Crane’s leg up
Costly fence
MASON CRANE has “got the goods” to make it in Test cricket according to Trevor Bayliss if England decide to take the underperforming Moeen Ali out of the firing line in Sydney.
Moeen has had an increasingly fruitless tour and his confidence with the ball looks at rock-bottom with just three wickets at an average of 135.
And while Bayliss and the England management are wary about damaging the all-rounder’s confidence by wielding the axe, they also believe Sydney could be the perfect place to blood the young leg-spinner Crane.
Bayliss admitted they will give serious thought to the dilemma after looking at the pitch at the SCG, which has had no Sheffield Shield cricket this season after repairs following the Aussie Rules season.
And he conceded it will be a close call between the pair, even leaving the door ajar to play both, which would most likely mean Tom Curran missing out after making his debut in Melbourne.
“It will be a tricky decision and we will have to have a bit of a chat about it this week, but with Mason there’s maybe no time like the present to find out [about him],” said Bayliss.
“We think he’s a guy that has got the goods and the more he plays at this level, the better he will get. You have got to start somewhere.
“It’s been the case in the past that you can easily play two spinners but, looking at the wicket on TV this year, it looked like it had a decent covering of grass.
“I think it will still spin towards the end of the game – it’s still the same soil – but we will just have to take a look. There’s been no decision right now. And with the series lost, it gives us an opportunity to look at some different people.” With spin consultant Saqlain Mushtaq having left the touring party, England are set to draft in former Aussie leg-spinner Stuart MacGill this week for the second time in the tour. That may be a hint Crane is edging to the front of their thoughts for the final Test.
“It’s possibly an opportunity to get him in and do some more work with Mason,” said Bayliss. “He caught up with him in Brisbane when he [MacGill] was with the Lions and they did some good work last year in Sydney.”
Crane was plucked from grade cricket in New South Wales last March to become the first overseas player since Imran Khan in the mid-Eighties to play in the Sheffield Shield for NSW. And while he was expensive, bowling just over 27 overs for 116, he took five wickets to help his side to a win.
Crane would weaken England with the bat, however, which makes any possible omission of Moeen a worry.
Bayliss appeared to suggest that Moeen remains a potential match-winner with the bat, even though he is averaging just 19.42 in this series.
“Like any player, you go through highs and lows and at the moment THE SCOUT the number of runs and wickets makes it one of his lows,” he said. “But just a couple of months ago we were singing his praises as one of the best all-rounders in the world. “Conditions are a bit different here and it has taken him longer than he would have liked to feel comfortable. There’s not a lot of spin – he’s different to Nathan Lyon, who gets over-spin. “Mo is a free spirit and one or two shots or wickets and he will be off and running. So I’m not concerned long term.” Bayliss is back on familiar ground, having played for NSW from 1985 to 1997 and coached them between 2004 and 2007. JOCKEY Adam Wedge received a 21-day suspension after he incorrectly bypassed the third-last fence of a three-runner chase at Exeter yesterday.
Wedge made the mistake aboard 4-7 favourite Report To Base who was first past the post but subsequently disqualified.
Colin Tizzard’s 9-4 chance Valhalla and Tom Scudamore were awarded the race and Phobiaphiliac was placed second.
BRISTOL DE MAI is being treated for stomach ulcers following his disappointing run in the King George VI Chase at Kempton.