz was poor, fine, but does Australia really have anyone better at the moment? Are Australia's pace stocks such that 4 seamers + Watson/North would have done better than 3 seamers + Hauritz + Watson/North?
which he clearly isn't), I still don't see a problem with us trying other bowlers. I mean it's not like he will be missed.
. There are STACKS of spinners who have 'held up an end'. You're implying that holding up the end is the only thing they are trying to do. NO! If I'm Marcus North and come on 5 overs before the new ball - then YES, I'm holding up an end. But to say that no one in history has held up an end is just rubbish. Yet, I can't think of any spinner who wasn't trying to get the batsman out - that's insane. How is that possible? Well you can do BOTH - nagging at a batsman with tight bowling might be your way of getting him out, just ask Dan Vettori. 
. If your spinner can't take wickets AND can't bowl maidens and bowl economically, then it's time to try someone else. Or change tactics.
