Ashes: Swann questions Doherty’s call up for Australia
By ANIMonday, November 22, 2010
BRISBANE - England off-spinner Graeme Swann has questioned the selection of uncapped Tasmanian left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty for the first Ashes cricket test to be played here from November 25.
Doherty is likely to make his test debut on Thursday after winning selection in Australia’s first test squad at the expense of regular spin specialist Nathan Hauritz.
The 28-year-old has 84 first class wickets at an average of 48, but Australia’s selectors believe his orthodox left-armers, turning away from right-handers, might trouble England’s batsmen more than Hauritz.
The Telegraph quoted Swann, who is currently ranked as the world’s number two spinner, as saying:
“There’s a new guy going to come in who I don’t know anything about. We obviously had planned for playing against Hauritz. It’s not a concern for us because we’ve seen Kev (Pietersen) destroy left-arm spinners.”
He added: “Any batsman can get out to any bowler any time. I know it doesn’t worry Kevin and it doesn’t worry the rest of us.”
Swann said England was well equipped to prosper if the pitch at the Gabba favoured seam bowling over spin.
“We’re very lucky if it is seamer friendly conditions as we’ve got two of the best seam bowlers in the world (James Anderson and Stuart Broad) and a guy who will the best bowler in the world in three or four years (Steven Finn),” Swann said. (ANI)
