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Former Australia bowler Stuart MacGill says left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty is not up to Test cricket
Former Test leg-spinner Stuart MacGill is puzzled by left-armer Xavier Doherty's inclusion in the India Test squad and urges selectors not to become obsessed with spin.
Doherty has become an asset for Australia in one-day internationals and Twenty20 cricket over the past two years but MacGill is far from convinced the 30-year-old can cut it at Test level.
"Xavier Doherty is a great bloke, a great one-day cricketer, he is not a Test cricketer," said MacGill.
"The obession with left-arm finger spin makes no sense.
"There is such a difference in bowling from one-day cricket to Tests."
Thrust into Australia's disastrous 2010-2011 Ashes campaign, Doherty picked up three wickets at an eye-watering average of 102 and conceded more than four runs an over in his only two Tests.
However some encouraging performances in coloured clothing earned him a trip to India despite only collecting two wickets in four Sheffield Shield matches this season.
There is a temptation for Australia to replicate England's successful tactic at the end of last year of playing two specialist spin bowlers on the traditionally slow-bowling friendly surfaces of the subcontinent.
After losing the opening Test of their four-match series in India in November, England called up Monty Panesar and he and fellow spinner Graeme Swann played pivotal roles in their team's 2-1 series win.
However MacGill said Australia should play to its strengths by picking three quicks and only choose a second specialist spinner on merit with the first Test starting in Chennai on February 22.
"I would not be obsessed with spin," MacGill said.
"Our quicks are good enough.
"Peter Siddle is very good with the old ball and Mitchell Johnson can still be nasty on flat surfaces.
"The quicks are lining up at the moment."
Besides Siddle and Johnson, Australia have the formidable fast bowling talents of Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird and James Pattinson at their disposal while Moises Henriques will be pressing for a spot as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
The only time Australia has won a Test series in India in the past 44 years was in 2004 when selectors opted for a three-pronged seam attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz that suffocated India's star-studded batting lineup.
MacGill believed that with David Warner and Michael Clarke chipping in with their part-time tweakers, Australia only needed one full-time spinner to do the job in India.
The 44-Test player said Nathan Lyon deserved to be Australia's No.1 spin bowler but expected all-rounder Glenn Maxwell to make his Test debut at some point during the four-match series.
"If he (Lyon) does not settle, you could well play Glenn Maxwell as the spin bowler along with Warner and Clarke, plus three quicks," he said.
Read more: http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket...rs/story-fn2mcu3x-1226575432558#ixzz2KhWM70ut
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Other than him talking up Mitchell Johnson and claiming Glenn Bigshowxfactorhowitzer Maxwell was an option, the Gorilla is bang on.
Former Test leg-spinner Stuart MacGill is puzzled by left-armer Xavier Doherty's inclusion in the India Test squad and urges selectors not to become obsessed with spin.
Doherty has become an asset for Australia in one-day internationals and Twenty20 cricket over the past two years but MacGill is far from convinced the 30-year-old can cut it at Test level.
"Xavier Doherty is a great bloke, a great one-day cricketer, he is not a Test cricketer," said MacGill.
"The obession with left-arm finger spin makes no sense.
"There is such a difference in bowling from one-day cricket to Tests."
Thrust into Australia's disastrous 2010-2011 Ashes campaign, Doherty picked up three wickets at an eye-watering average of 102 and conceded more than four runs an over in his only two Tests.
However some encouraging performances in coloured clothing earned him a trip to India despite only collecting two wickets in four Sheffield Shield matches this season.
There is a temptation for Australia to replicate England's successful tactic at the end of last year of playing two specialist spin bowlers on the traditionally slow-bowling friendly surfaces of the subcontinent.
After losing the opening Test of their four-match series in India in November, England called up Monty Panesar and he and fellow spinner Graeme Swann played pivotal roles in their team's 2-1 series win.
However MacGill said Australia should play to its strengths by picking three quicks and only choose a second specialist spinner on merit with the first Test starting in Chennai on February 22.
"I would not be obsessed with spin," MacGill said.
"Our quicks are good enough.
"Peter Siddle is very good with the old ball and Mitchell Johnson can still be nasty on flat surfaces.
"The quicks are lining up at the moment."
Besides Siddle and Johnson, Australia have the formidable fast bowling talents of Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird and James Pattinson at their disposal while Moises Henriques will be pressing for a spot as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
The only time Australia has won a Test series in India in the past 44 years was in 2004 when selectors opted for a three-pronged seam attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz that suffocated India's star-studded batting lineup.
MacGill believed that with David Warner and Michael Clarke chipping in with their part-time tweakers, Australia only needed one full-time spinner to do the job in India.
The 44-Test player said Nathan Lyon deserved to be Australia's No.1 spin bowler but expected all-rounder Glenn Maxwell to make his Test debut at some point during the four-match series.
"If he (Lyon) does not settle, you could well play Glenn Maxwell as the spin bowler along with Warner and Clarke, plus three quicks," he said.
Read more: http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket...rs/story-fn2mcu3x-1226575432558#ixzz2KhWM70ut
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Other than him talking up Mitchell Johnson and claiming Glenn Bigshowxfactorhowitzer Maxwell was an option, the Gorilla is bang on.
