Peter Taylor backs Beer to succeed in Sydney Test
By ANIMonday, January 3, 2011
BRISBANE - Former Australian off-spinner Peter Taylor has backed left-arm spinner Michael Beer to succeed where Xavier Doherty and the eight other spinners selected since spin legend Shane Warne’s retirement have failed.
Taylor, the man whose surprise selection had caused jaw-dropping alarm 24 years ago, has also cautioned against dismissing Beer prematurely.
He had justified his selectors with a stunning 6/78 on debut against England at Sydney.
“Certainly the circumstances are similar. But he is not playing at his home ground,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Taylor, as saying.
“They can’t have done much research or seen enough to know about him,” he added.
Taylor believes that just as England unsuccessfully tried to attack him all those years ago, it will make the same mistake with Beer.
“They tried to attack me on my debut with a view that they were going to try to put pressure on me, and it worked in my favour,” the off-spinner said.
Beer has been playing club cricket in Melbourne for less than a year and has appeared in just five first-class games for Western Australia, but has been named in the Australian squad for the ongoing fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.
The 26-year-old is the 10th spin bowler and the most unusual to be selected since Warne’s retirement nearly four years ago. (ANI)
