Pope delivers glimpse of future

A RED-HEADED legspinner has delivered Australian cricket a crystal ball.

With a ripping wrong’un gifting a glimpse into the future, South Australian teen Lloyd Pope captured his maiden first-class wicket against NSW. Pope’s stunning ball overshadowed all others at Adelaide Oval on day two of the opening round Sheffield Shield clash.

The Redbacks are 2-113 at stumps, with Jake Lehmann unbeaten on 53 and Callum Ferguson not out 34, in reply to the Blues’ 246 all out.

The 18-year-old Pope’s wicket during his Shield debut rapidly became an internet sensation.

Pope’s googly was Googled far and wide. Posted by the Redbacks on Twitter, it was viewed almost 19,000 times within four hours of ball leaving hand. Pope’s well-flighted ball drifted in slightly to NSW tailender Steven O’Keefe, pitching half-a-metre outside off-stump.

Then it viciously spun back into the pads of the bamboozled O’Keefe, who couldn’t get his bat anywhere near the ball and was out plumb lbw.

“It was a bit of plan to the tailenders, to try and turn the ball both ways a little bit more. It worked, I guess, so it’s pretty good,” Pope said. Pope is making his debut amid much hype about becoming Australian cricket’s next great spinner.

Being a wrist spinner, comparisons have been made with leggie legend Shane Warne.