After 79 years, a spin-heavy rarity on show
Australia fielded just one front-line fast bowler and three spinners for the second Test at Chittagong, a rare line-up that hadn’t been fielded in the last 79 years. Australia trail the twomatch series 0-1 and have roped in the services of Steve O’Keefe in an attempt to pull things back on sub-continental conditions.
Pat Cummins was the only regular seamer in the mix and although medium pacer Hilton Cartwright was in the squad, it was Lyon who opened the bowling with Cummins from the other end. In doing so, Lyon also became the first Australian spinner since Bill O’Reily to open the bowling on Day One of a Test match. There have been quite a few instances since then where spinners have opened bowling in the second innings of a Test with O’Keefe being the most recent example. He did so in the 1st Test at Pune earlier this year where he ended with figures of 12/70.
The move paid off as well as Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar did all the damage to the Bangladesh batting order right from the start. While Lyon picked up the first four wickets to fall, Agar removed the dangerous Shakib Al Hasan in the 47th over.
Smith’s decision to opt for three spinners might be an unusual one and may startle a few pundits who hail from the land that has produced the likes of Jeff Thompson, Dennis Lillee, Brett Lee and so on, but is a justified one as well. Spinners had picked up 34 off the 40 wickets that fell in the first Test and given the dustbowls that are on offer in this part of the world, it’s better to gamble than stick to the traditional gameplan. A loss here would move Australia to No 6 in Test rankings.
Meanwhile, Cummins also became the first Australian since Jeff Thompson to be fielded as a solitary fast bowler in the playing XI. Batting all-rounder Trevor Laughlin had been paired with Thompson back in 1978 when the Baggy Greens had locked horns with West Indies in the final Test at Sabina Park.